Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Wildlife managers use pup fostering to boost wolf genetics
A record number of captive-born wolf pups has been placed into the wild as part of an effort by federal and state wildlife managers to boost the genetic diversity among...
Two bacteria allow spittlebugs to thrive on low-nutrient meals
A new study examines the symbiotic relationship between two types of bacteria and spittlebugs that helps the insect live on very low-nutrient food. The bacteria use a metabolic "trick" also...
Researchers track how bacteria purge toxic metals
Bacteria have a cunning ability to survive in unfriendly environments.
World's deepest octopus captured on camera
A "Dumbo" octopus is photographed at a depth of 7,000m in the Indian Ocean's Java Trench.
'Bottom-heavy squirmers' adopt characteristic group behaviors
Researchers find that swimming, bottom-heavy particles will collectively spend most of their time in one of two states, between which some intriguing behaviors can emerge.
Exploiting viruses to attack cancer cells
Scientists have made an adenovirus that specifically replicates inside and kills cancer cells by employing special RNA-stabilizing elements.
Using electrical stimulus to regulate genes
A team of researchers has succeeded in using an electric current to directly control gene expression for the first time. Their work provides the basis for medical implants that can...
gnomAD Consortium releases its first major studies of human genetic variation
For the last eight years, the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) Consortium (and its predecessor, the Exome Aggregation Consortium, or ExAC), has been working with geneticists around the world to compile...
New Zealand blue whale distribution patterns tied to ocean conditions, prey availability
The researchers who recently discovered a population of blue whales in New Zealand are learning more about the links between the whales, their prey and ocean conditions that are changing...
International gnomAD Consortium releases its first major studies of human genetic variation
For the last eight years, the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD) Consortium (and its predecessor, the Exome Aggregation Consortium, or ExAC), has been working with geneticists around the world to compile...
Breaking up is hard to do (especially for sex chromosomes)
As chromosomes go, X and Y make an unlikely pair. The X is large and contains thousands of genes critical for life. The Y, by contrast, is little more than...
California nears 4,000 deaths from COVID-19
While much of California is steadily lifting restrictions, two Northern California counties have had to roll back plans as coronavirus infections jumped.
New Zealand blue whale distribution patterns tied to ocean conditions and prey availability
Oregon State University researchers who recently discovered a population of blue whales in New Zealand are learning more about the links between the whales, their prey and ocean conditions that...
Fighting Malaria with Moldy Cereal
Debopam Chakrabarti, an infectious disease specialist at UCF, recently received a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to use fungus-derived compounds to develop better treatments for malaria....
New technology enables fast protein synthesis
Many proteins are useful as drugs for disorders such as diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. Synthesizing artificial versions of these proteins is a time-consuming process that requires genetically engineering microbes or...
Laser, Biosciences Researchers Combine Efforts to Study Viruses in Droplets
Laser and biology experts at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) are working together to develop a platform and experiments to study the structure and components of viruses like the...
How to search for and find a new rental during coronavirus
Finding a rental in L.A. was hard enough before the global pandemic. Here's a guide to how to search and move in Southern California, and stay safe.
Fighting Malaria with Moldy Cereal
Debopam Chakrabarti, an infectious disease specialist at UCF, recently received a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to use fungus-derived compounds to develop better treatments for malaria....
Ford turns up the heat to keep New York police officers safe from COVID-19
The nation's largest police force is trying to stop the coronavirus from spreading in a very unique way. They're heating up squad cars to kill COVID-19. Kris Van Cleave reports...
Automated synthesizer can make long protein chains quickly
System can build 164-amino-acid-long proteins in hours instead of weeks or months
New technology enables fast protein synthesis
Many proteins are useful as drugs for disorders such as diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. Synthesizing artificial versions of these proteins is a time-consuming process that requires genetically engineering microbes or other cells to...
New technology enables fast protein synthesis
Many proteins are useful as drugs for disorders such as diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. Synthesizing artificial versions of these proteins is a time-consuming process that requires genetically engineering microbes or...
Granzyme A from cytotoxic lymphocytes cleaves GSDMB to trigger pyroptosis in target cells
Cytotoxic lymphocyte–mediated immunity relies on granzymes. Granzymes are thought to kill target cells by inducing apoptosis, although the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we report that natural killer...
Susceptibility of ferrets, cats, dogs, and other domesticated animals to SARS-coronavirus 2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes the infectious disease COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), which was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Despite extensive efforts to control the...
Total synthesis of bryostatin 3
Bryostatins are a family of 21 complex marine natural products with a wide range of potent biological activities. Among all the 21 bryostatins, bryostatin 3 is structurally the most complex....
Biotic interactions drive ecosystem responses to exotic plant invaders
Ecosystem process rates typically increase after plant invasion, but the extent to which this is driven by (i) changes in productivity, (ii) exotic species’ traits, or (iii) novel (non-coevolved) biotic...
Not sure if you've already had coronavirus? This test can (maybe) tell you
Many people are wondering if that bad cold they had back in February or March was actually the new coronavirus.
Newlyweds deal with double diagnosis of rare cancer
Describing it as "the worst luck ever," newlywed couple Luke and Lindsey Belding are coming to terms with each receiving a rare leukemia diagnosis, completely unrelated to each other.