Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Insight into the synapses: Glutamate receptors do not practice social distancing
"Distance keeping" is not exactly the motto of the glutamate receptors: Using high-resolution microscopy, researchers have discovered that the receptors usually appear in small groups at the synapses and are...
Other viruses make COVID-19 diagnosis, tracking challenging
A significant number of people with COVID-19 may also be infected with other viruses, a new analysis indicates. The findings highlight the challenges of diagnosing and tracking the new coronavirus,...
Parasite carried by grey squirrels negatively impacts red squirrel behavior
Research published in the Journal of Animal Ecology reveals a new mechanism of how grey squirrels affect native red squirrels in Europe through parasite-mediated competition.
Researchers restore sight in mice by turning skin cells into light-sensing eye cells
Researchers have discovered a technique for directly reprogramming skin cells into light-sensing rod photoreceptors used for vision, sidestepping the need for stem cells. The lab-made rods enabled blind mice to...
A gut-to-brain circuit drives sugar preference and may explain sugar cravings
The sensation of sweetness starts on the tongue, but sugar molecules also trip sensors in the gut that directly signal the brain. This could explain why artificial sweeteners fail to...
Researchers use snake venom to solve structure of muscle protein
Researchers have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction.
Disinfectant demand from coronavirus concerns challenges specialty chemical supply chain
As wipes and sprays sell out, quaternary ammonium compound makers try to keep up
Ultrasound contrast agent enhances tissue imaging
Polymer-coated silica nanoparticles swell in response to pH changes
Logging threatening endangered caribou
Researchers found habitat and food web changes from forestry are encouraging more wolf packs to prey on caribou. Researchers attached video and GPS-tracking radio collars to caribou and wolves to...
New algorithm can predict evolution of genetic mutations
Scientists have developed a new algorithm that can predict how a protein could evolve to become highly effective or totally unproductive.
Structure of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase published
Researchers use cryo-EM to image the viral protein that remdesivir targets
COPD as a lung stem cell disease
Two stem cell researchers have found an abundance of abnormal stem cells in the lungs of patients who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a leading cause of death...
Human handling stresses young monarch butterflies
People handle monarch butterflies. A lot. Every year thousands of monarch butterflies are caught, tagged and released during their fall migration by citizen scientists helping to track their movements. And...
When damaged, the adult brain repairs itself by going back to the beginning
When adult brain cells are injured, they revert to an embryonic state, say researchers. In their newly adopted immature state, the cells become capable of re-growing new connections that, under...
Packers legend, Hall of Famer Willie Davis dies at 85
Green Bay Packers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Davis died Wednesday. He was 85.
Researchers challenge accuracy of methods that analyze trees of life
When species under a taxonomic umbrella have faced forks in the road, leading to extinction or adaptation, the path taken has been difficult to follow. In a newly published paper,...
Human handling stresses young monarch butterflies
People handle monarch butterflies. A lot. Every year thousands of monarch butterflies are caught, tagged and released during their fall migration by citizen scientists helping to track their movements. And...
Researchers use snake venom to solve structure of muscle protein
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have uncovered the detailed shape of a key protein involved in muscle contraction. The report, published today in Neuron, may lead to improved understanding...
Logging threatening endangered caribou
Cutting down forests means we're also cutting down woodland caribou, says a pioneering study by University of Guelph ecologists showing that logging in Ontario's extensive boreal stands threatens populations of...
Could baseball in a bubble work? Dr. Fauci thinks it could
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease expert, says baseball could be played this season, without fans and with several other precautions.
Mouse study shows 'chaperone protein' protects against autoimmune diseases
Like a parent of teenagers at a party, Mother Nature depends on chaperones to keep one of her charges, the immune system, in line so that it doesn't mistakenly attack...
Bees point to new evolutionary answers
Evolutionary biology aims to explain how new species arise and evolve to occupy myriad niches—but it is not a singular or simplistic story. Rare bees found in high mountain areas...
Immigrant Japan: understanding modern Japan through the lives and minds of migrants
Japan has increasingly become a popular travel and migrant destination because of its unique culture and diverse economic opportunities. In the three decades between 1980 and 2019, the population of...
Three potential coronavirus vaccines moving ahead in tests
CanSino Biologics of China is in the second phase of testing a coronavirus vaccine candidate, and a U.S. shot by Moderna and the NIH isn't far behind.
Three potential coronavirus vaccines moving ahead in tests
CanSino Biologics of China is in the second phase of testing a coronavirus vaccine candidate, and a U.S. shot by Moderna and the NIH isn't far behind.
A post-coronavirus California will be starkly different. Here's what it could look like
California officials are beginning to talk about relaxing coronavirus restrictions, but even under the best scenarios, it's going to be different.
Escaped kangaroo captured in Arkansas
A kangaroo was captured in Arkansas one day after after escaping from a petting zoo during a transfer to a new facility.
Genomics help scientists estimate the population size of the first Samoans
New genomic analysis has allowed scientists to estimate the population size of the first Samoans to arrive on the Pacific island some 3,000 years ago.