Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Australian reptile research needs to move beyond university backyards
A team of Griffith University researchers found the strongest predictor of study sites for reptile research in Australia is proximity to universities.
Researchers construct dynamic landscape of medaka embryogenesis
Medaka, a fish, has become an important vertebrate model widely used in genetics, developmental biology, environmental sciences, and many other fields. A high-quality genome sequence and a variety of genetic...
Male fruit flies' decline in fertility with age is not only driven by changes in sperm
Infertility is one of the most striking effects of aging. The impact of aging on females' fertility is more severe and much better understood, but it also affects males. Male...
Parasite research heats up
Apicomplexan parasites infect hundreds of millions of people around the world each year. Several species of apicomplexan parasites in the Plasmodium genus cause malaria, while another apicomplexan species, Toxoplasma gondii...
Epigenetics Q&A: What the embryo can teach us about cell reprogramming
Cell reprogramming provides an outstanding opportunity for the artificial generation of stem cells for regenerative medicine approaches in the clinic. As current cell reprogramming methods are low in efficiency, researchers...
DNA helps conservation of elusive tequila bat
Scientists studying the near-threatened tequila bat, best known for its vital role in pollinating the Blue Agave plant from which the drink of the same name is made from, have...
Research team seeking public contributions to blue woodlice tracking project
A team of experts who are looking to combat viruses are to make a plea to the general public to help them in a new research project by becoming garden...
Yankees' Tanaka returns after taking 112-mph line drive to head
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was in "good spirits" when he returned to Yankee Stadium a day after he was hit in the head by...
Harmful microbes found on sewer pipe walls
Can antibiotic-resistant bacteria escape from sewers into waterways and cause a disease outbreak?
Cell 'membrane on a chip' could speed up screening of drug candidates for COVID-19
Researchers have developed a human cell 'membrane on a chip' that allows continuous monitoring of how drugs and infectious agents interact with our cells, and may soon be used to...
'Biologically relevant' levels of a fertility hormone are detected in human hair samples
The prospect of a non-invasive test of ovarian reserve is a little closer following results from a study showing that measurement of a fertility hormone can be accurately taken from...
SAG: Actors now 'free to work' on 'Songbird' film
SAG-AFTRA said it has rescinded its "Do Not Work" order for the pandemic drama, "Songbird."
Coronavirus: What's happening around the world on Sunday
Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia is under a new lockdown, with officials informing about 210,000 people in El Segria county to shelter in place, after more than 350 new cases of the...
Washington Redskins announce 'thorough review' of team name
The Washington Redskins announced Friday that the team will "undergo a thorough review" of the team's name.
Anaplasmosis bacterium tinkers with tick's gene expression to spread to new hosts
For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to...
Does DNA in the water tell us how many fish are there?
Researchers have developed a new non-invasive method to count individual fish by measuring the concentration of environmental DNA in the water, which could be applied for quantitative monitoring of aquatic...
Why are the offspring of older mothers less fit to live long and prosper?
In a new study in rotifers (microscopic invertebrates), scientists tested the evolutionary fitness of older-mother offspring in several real and simulated environments, including laboratory culture, under threat of predation in...
Scientists reveal why tummy bugs are so good at swimming through your gut
Researchers have solved the mystery of why a species of bacteria that causes food poisoning can swim faster in stickier liquids, such as within guts.
White-throated sparrows change their tune from 3 notes to 2
Most bird species are slow to change their songs, preferring to stick with tried-and-true tunes to defend territories and attract females — but this shift went viral across Canada.
Understanding the circadian clocks of individual cells
Scientists outline how individual cells maintain their internal clocks, driven both through heritable and random means. These findings help explain how organisms' circadian clocks maintain flexibility and could offer insights...
New candidate for raw material synthesis through gene transfer
Cyanobacteria hardly need any nutrients and use the energy of sunlight. Bathers are familiar with these microorganisms as they often occur in waters. A group of researchers has discovered that...
Moss protein corrects genetic defects of other plants
Almost all land plants employ an army of molecular editors who correct errors in their genetic information. Researchers have now transferred one of these proofreaders from the moss Physcomitrium patens...
Bizarre caecilians may be the only amphibians with venomous bites
Caecilians are amphibians like salamanders and frogs, but they’re often mistaken for snakes because of their long, legless bodies. Now, scientists think that the similarities between the two are more than skin deep....
'Fang'tastic: Biologists report snake-like dental glands in amphibians
Utah State University biologist Edmund 'Butch' Brodie, Jr. and colleagues from São Paulo's Butantan Institute report the first known evidence of oral venom glands in amphibians. Their research, supported by...
'Shark Week' to start on Discovery Channel Aug. 9
Discovery Channel has announced its traditional Shark Week programming block will kick off on Aug. 9.
COVID-19 silenced this singing activist, but not her spirit
Albia Miller, 71, is the singing gadfly of Riverside County. The dreaded coronavirus pulled the curtain down on most of her stages
White-tailed deer 'invasion' threatens food chain balance in Alberta's boreal forest: study
Herds of invasive white-tailed deer continue to migrate north in Alberta's boreal forest — bolstered by milder winters and human development that cuts through the vast wilderness, a new study...
New species of Ichthyosaur discovered in museum collection
Hauffiopteryx altera (Latin for different from) has been identified as a new species of Ichthyosaurs by researchers from McGill University and the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart in Germany.