Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Black birdwatchers push back against stereotypes, racism with #BlackBirdersWeek
#BlackBirdersWeek is a global online movement sparked by a racist incident in Central Park.
Newly identified gene reduces pollen number of plants
Producing fewer sperm cells can be advantageous in self-fertilizing plants. An international study led by the University of Zurich identified a gene in the model plant Arabidopsis that reduces the...
Researchers develop 3-D-printable material that mimics biological tissues
Biological tissues have evolved over millennia to be perfectly optimized for their specific functions. Take cartilage as an example. It's a compliant, elastic tissue that's soft enough to cushion joints,...
View into plant cells: A membrane protein is targeted to two locations
Metabolic processes are especially complex in plants due to their obligate sessile lifestyle, and scientists are discovering new and surprising connections that occur within plant cells. An important metabolic route...
We modelled the future of Leadbeater's possum habitat and found bushfires, not logging, pose the greatest threat
The Federal Court recently ruled that a timber harvesting company couldn't log potential habitat of the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum.
Discovering Colombia's rare flora and fauna
An expedition of top UK botanists into previously unexplored rainforest in Colombia found rare species.
Fish poop exposes what eats the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish
Adorned with spikes and toxins, crown-of-thorns starfish aren’t an easy meal. In fact, it’s long been thought that few animals could eat them. But an analysis of fish poop and stomach contents...
Protected areas worldwide at risk of invasive species
Protected areas across the globe are effectively keeping invasive animals at bay, but the large majority of them are at risk of invasions, finds a China-UK research team involving UCL.
Former Cincinnati Bengals star, Florida A&M coach Ken Riley dies at 72
Former Florida A&M head coach and athletic director Ken Riley, who was an All-Pro defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals, died Sunday. He was 72.
Out With the Old Blood
There is great promise in 2020 that we might be able to make our bodies young without having to explicitly repair molecular damage, but just by changing the signaling environment....
Terahertz radiation can disrupt proteins in living cells
Researchers have discovered that terahertz radiation, contradicting conventional belief, can disrupt proteins in living cells without killing the cells.
Scientists develop unique polymer coating to tackle harmful fungi
Scientists have developed a new way to control harmful fungi, without the need to use chemical bioactives like fungicides or antifungals.
High-protein diets help insects to fight against blood parasites
Scientists studying insects have identified a crucial biological mechanism responsible for increasing their survival against blood parasites. The finding, in which a high protein diet is linked to increased survival,...
60-year-old Australian surfer killed in shark attack
A 60-year-old man was killed after being attacked by a nearly 10-foot long shark while surfing at a beach in Australia on Sunday, police said.
Great white shark diet surprises scientists
The first-ever detailed study of the diets of great white sharks off the east Australian coast reveals this apex predator spends more time feeding close to the seabed than expected.
Small protein, big impact
In meningococci, the RNA-binding protein ProQ plays a major role. Together with RNA molecules, it regulates processes that are important for pathogenic properties of the bacteria.
New weed control tool comes with an asterisk
Farmers can manage resistant weeds with isoxaflutole-if they can keep it out of the water
Coronavirus disrupts global fight to save endangered species
Biologist Carlos Ruiz has spent a quarter-century working to save golden lion tamarins, the charismatic long-maned monkeys native to Brazil's Atlantic Forest.
How cells solve their identity crisis
Cancer is often the result of DNA mutations or problems with how cells divide, which can lead to cells 'forgetting' what type of cell they are or how to function...
On This Day, June 6: Allied troops launch D-Day invasion on Normandy
On June 6, 1944, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops began crossing the English Channel in the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
Protecting the neuronal architecture
Protecting nerve cells from losing their characteristic extensions, the dendrites, can reduce brain damage after a stroke. Neurobiologists have demonstrated this by means of research on a mouse model.
Gene editing may be a path to restore partial hearing
When Wei Hsi “Ariel” Yeh was an undergraduate, one of her close friends went from normal hearing to complete deafness in one month. He was 29 years old. Doctors didn’t know why...
Gene editing may be a path to restore partial hearing
When Wei Hsi “Ariel” Yeh was an undergraduate, one of her close friends went from normal hearing to complete deafness in one month. He was 29 years old. Doctors didn’t know why...
French forces kill leader of al-Qaida in North Africa
French forces killed Abdelmalek Droukdel, the leader of al-Qaida in North Africa, France's Ministry of Defense said Friday.
Watch: Young boy comes face-to-face with bear cub outside Louisiana home
A Louisiana family's home security camera captured the moment a young boy and a baby bear came face to face right outside the boy's home.
In the face of so much sorrow, we turn to gardens and plants for a sliver of hope
Many of us grieving about the state of the world — illness, injustice, inequities — are turning to our victory gardens, or the potted tomatoes and basil on our balconies...
'Field of Light's' thousands of solar-powered lights in Paso Robles will reopen
Bruce Munro's art installation with thousands of solar-powered stems will reopen June 12.
Faces, Bodies, Spiders, and Radios: How the Brain Represents Visual Objects
When Plato set out to define what made a human a human, he settled on two primary characteristics: We do not have feathers, and we are bipedal (walking upright on...