Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Study reveals unique physical, chemical properties of cicada wings
Biological structures sometimes have unique features that engineers would like to copy. For example, many types of insect wings shed water, kill microbes, reflect light in unusual ways and are...
Scientists develop synthetic toxic sugar to manage mosquito populations
A synthetic lure developed by researchers at Keele University has offered hopes for controlling mosquito populations in a bid to manage malaria.
'Directing' evolution to identify potential drugs earlier in discovery
Scientists have developed a technique that could significantly reduce the time of discovering potential new antibody-based drugs to treat disease.
Novel 3-D imaging technology makes fluorescence microscopy more efficient
Scientists have been using fluorescence microscopy to study the inner workings of biological cells and organisms for decades. However, many of these platforms are often too slow to follow the...
'Directing' evolution to identify potential drugs earlier in discovery
Scientists have developed a technique that could significantly reduce the time of discovering potential new antibody-based drugs to treat disease.
Gene variant staves off Alzheimer's in some people
People with a gene variant that puts them at high risk for Alzheimer's disease are protected from its debilitating effects if they also carry a variant of a completely different...
White House Correspondents' Dinner rescheduled for Aug. 29
The White House Correspondents' Dinner, hosted by Kenan Thompson, will take place in August after being postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Fish, vegetables, whole grains in diet may reduce dementia odds
Eating a Mediterranean diet that's high in vegetables, whole grains and fish could reduce your risk of mental decline, two studies from the U.S. National Eye Institute suggest.
Newly discovered black iguana species in Caribbean is endangered
Scientists have discovered a new iguana species in the eastern Caribbean. The novel reptile, Iguana melanoderma, was found on the Saba and Montserrat islands of the Lesser Antilles.
Longevity gene discovered in plants
Harvesting rice from the same field, without planting new rice plants? A discovery may bring this scenario closer. Leiden scientists have discovered a gene that allows annual plants to grow...
Discovery of new virus in bats linked to AIDS-like disease decimating koalas
Devastated by summer's unprecedented firestorms, Australia's koalas are facing a potentially more serious and enduring existential threat from a fellow mammal—the bat.
Risk of viruses emerging in humans may not depend on their animal host
The likelihood of emerging viruses spreading to humans from animals may not depend on the specific animal reservoir of the original virus.
A new species of black endemic iguanas in Caribbeans is proposed for urgent conservation
A newly discovered endemic species of melanistic black iguana (Iguana melanoderma), discovered in Saba and Montserrat islands, the Lesser Antilles (Eastern Caribbean) appears to be threatened by unsustainable harvesting (including...
Longevity Gene May Protect against a Notorious Alzheimer's Risk Gene
Some nominally high-risk individuals may have a lower chance of developing dementia than once thought -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Predicting the evolution of genetic mutations
Quantitative biologists have designed a new machine learning technique for predicting evolutionary pathways. It could prove a valuable tool for biologists studying rapidly evolving viruses or cancer.
New species of black iguana needs urgent conservation
A newly discovered endemic species of melanistic black iguana (Iguana melanoderma), discovered in Saba and Montserrat islands, the Lesser Antilles (Eastern Caribbean), appears to be threatened by unsustainable harvesting (including pet...
From 'gold standard' to a coronavirus 'explosion': Singapore battles new outbreak
A wave of infections among migrant workers offers a stark illustration of the risks facing marginalized groups in densely inhabited parts of Asia.
Scientists say Joshua trees may warrant listing as a threatened species
Joshua trees face the risk of extinction after decades of development, drought and more frequent wildfires due to climate change in their Mojave Desert stronghold, according to California wildlife authorities...
The coronavirus has changed everything—including how we talk
On Feb. 11, in Geneva, the head of the World Health Organization unveiled the name of a new disease.
Scientists find link between key plant amino acid and essential hormones
Purdue University scientists Natalia Dudareva and Joseph Lynch have been searching for a way to increase a plant's production of phenylalanine, a compound important for plant survival and used by...
Coronavirus: The wildlife species enjoying lockdown
As the UK enters it fourth week of lockdown, conservationists say they've seen some hidden benefits.
Plant diversity in European forests is declining
In Europe's temperate forests, less common plant species are being replaced by more widespread species. An international team of researchers led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv)...
Researchers find a new HIT defense bacteria use against antibiotics
Scientists at the Severinov Laboratory in Skoltech and their colleagues from Russia and the U.S. have uncovered a new mechanism of bacterial self-defense against microcin C, a potent antibiotic weapon...
Immune system alteration identified as key process in the male pregnancy of seahorses
Embryonic development in the womb is a complicated process that is still puzzling today. In particular,researchers have not determined how the paternal genetic information present in the embryo are tolerated...
Grey whale research halted due to COVID-19 concerns
Grey whales are undertaking their annual migration right now from Mexico to the Arctic, but the DFO researchers who usually study them won't be there to record it.
Scientists warned not to handle bats to prevent passing COVID-19 to millions of North American flying mammals
Biologists and wildlife-rehabilitation volunteers are being warned not to handle bats — not to protect themselves, but to prevent the prospect of passing COVID-19 to a vast population of North American mammals.
Cold War nuclear test residue offers a clue to whale sharks’ ages
Radioactive residue from Cold War nuclear tests has given scientists a cipher to decode the ages of whale sharks, written on the animals’ vertebrae. Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) accumulate alternating stripes of opaque...
Predicting the evolution of genetic mutations
Quantitative biologists David McCandlish and Juannan Zhou at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have developed an algorithm with predictive power, giving scientists the ability to see how specific genetic mutations can...