Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Scientists prevent signs of aging in zebrafish by targeting the gut
When it comes to slowing aging in humans, telomeres have long been a tempting target. These complex, repetitive sequences of DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes tick away the years by...
World’s largest ‘scent arena’ reveals bloody preferences of mosquitoes
In the dead of night, 200 bloodthirsty creatures make their way through a tented mesh arena the size of an ice rink. Scientists study them from afar, pumping in air scented with...
Probing deep-sea mystery: microbes immune to same viruses
In a study published in Nature Microbiology, Harvard researchers found evidence that viruses infecting microbes in the deep sea interact with a far more diverse set of hosts than previously thought. The findings...
Newly identified genetic variant protects against Alzheimer’s
A new genetic variant that protects against Alzheimer’s disease has been identified by an international team led by Harvard Medical School investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Their work,...
Why some hammerhead sharks seem to ‘hold their breath’ during dives
Even fish sometimes hold their breath in cold, dark, deep water. Scalloped hammerhead sharks living near Hawaii spend their days basking in warm surface waters. But at night, these fish hunt for squid...
Large predators push coyotes and bobcats near people and to their demise
When wild animals take refuge from predators by straying near people, the illusion of safety can be deadly. In the wilderness, mid-sized predators like coyotes have learned to fear larger carnivores like wolves...
Octopuses and squid are masters of RNA editing while leaving DNA intact
Many writers grouse when an editor makes a change in a story, but the consequences of changing a single word usually aren’t that dire. Not so with genetic instructions for making proteins....
Simulations reveal how sharp boundaries endure in soft tissue
Research could help explain how cells organize into complex living systems
Simulations reveal how sharp boundaries endure in soft tissue
Research could help explain how cells organize into complex living systems
A guide through the genome of crops
Plants show enormous variety in traits relevant to breeding, such as plant height, yield and resistance to pests. One of the greatest challenges in modern plant research is to identify...
Study shows accuracy of genetically based disease predictions varies from individual to individual
Polygenic scores—estimates of an individual's predisposition for complex traits and diseases—hold promise for identifying patients at risk of disease and guiding early, personalized treatments, but UCLA experts found the scores...
Examining puppeteer fungus' targeted takeover of zombie flies
In a new study published in eLife, lead author Carolyn Elya, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, reveals the molecular and cellular underpinnings behind...
Human ancestry has been shaped by mixing and matching alleles, show two recent studies
The course of human history has been marked by complex patterns of migration, isolation, and admixture, the latter a term that refers to gene flow between individuals from different populations....
Atypical 'mad cow disease' case detected in US
US health officials have detected an atypical case of "mad cow disease" in a beef cow at a slaughter plant in the state of South Carolina, they announced Friday.
Thriving in the face of adversity: Resilient gorillas reveal clues about overcoming childhood misfortune
In 1974, an infant mountain gorilla was born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Researchers named him Titus. As is typical for young gorillas in the wild, Titus spent the...
Trace DNA samples in the water, sand and air are enough to identify who you are, raising ethical questions about privacy
Human DNA can be sequenced from small amounts of water, sand and air in the environment to potentially extract identifiable information like genetic lineage, gender, and health risks, according to...
How butterflies conquered the world: A new 'family tree' traces their 100-million-year journey across the globe
How old are butterflies, and where did they evolve? And perhaps more importantly, how and when did they reach the isolated continent of Australia?
In some genetic cases of microcephaly, stem cells fail to launch
In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center study that may provide important clues...
In some genetic cases of microcephaly, stem cells fail to launch
In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center study that may provide important clues...
Purest yet liver-like cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells
This image shows induced pluripotent stem cells expressing a characteristic cell surface protein called SSEA4 (green). A research team including developmental biologist Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., SmartStateTM Chair...
Study finds shark fins & meat contain high levels of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer's disease
Cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and Mercury are detected in sharks from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In a new study, University of Miami (UM) scientists found high concentrations of...
Study finds shark fins & meat contain high levels of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer's disease
Cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and Mercury are detected in sharks from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In a new study, University of Miami (UM) scientists found high concentrations of...
More tomatoes, faster: Accelerating tomato engineering
A researcher transfers tomato plantlets from a plate of regeneration medium. Tomatoes are already an ideal model species for plant research, but scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI)...
New genus of bacteria found living inside hydraulic fracturing wells
Ohio State University researchers and their colleagues have identified a new genus of bacteria living inside hydraulic fracturing wells. Researchers analyzing the genomes of microorganisms living in shale oil...
Brain circuit that drives sleep-wake states, sleep-preparation behavior is identified
Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have identified a brain circuit that's indispensable to the sleep-wake cycle. This same circuit is also a key component of the reward system, an...
Giraffes more speciose than expected
Scientists from the Senckenberg and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation have analysed the genetic relationships of all major populations of giraffe in the wild. The large study on the genetic makeup...
Study reveals how ionising radiation damages DNA and causes cancer
For the first time, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have been able to identify in human cancers two characteristic patterns of DNA damage caused by...
The proteins that domesticated our genomes
EPFL scientists have carried out a genomic and evolutionary study of a large and enigmatic family of human proteins, to demonstrate that it is responsible for harnessing the millions of...