Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Strategies found for protecting island scrub jays from West Nile virus
In Channel Islands National Park off the coast of California lives the island scrub jay, a vivid blue and gray songbird with a species population of around 1,700. The rare...
New study shows iconic golden eagle was once common throughout Wales
A new study has shown that golden and white-tailed eagles were widespread and common throughout historic Wales.
Evolution drives greater risks of mitochondrial disease in males, fruit fly study suggests
New research in fruit flies suggests that males may be at greater risk than females of diseases caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA.
Our laws failed these endangered flying-foxes at every turn
On Saturday, Cairns Regional Council will disperse up to 8,000 endangered spectacled flying-foxes from their nationally important camp in central Cairns.
Scientists expand understanding of how DNA is organised
Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research have uncovered new information about vital structures inside cells which are responsible for organizing our DNA.
Coronavirus: What's happening around the world on Wednesday
An international disaster relief organization reported Tuesday the first confirmed case of COVID-19 among migrants living in a tent encampment of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. Here's what's happening...
Netflix renews 'Into the Night' for a second season
Netflix announced on Wednesday that Belgium sci-fi thriller "Into the Night" has been renewed for a second season.
Novel software reveals molecular barcodes that distinguish different cell types
There are about 75 different types of cells in the human brain. What makes them all different? Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine have developed a new set of computational...
Indices of health under our feet
A treasure trove of information relevant to human and environmental health is hiding in an unexpected place. Samples of wastewater from homes, institutions, towns and cities around the world can...
Research reveals more about path bacterial pathogen travels to cause tuberculosis
Biology students and faculty members from The University of Texas at El Paso have discovered a new target for tuberculosis drug development. Their study recently was published in the Journal...
Detroit Tigers sign No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson
The Detroit Tigers and No. 1 overall pick Spencer Torkelson agreed to a minor league contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Lifting weights makes your nervous system stronger, too
Gym-goers may get frustrated when they don't see results from weightlifting right away, but their efforts are not in vain: the first few weeks of training strengthen the nervous system,...
Scientists shed new light on how seabirds cruise through air and water
New insight on how four species of seabirds have developed the ability to cruise through both air and water has just been published.
Awkwafina, Ryan Murphy among Motion Picture Academy invitees
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced 819 invitees to join the Academy in 2020, including actors Awkwafina and Zendaya, and filmmakers Robert Eggers and Ryan Murphy.
Amber fossils unlock true color of 99-million-year-old insects
Nature is full of colors, from the radiant shine of a peacock's feathers or the bright warning coloration of toxic frogs to the pearl-white camouflage of polar bears.
Body of missing hiker discovered at Mount Rainier National Park
National Park Service officials announced Tuesday they discovered the body of Matthew Bunker, one of three hikers who have gone missing at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington within a...
Scientists shed new light on how seabirds cruise through air and water
New insight on how four species of seabirds have developed the ability to cruise through both air and water has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.
Scientists investigate epigenetic impact across whole genome
All life depends on a genome, which acts as an instruction manual for building all the products essential for development and survival. But knowing which of these individual instructions—or genes—need...
How a protein's small change leads to big trouble for cells
In molecular biology, chaperones are a class of proteins that help regulate how other proteins fold. Folding is an important step in the manufacturing process for proteins. When they don't...
Microscope allows gentle, continuous imaging of light-sensitive corals
Corals are "part animal, part plant, and part rock—and difficult to figure out, despite being studied for centuries," says Philippe Laissue of University of Essex, a Whitman Scientist at the...
Next-generation sequencing to provide precision medicine for rare metabolic disorders
Advances in next-generation-sequencing technology that allow researchers to look at billions of pieces of genetic information are changing the way a disease is diagnosed. Correct identification of changes in the...
Wild bees depend on the landscape structure
Sowing strips of wildflowers along conventional cereal fields and the increased density of flowers in organic farming encourage bumblebees as well as solitary wild bees and hoverflies. Bumblebee colonies benefit...
Researchers: Asian flying snakes wriggle their bodies for stability
Researchers at Virginia Tech University said they have figured out why a species of flying snake native to Asia wriggle their bodies up and down when they glide through the...
Revisiting energy flow in photosynthetic plant cells
By developing innovative methods to visualize energy changes in subcellular compartments in live plants, researchers recently solved a controversial question in photosynthesis: what is the source of NADH (Reduced Nicotinamide...
Plant tissue engineering improves drought and salinity tolerance
After several years of experimentation, scientists have engineered thale cress, or Arabidopsis thaliana, to behave like a succulent, improving water-use efficiency, salinity tolerance and reducing the effects of drought. The...
How worms move: Dopamine helps nematodes coordinate motor behaviors
For a nematode worm, a big lawn of the bacteria that it eats is a great place for it to disperse its eggs so that each hatchling can emerge into a nutritive...
'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' CG-animated film in development, Seth Rogen producing
Nickelodeon announced on Tuesday that a new, CG-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie is in development.
New genomic atlas of the developing human brain
Researchers have created a comprehensive region-specific atlas of the regulatory regions of the genome linked to human embryonic brain development.