Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Feeding the clock
When you eat may be just as vital to your health as what you eat, found researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Their experiments in mice revealed that...
Proteins in lung cancer cells that may provide potential drug targets identified
Researchers have identified a number of proteins whose activation allows them to distinguish between cancer and normal cells with almost 97 percent accuracy.
A cup of mint tea 'can kill pain', according to a study
A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.
Invasive Asian carp spread in Great Lakes
LONDON, Ontario, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Canadian environmental officials are concerned with the spread of invasive Asian carp in the Great Lakes where control measures don't seem to be...
Implant helps quit heroin
In a recent study, addicts who were trying to quit were given an implant that lowers cravings and blocks the effects of heroin.
Venomous Aussie redback spiders invading Japan
Australia's venomous redback spiders are on the march in Japan, where they are believed to have arrived years ago as stowaways on cargo ships, a wildlife expert warned Wednesday.
In Pictures: Bringing up baby
Intimate images captured for a BBC documentary show the struggle that animals go through to raise their offspring.
Insights Into The Molecular Basis Of Tumor Cell Behavior
A new study sheds light on the molecular basis by which tumor cells modulate their surroundings to favor cancer progression.
Meiosis: Chromosomes Dance And Pair Up On The Nuclear Membrane
Meiosis -- the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell -- is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet,...
Researchers begin to decipher metabolism of sexual assault drug
It's a naturally occurring brain chemical with an unwieldy name: 4-hydroxybutyrate (4-HB). Taken by mouth, it can be abused or used as a date-rape drug. Now, scientists have determined new...
Origin of life: Generating RNA molecules in water
A key question in the origin of biological molecules like RNA and DNA is how they first came together billions of years ago from simple precursors. Now, researchers have reconstructed...
Opposites attract: Monkeys choose mating partners with different genes
The world's largest species of monkey 'chooses' mates with genes that are different from their own to guarantee healthy and strong offspring, according to a new research study.
One for the Ages: Bristlecone Pines Break 4,650-Year Growth Record
Bristlecone pine trees dot the White Mountains in eastern California, giving the stark and rocky landscape one of its few highly visible signs of life. These gnarly-barked trees can survive...
Gene protects brain-eaters from mad cow-type disease
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Villagers in the highlands of Papua New Guinea who ritualistically ate human brains but did not die of a brain disease called kuru have a genetic mutation...
When is a stem cell really a stem cell?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- adult cells reprogrammed to look and function like versatile embryonic stem cells -- are of growing interest in medicine. They may provide...
Fecal architecture is beetle armor
Predators have a hard time getting through the layers of excrement some beetle moms give their young
Where the Wild Things Were: How Conservation Efforts Are Failing
In the essay, "Where the Wild Things Were," currently appearing in Foreign Affairs, Dr. Steven Sanderson, President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, asserts the world's political institutions have...
NEW CATFISH PICTURE: "Picky," Elusive Hatchlings Born
A normally shy male twig catfish took center stage at the Smithsonian National Zoo this month as guardian of a new clutch of catfish hatchlings.
Model created to study fungal infections
WORCESTER, Mass., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a model system to screen possible drug targets for conditions such as thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast...
Malaysia tracks orangutans with implants
Malaysian wildlife authorities are using electronic implants to keep track of orangutans in a bid to protect the endangered apes after they are freed into the wild, an official said...
Early protein processes crucial to formation and layering of myelin membrane
New findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover how mutations affect...
Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action
The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline...
Alternative animal feed part of global fisheries crisis fix
Finding alternative feed sources for chickens, pigs and other farm animals will significantly reduce pressure on the world's dwindling fisheries while contributing positively to climate change, according to researchers.
Ants use bacteria to make their gardens grow
Leaf-cutter ants, which cultivate fungus for food, have many remarkable qualities. Here's a new one to add to the list: the ant farmers, like their human counterparts, depend on nitrogen-fixing...
China to send two pandas to Australia
China will send two giant pandas to an Australian zoo this Friday as part of a joint research program.
Indian neutrino lab site rejected
Nilgiri location threatens important elephant habitat.
A sticky solution for identifying effective probiotics
Scientists have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to...
Rocket science leads to new whale discovery
Rocket science is opening new doors to understanding how sounds associated with Navy sonar might affect the hearing of a marine mammal – or if they hear it at all.