Ionizing radiation is usually associated with one thing in biology: damage. High-energy photons and particles can break chemical bonds, generate reactive oxygen species, alter proteins and damage DNA. Yet some organisms appear to have evolved a very different relationship with

Continue ReadingRadiotrophic Life: Can Organisms Use Ionizing Radiation as an Energy Source

The origin of life presents a deceptively simple question: how did the first system capable of storing information, reproducing itself, and evolving emerge from ordinary chemistry? At first glance, the problem seems almost impossible. Modern organisms depend on DNA, RNA,

Continue ReadingHow Could the First Genetic Information Arise Without a Designer