Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Life before air conditioning: Curly hair kept early humans cool, says study
Curly hair does more than simply look good—it may explain how early humans stayed cool while conserving water, according to researchers who studied the role human hair textures play in...
Ancient genomes suggest farming in Africa was ignited by oversea-migrants from Iberia 7,400 years ago
A genomic analysis of ancient human remains from Morocco in northwest Africa revealed that food production was introduced by Neolithic European and Levantine migrants and then adopted by local groups....
How understanding plant body clocks could help transform how food is grown
Have you ever had a bad case of jet lag? That horrible feeling when you get off a long haul flight and your body is telling you it's time to...
Watch: Escaped pigs rounded up at Washington apartment complex
Animal control officers in Washington were dispatched to an apartment complex to wrangle a pair of escaped pigs seen checking out the local real estate.
Wildlife tracker powers itself as animals roam
Replacing worn-out batteries in animal tracking devices can be a time-consuming, expensive duty for wildlife scientists. It’s stressful for the animals, too. Now, inspired by the technology behind a self-charging smartwatch, researchers have...
Scientists made new discoveries in the field of distribution of bioactive substances and antioxidant activity of meadowsweet
Scientists showed that chemical compounds of perennial plant meadowsweet are distributed unevenly. They found out that in new leaves chemically active compounds are stored, and in the old ones -...
eDNA could help protect insect pollinators of avocado flowers
New Curtin University-led research has found that using environmental DNA (eDNA), in conjunction with conventional methods, to monitor how insects interact with flowers could potentially improve conservation rates.
Pre-basophils: Cell differentiation study tells a basophil origin story
Big changes often happen in small steps, and it's not always easy to see how we get from point A to point B. Now, researchers from Japan have found a...
Study identifies potential protein target for a vaccine against spotted fever
A protein found in cells of the hard tick Amblyomma sculptum, the main vector of the bacterium that causes Brazilian spotted fever (also known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever), is...
Granulated gels: The best of both worlds for bioprinted cells
Printing living cells into functional tissues is highly complex, and with every technological innovation more challenges are presented.
How did cholesterol evolve? Oil trapped in ancient rocks hides clues
Ancient life forms may have left traces of oily molecules in rocks more than 1 billion years ago, providing new insights into the evolution of cholesterol. The molecular fossils, described today in Nature...
Scientists use sound waves to test how well synthetic antibodies bind to their antigen targets
We rely on temporary protein-protein bonds for essential processes including enzymatic reactions, antibody binding, and response to medication. Being able to accurately characterize these bonds is important for testing the...
Remains of an extinct world of organisms discovered
Newly discovered biomarker signatures point to a whole range of previously unknown organisms that dominated complex life on Earth about a billion years ago. They differed from complex eukaryotic life...
Researchers harness phosphorus fluoride exchange to 'click' together new molecules
For chemists like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor John Moses, diversity is a gateway to discovery. The more molecules scientists have to explore, the more likely it is they...
Pablo Escobar's 'cocaine hippos' top 200, twice as many as we thought
A new census of the world’s largest invasive species reveals the population is roughly double the size scientists previously estimated.
In Sync? Malaria Parasite and Human Time Clocks Do Align
A new study has uncovered evidence of a "coupling" mechanism between the malaria parasite and its human host, which could one day lead to new treatments for a disease that...
Whale shark observed bottom-feeding for first time
A shark specialist and a life scientist are reporting on video evidence of a whale shark observed bottom-feeding for the first time. Darren Whitehead, Investigación Tiburones México and Joel Gayford,...
A documented case of a crocodile virgin birth
A team of entomologists and reptile specialists from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, the Chiricahua Desert Museum, the Illinois Natural History Survey, Reptilandia Reptile Lagoon and Parque Reptilandia has...
The gap between male and female author-inventors: Who counts as an inventor?
New research, undertaken by an interdisciplinary team of Stanford Law and Stanford Medicine students, looks at the overlap between biomedical research paper authors and those authors who go on to...
Experiment halted in Norway after whale drowns
A controversial research project in Norway on whales' hearing was suspended after a whale drowned, researchers said on Wednesday, as activists slammed the "cruel and pointless" experiments.
Targeted small molecule alleviates arthritis symptoms in mice
Researchers at the University of Helsinki, together with researchers from the United States, have discovered a small molecule that inhibits the formation in cells of cytokine proteins that promote inflammation....
Coronavirus only needs to bind to a single receptor, shows study
Why is the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus able to spread so efficiently? Various hypotheses are still circulating in the scientific community. A group of researchers from Würzburg has now found new answers.
To groom or not to groom? 'Triage' in the ant kingdom
Social ants are masters of cooperative disease defense. They collectively take care of each other to prevent the spread of infections within a colony. But how does an individual ant...
Despite eco-friendly farming efforts in UK, populations of invertebrates continue to drop
A team of ecological modelers from the UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology has found that despite efforts by officials and farmers in the U.K. to protect them, populations and...
Northern goshawk attacks biker on popular Whitehorse trail
A northern goshawk punctured Thane Phillips's helmet while he was biking the Mother-Tucker trail. Experts say the bird species is feeling the threat of habitat loss in the boreal forest.
Humpback whale rescued after being entangled in rope in B.C. waters
Marine researchers are warning the public to keep an eye out for humpback whales entangled in fishing gear, after one humpback was extricated from polysteel rope off the coast of...
Coral disease tripled in the last 25 years: Three-quarters will likely be diseased by next century
Deadly coral disease is spreading as global temperatures warm, and it's likely to become endemic to reefs the world over by the next century, according to new research.
How GOP efforts to restrict trans rights take a page from the antiabortion playbook
As conservative lawmakers introduce a record number of anti-transgender bills, abortion and trans rights advocates see mirrored fights for bodily autonomy.