Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Ants restore Mediterranean dry grasslands
In nature, certain species are able to regulate the cycling of soil nutrients and vegetation diversity and dynamics.
Unprecedented single-cell studies in virtual embryo
"How are the many different cell types in the body generated during embryonic development from an egg, which is only a single cell? This is one of the most fundamental...
Unprecedented 3D images of live cells plus details of molecules inside
The insides of living cells can be seen in their natural state in greater detail than ever before using a new technique. This advance should help reveal the complex and...
Spores, please! Gypsy moth larvae love poplar leaves infected by fungi
Black poplar leaves infected by fungi are especially susceptible to attack by gypsy moth caterpillars. A research team at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, has...
Unprecedented 3-D images of live cells plus details of molecules inside
The insides of living cells can be seen in their natural state in greater detail than ever before using a new technique developed by researchers in Japan. This advance should...
Scientists invent a new way of creating meat analogs
Worldwide focus on meat analogs keeps increasing to start producing vegetable protein non-cholesterol products containing essential amino acids. Extrusion is the best way to texture vegetable proteins. This is a...
The smell of fear warns other voles
Many encounters between predators and prey take place in dense vegetation. Predators lurk and wait for the best moment to attack, but are seldom visible. For a prey animal, the...
New eletronics mimic brain's low-power computing abilities
Engineers have developed a new electronic device that mimics the brain's synapses. The miniature technological tools, called memristors, send electric signals across protein nanowires with unprecedented efficiency.
Identifying the dark matter of the molecular world
Imagine that your Facebook feed poses a tantalizing puzzle. You're presented with a few fragments about a person—eye color, hair color, age, and height—and have just one minute to pick...
Researchers develop a physical model of the optimal immune repertoire for bacteria
Before CRISPR became a household name as a tool for gene editing, researchers had been studying this unique family of DNA sequences and its role in the bacterial immune response...
Endangered Mediterranean monk seals aided by unique intervention
Conservationists are celebrating exciting new footage that reveals an endangered Mediterranean monk seal making use of an artificial breeding ledge they have created to aid in the species' recovery. The...
Medieval blue dye's molecular structure identified
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Portugal has identified the molecular structure of folium, a blue watercolor dye used by medieval artists and book publishers. In their...
Watch: Meghan Markle says 'Elephant' film shows 'remarkable' side of elephants
Meghan Markle shared her love for elephants after narrating "Elephant," a Disneynature film now streaming on Disney+.
Researchers unveil electronics that mimic the human brain in efficient learning
Only 10 years ago, scientists working on what they hoped would open a new frontier of neuromorphic computing could only dream of a device using miniature tools called memristors that...
Potato study uses irrigation system feedback to distinguish between plant thirst and disease
Federal and state researchers are studying irrigation scheduling and a potential for water savings in potato plants at the Conservation and Production Research Laboratory at Bushland.
The surprising structure of a shrub willow sex chromosome
Sex in plants can be befuddling. Most species are hermaphrodites, expressing both male and female gametes in one individual. But some, including shrub willow Salix purpurea, employ the evolutionary strategy...
Germany, Norway, New Zealand to begin easing coronavirus restrictions
Several nations have announced they will soon begin to ease some restrictions related to the coronavirus health emergency, while others are being more cautious.
Rare South American ground beetles sport unusual, likely multi-purpose antennal cleaners
For 157 years, scientists have wished they could understand the evolutionary relationships of a curious South American ground beetle that was missing a distinctive feature of the huge family of...
Migrating monarch butterflies to find expanded habitats
Monarch butterflies expected to show up in the Midwest and northeastern United States in the next few weeks can expect help with habitats along U.S. highways, railroad embankments and electrical...
Novel technology aims to improve treatment of neurological diseases
Researchers are developing new 'gene promoters' - which act like switches to turn genes on - for use with gene therapy, the delivery of new genes to replace ones that...
Cell biology: Your number's up!
mRNAs program the synthesis of proteins in cells, and their functional lifetimes are dynamically regulated. Researchers have now shown why blueprints that are more difficult to decipher have shorter lifetimes...
Stem cells in human embryos commit to specialization surprisingly early
The point when human embryonic stem cells irreversibly commit to becoming specialized has been identified by researchers.
Simulations show how to make gene therapy more effective
Diseases with a genetic cause could be treated by supplying a correct version of the faulty gene. However, in practice, delivering new genetic material to human cells is difficult. A...
Protests against California stay-at-home order move to San Clemente
The protests calling for the easing of California's stay-at-home orders moved to San Clemente, where a group of demonstrators converged against coronavirus safety rules.
New universal Ebola vaccine may fight all four virus species that infect humans
Infectious disease scientists report early development of a potential universal vaccine for Ebola viruses that preclinical tests show might neutralize all four species of these deadly viruses infecting people in...
Neural circuits mapped: Now we understand vision better
Researchers have discovered the function of a special group of nerve cells which are found in the eye and which sense visual movement. The findings give us a completely new...
Some worms programmed to die early for sake of colony
Some worms are genetically predisposed to die before reaching old age, which appears to benefit the colony by reducing food demand, finds a new study.
New chemical tools can control the concentration of lipids in living cells
So far, it has been difficult to analyze the functions of lipid molecules in living cells. Researchers have now developed chemical tools that can be activated by light and used...