Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Olive Garden offers to edit together faux-prom photos
Restaurant chain Olive Garden is helping out high school seniors whose proms were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic by offering to simulate the experience with photo manipulation.
As Earth Day turns 50, green movement faces fresh challenges
Gina McCarthy remembers the way things used to be: Tar balls clinging to her legs after swimming in Boston Harbor. The Merrimack River colored bright blue and green by textile...
'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' movie in the works
Lionsgate will adapt Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" prequel novel, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," as a feature film.
New macrolactone database could aid drug discovery, research
Researchers from North Carolina State University and Collaborations Pharmaceuticals have created a free-to-use database of 14,000 known macrolactones—large molecules used in drug development—which contains information about the molecular characteristics, chemical...
Reference genes identified that are useful for genetic improvement in wheat
Wheat feeds the world. According to the FAO, wheat is one of the world's main crops, both in terms of extent and production, as well as being one of the...
Scientists shed new light on viral protein shell assembly
New insight on the conditions that control self-assembly in the protective shell of viruses has been published today in eLife.
As humanity hides from coronavirus, wildlife reclaims lost territory
Coronavirus shut-ins across Southern California report a resurgence of wildlife, but experts insist it was there all along
WHO: Coronavirus likely came from animal, not a laboratory
The coronavirus disease that's disrupted life for billions of people around the world probably came from an animal and was not created in a laboratory, the World Health Organization said...
How do our cells respond to stress?
Cells are often exposed to stressful conditions that can be life threatening, such as high temperatures or toxins. Fortunately, our cells are masters of stress management with a powerful response...
Hope for baobab on the brink as thousands of trees are planted in Madagascar
Even giant trees begin their life as humble seeds.
Tuning into dolphin chatter could boost conservation efforts
Tuning in to the signature 'whistles' of dolphins could prove a game-changer in being able to accurately track the movements of this much-loved protected species.
Europe's wildlife sanctuaries struggle under virus lockdown
In a bear sanctuary in Romania's Carpathian Mountains, chestnut-gold Lidia and her dark brown companion Jean enjoy a welcome respite from human presence inside the world's largest brown bear sanctuary.
California grants temporary endangered species status to Southern California cougars
The state Fish and Game Commission on Thursday set the stage for a fierce environmental battle by granting temporary endangered species status to the several hundred cougars still roaming Southern...
Ultrasound-assisted molecule delivery looks to preserve blood for years
Ensuring adequate preservation of the millions of units of blood that are donated every year presents a challenge for blood banks, as blood can typically be stored for only six...
Microorganisms work together to survive high temperatures
The conventional view is that high temperatures cause microorganisms to replicate slowly or die. In this current textbook view, microorganisms combat heat-induced damage on their own. Reporting in Nature Microbiology,...
Birds in the wild lower their bill temperature to prevent heat loss
Birds in the wild appear to lower their bill temperature to prevent heat loss in order to preserve energy when food is scarce, according to new research.
Washington wolf population increased only 11% after another season of killing
Washington's wolf population increased by just 11% in 2019, according to figures released today by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife—dramatically less than what is needed to sustain the...
New fluorescent biosensor detects glyphosate herbicide in soil, water samples
A researcher at Indiana University South Bend and his undergraduate students have developed a biosensor that could potentially be incorporated into devices that continuously monitor for a popular herbicide during...
Opera Santa Barbara's 'Eugene Onegin': Your quarantine must-watch of the day
Brush up on your Russian with Opera Santa Barbara's 2019 production of Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin."
New ethane-munching microbes discovered at hot vents
Researchers have discovered a microbe that feeds on ethane at deep-sea hot vents. They also succeeded in cultivating this microbe in the laboratory. What is particularly remarkable is that the...
Lizards develop new 'love language'
Free from the risk of predators and intent to attract potential mates, male lizards relocated to experimental islets in Greece produce a novel chemical calling card, according to new research.
Targeting multiple brain cell types through engineered viral capsids
Viruses are nature's Trojan horses: They gain entrance to cells, smuggle in their genetic material, and use the cell's own machinery to replicate. For decades, scientists have studied how to...
Geolocators give new insights into nesting behavior of godwits
To find out more about birds such as the black-tailed godwit, ecologists have been conducting long-term population studies using standardized information on reproductive behaviour—such as dates of egg-laying or hatching...
New ethane-munching microbes discovered at hot vents
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen have discovered a microbe that feeds on ethane at deep-sea hot vents. With a share of up to...
Bats get blamed for the coronavirus. But bats face their own virus risk — from humans
Evidence suggests the coronavirus originated from bats in Asia. But some researchers say that, here in North America, bats face the opposite risk — of being infected by human carriers.
Toxin-producing bacteria can make this newt deadly
Some newts living in the western United States are poisonous, perhaps thanks to bacteria living on their skin. Rough-skinned newts use tetrodotoxin — a paralytic neurotoxin also found in pufferfish and the blue-ringed...
Close-Up Views of Tumors Reveal a New Cancer Biology
RNA sequencing has shown a previously unknown dimension to the way malignant cells work—which could lead to novel treatments -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Lizards develop new 'love language': Animal chemical signals shift after only four generations
Relocated in small groups to experimental islands, lizards rapidly and repeatedly developed new chemical signals for communicating with each other. Free from the risk of predators and intent to attract...