Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Finding a handle to bag the right proteins
Purifying specific protein molecules from complex mixtures will become easier with a simpler way to detect a molecular tag commonly used as a handle to grab the proteins.
Bending the curve of biodiversity loss
Plant and animal species around the world are steadily disappearing due to human activity. A major new IIASA-led study suggests that without ambitious, integrated action combining conservation and restoration efforts...
To mate or be eaten: Tree cricket behaviour in the presence of a predator
In the presence of predators, male tree crickets, but not females, change their mate-finding behavior, according to a new study from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
Tree loss, illegal trade, land use at fault for loss of wildlife worldwide, WWF report says
A new environmental report Thursday says deforestation, unsustainable agriculture and the illegal wildlife trade is responsible for a substantial loss of animals around the world over the last half-century.
Over a century later, the mystery of the Alfred Wallace's butterfly is solved
An over a century-long mystery has been surrounding the Taiwanese butterfly fauna ever since the "father of zoogeography" Alfred Russel Wallace, in collaboration with Frederic Moore, authored a landmark paper...
Researchers reveal a much richer picture of the past with new DNA recovery technique
Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new technique to tease ancient DNA from soil, pulling the genomes of hundreds of animals and thousands of plants—many of them long extinct—from...
Wildlife in 'catastrophic decline' due to human destruction, scientists warn
Conservation group WWF says global wildlife populations have shrunk by two-thirds since 1970.
At least 28 extinctions prevented by conservation action in recent decades
Conservation action has prevented the global extinction of at least 28 bird and mammal species since 1993, a study led by Newcastle University, UK and BirdLife International has shown. The...
Add human-genome produced RNA to the list of cell surface molecules
Bioengineers at UC San Diego have shown that human-genome produced RNA is present on the surface of human cells, suggesting a more expanded role for RNA in cell-to-cell and cell-to-environment...
Baboon matriarchs enjoy less stress
You know the type: Loud. Swaggering. Pushy. The alpha male clearly runs the show. Female alphas are often less conspicuous than their puffed up male counterparts, but holding the top...
Monkey poop could hold key to understanding threats to wildlife from chemical pollutants
Primate feces could be a valuable key to determining exposure to frequently used chemicals, giving scientists a better understanding of the threat to wildlife from chemical pollutants, even in remote...
Artificial Intelligence Aids Gene Activation Discovery
With the aid of artificial intelligence, UC San Diego scientists have solved a long-standing puzzle in human gene activation. The discovery described in the journal Nature could be used to...
In ancient giant viruses lies the truth behind evolution of nucleus in eukaryotic cells
An exchange of genetic material that occurred when ancient giant viruses infected ancient eukaryotic cells could have caused the nucleus of the eukaryotic cell -- its defining feature -- to...
Bat tick found for the first time in New Jersey
A tick species associated with bats has been reported for the first time in New Jersey and could pose health risks to people, pets and livestock, according to a new...
Cell-autonomous immunity shaped human evolution
Every human cell harbors its own defenses against microbial invaders, relying on strategies that date back to some of the earliest events in the history of life, researchers report. Because...
National parks preserve more than species
National parks are safe havens for endangered and threatened species, but an analysis by data scientists finds parks and protected areas can preserve more than species.
New tracking technology will help fight rhino poaching in Namibia
Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to...
Insect Biodiversity Center to promote insect conservation, healthy ecosystems
A newly launched center at Penn State will create a focal point for the study and conservation of insects and the ecosystems with which they interact. The Insect Biodiversity Center brings together...
Modeling behaviors that spread disease
Whether it’s a cough or a handshake, one point of contact by an infected individual may be all it takes to spark an epidemic. The same can also be true...
New Tracking Technology Will Help Fight Rhino Poaching in Namibia
Interactive software that “reads” and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to...
More cats might be COVID-19 positive than first believed, study suggests
A newly published study looking at cats in Wuhan, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 began, shows more cats might be contracting the disease than first believed.
Artificial intelligence aids gene activation discovery
Scientists have long known that human genes are activated through instructions delivered by the precise order of our DNA. With the aid of artificial intelligence, researchers have solved a long-standing...
Escaped cat found after four days of hiding in airport
Wildlife rescuers were summoned to an airport in India to help capture a cat that escaped from its carrier during a flight and eluded security for four days.
Study shows Latin America twice as rich in plant species as tropical Africa
Latin America is more than twice as rich in plant species as tropical Africa and is home to a third of the world's biodiversity, a new paper published today in...
Caffeine shot delivers wakeup call on antifungal drug resistance
The management of fungal infections in plants and humans could be transformed by a breakthrough in understanding how fungi develop resistance to drugs.
New tracking technology will help fight rhino poaching in Namibia
Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to...
Prediction of protein disorder from amino acid sequence
Structural disorder is vital for proteins' function in diverse biological processes. It is therefore highly desirable to be able to predict the degree of order and disorder from amino acid...
Undergrads creating antiviral treatment for COVID-19
Six months into the global pandemic, there is still no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19. A team of Harvard undergraduates is working to change that. Members of Harvard’s International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM)...