Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Missing component of innate immune signaling identified
Scientists have identified a new key element of the multi-component machinery responsible for sorting out the nature and severity of the pathogen challenge. The new protein, named TASL, is indispensable...
British study: Use of 'pingers' in fishing nets reduces accidental catch of porpoises
Accidental catches of porpoises in fishing nets can be significantly reduced -- with no adverse behavioral consequences -- by the use of noise-emitting "pingers" off coastal areas, a British study...
Most powerful gene variant for height known to date
Newly discovered gene variant in Peruvian populations is powerfully linked with height. Five percent of Peruvians carry the variant, which originates exclusively from Native American populations. The variant occurs on...
Scientific consortium awards $16.5M to fund projects fighting COVID
This is part of our Coronavirus Update series in which Harvard specialists in epidemiology, infectious disease, economics, politics, and other disciplines offer insights into what the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak may...
Team shares blueprint for adapting academic research center to SARS-CoV-2 testing lab
In a new article, researchers describe how they adapted their lab to test patient samples for SARS-CoV-2, and they provide a blueprint for other labs that want to do the...
A gene variant partly explains why Peruvians are among the world’s shortest people
Nearly 4,000 common variations in DNA are known to affect height, with each one nudging stature up or down a millimeter or so. But a gene variant found in almost 5 percent...
Research uncovers evidence that marine turtles use diversionary tactics to protect their eggs
Two endangered species of sea turtle are using diversionary tactics to protect their nests, according to research led by the University of Glasgow.
Can't touch this! Video shows blacktip sharks use shallow water to flee huge predators
It's "hammerhead" time according aerial drone footage of blacktip sharks fleeing to shallow waters when confronted by a huge predator along the coast of southeast Florida. Footage from the drone...
Measuring whales with drones to find out if they're fat enough to breed
We set off from Fremantle Harbour at 6 am—a ridiculous hour university students aren't usually accustomed to—and sailed to Perth Canyon, 120 kilometers away.
Computer model identifies drug-resistant mutations
To counter drug resistance, scientists engineer new drugs to "fit" new mutations and thus kill the cancer cell or pathogen. Now, an NIBIB-funded team of Penn State engineers has a...
DNA sheds light on frogmouth bird's flight to Australia
A Griffith University-led collaboration has used DNA analysis to resolve the evolutionary origins of the distinctive Australian frogmouth species of bird.
New research could help save many plant and animal species from extinction
New research from The Australian National University (ANU) could help protect our plants and animals from extinction, by allowing scientists to predict which currently thriving species might be at risk...
Native guava first Australian casualty of global plant disease
The native guava is one of the first Australian plants to be pushed to the brink of extinction by a fungal plant disease which has spread rapidly across the globe,...
New imaging tool helps researchers see extent of Alzheimer’s early damage
New imaging technology allows scientists to see the widespread loss of brain synapses in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that one day may help aid in drug development,...
Lighting the path for cells
Researchers have developed a new method in which they use light to draw patterns of molecules that guide living cells. The approach allows for a closer look at the development...
New weapon identified in arsenal against disease
New research describes the structure and composition of supramolecular attack particles (SMAPs) and their role in killing targeted cells. Identified as having a core of cytotoxic proteins surrounded by a...
Moths have a secret but vital role as pollinators in the night
Moths are important pollen transporters in English farmland and might play a role in supporting crop yields, according to a new study.
Column: They're trapped, and the killer virus knows where to find them in California
COVID-19 doesn't play fair. It goes after the institutionalized, the poor and the elderly.
New software supports decision-making for animal and plant breeders
A team of researchers at the University of Göttingen has developed an innovative software program for the simulation of breeding programs. The Modular Breeding Program Simulator (MoBPS) enables the simulation...
Color of cells a 'thermometer' for molecular imbalance, study finds
Non-invasive color analysis of cells could one day be used in diagnostics, a proof-of-concept study has shown.
Time to kill the scientific zombie that is the 'nature vs. nurture' debate
A scientific article out of the University of Otago's Department of Zoology is calling for an end to the seemingly unkillable "nature versus nurture' debate, which the authors say creates...
Pandas in the pandemic produce both delight and disappointment
It's one panda in, two pandas out for zoos in the Netherlands and Canada, respectively, in good and bad animal news during the coronavirus crisis.
Letters to the Editor: Gov. Newsom's lockdown has saved lives. That alone justifies it
Those who criticize Gavin Newsom for order a lockdown ignore one salient fact: At least they're alive to make their criticisms.
US border wall threatens wildlife, lawsuit says
Three environmental groups are suing President Donald Trump's administration to stop further construction on the southern US border wall, arguing that it threatens endangered wildlife such as jaguars and wolves.
Over-harvesting could wipe out water frogs in parts of Turkey
Water frogs could become regionally extinct in part of their native Turkey in a little over a decade because too many are being taken for food.
'Pingers' could save porpoises from fishing nets
Underwater sound devices called "pingers" could be an effective, long-term way to prevent porpoises getting caught in fishing nets with no negative behavioural effects, newly published research suggests.
Doctors Without Borders sends teams to New Mexico to assist Native Americans
Doctors Without Borders has deployed two teams to New Mexico to assist Native American communities to combat the spread of COVID-19.
More than the sum of their genes
Reproducing efficiently in captivity is crucial for the survival of many wildlife species, yet reproductive success is often lower than in the wild. Currently, many zoo population management strategies prioritize...