Living systems are perhaps the most fascinating examples of chemistry in action. Molecules assemble into biomachinery that can carry out complex tasks, making life possible. But how did it all begin? This question can be tackled from a geological perspective by surveying the possible conditions under which key biomolecules might have emerged on early Earth. Alternatively, a systems-biology appr...

Highly imbalanced sex ratios suggest that Asian families prefer sons. This preference may be expressed as reduction in parental investment in daughters when a younger son is born. This study investigates the gender effect of a younger sibling on older daughter's schooling. We construct a unique dataset linking national administrative data on college entrance examinations (CET) to birth registry...

species of chameleon, Furcifer labordi, in Madagascar that spends most of its life as an egg. in Madagascar and the American Museum of Natural History in New York, have found a chameleon with a remarkable lifestyle and report the results in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (published online). Although there are almost limitless theoretical combinations of ...