Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Greenpeace Sounds Alarm On Whale Hunt
The mother ship in Japan's whaling fleet left for the country's annual hunt in the Antarctic, the environmental group Greenpeace said, as anti-whaling activists vowed to disrupt the expedition once...
New Platinum-phosphate Compounds Kill Ovarian Cancer Cells, Other Cancer Cells
A new class of compounds called phosphaplatins can effectively kill ovarian, testicular, head and neck cancer cells with potentially less toxicity than conventional drugs, according to a new study in...
Congo Violence Reaches Endangered Mountain Gorillas
With the recent violence in eastern Congo, there are no trained rangers now to protect the mountain gorillas in the region.
DNA - The Next Duct Tape!
DNA has come to show that's its got a lot of uses - you know, other than the whole "storing our entire genetic code" thing. The newest is sure to...
Human Gut Loaded with More Bacteria Than Thought
Technique applied to human gut reveals 10 times more bacteria than thought.
New Clue Emerges For Cellular Damage In Huntington's Disease
Huntington's disease is caused by a single mutated gene that creates proteins with abnormally long repeats of the amino acid glutamine. These proteins misfold and clump together, damaging and eventually...
Fiddler crabs fake their strength
Researchers have found that male fiddler crabs psych their opponents out by growing a big claw that looks scary, but may in fact be weak and puny.
Farming and chemical warfare: A day in the life of an ant?
One of the most important developments in human civilisation was the practice of sustainable agriculture. But we were not the first - ants have been doing it for over 50...
Tiny sacs released by brain tumor cells carry information that may guide treatment
Microvesicles – tiny membrane-covered sacs – released from glioblastoma cells contain molecules that may provide data that can guide treatment of the deadly brain tumor. In their report in...
Scientists try to revive Japan's biggest coral reef
Scientists are in an unprecedented project to restore Japan's largest coral reef by planting thousands of baby corals growing on tiny ceramic beds.
Shark-cam captures ocean motion
A BBC crew films a whale shark - the world's biggest fish - expelling food waste.
Mark Miodownik: It just keeps on growing. Our hair's story is entwined with that of evolution
Mark Miodownik: Strands of Darwin's beard are a fitting display, our hair's story is entwined with that of evolution
Researchers hope radio-tagged salmon provide clues to migratory habits
A swarm of 6,000 bionic salmon has become the latest tool in an ongoing struggle to protect declining fish species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of California.
FoxJ1 helps cilia beat a path to asymmetry
New work at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies reveals how a genetic switch, known as FoxJ1, helps developing embryos tell their left from their right. While at first glance...
Woodcocks dying in Chicago while migrating
CHICAGO, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Experts suspect a frigid north wind may by causing a number of woodcocks to crash into Chicago buildings during the birds' annual migration.
Increased irrigation in Mar Menor linked to reduction of tenebrionid beetles
Hydrological changes over the past 24 years in the Mar Menor, including increased irrigation, are altering habitats and biological communities of the wetland area. Researchers from the University of Murcia...
Elsevier to unveil 'BrainNavigator' at 'Neuroscience 2008'
A revolutionary product that will change the face of brain research was announced today by Elsevier in partnership with the Allen Institute for Brain Science. BrainNavigator, a 3D research tool,...
On the Farm: A Seafood Snob Ponders the Future of Fish
With wild fish harder to catch, what is served up is often little better than swimming tofu.
Feed your brain: News from neuroscience
Reports from the Society for Neuroscience meeting on the moral disengagement of psychopaths, liars' decision making, a parasite that helps cats triumph over rats and how mother rats affect the...
Toronto Zoo wants to turn poo into energy
The Toronto Zoo has hatched a plan to turn animal feces into fuel.
Precocious Elephant Dies, Zoo Mourns
An inquisitive Asian elephant known for being the largest of its kind born in captivity in the United States died at the Houston Zoo this week after suddenly contracting an...
Scotland sells star therapy to stressed out city dwellers
Plan to create new 'dark-sky parks' to promote Highlands as world-class stargazing spot for tourists
Couple rescue rare albino hedgehog
LONDON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A British couple say they took a rare albino hedgehog they found to a wildlife sanctuary to protect it from predators.
Test identifies toxic platinum and palladium without time-consuming sample pretreatment
The painstaking process of detecting toxic species of platinum and palladium mixed in with the form of platinum essential to certain pharmaceuticals could be reduced to one simple step, University...
VIDEO: Last Tortoise's Hopes Dim
Lonesome George is the last of a Galápagos tortoise subspecies. After 36 years the aging tortoise finally fertilized eggs of a female tortoise, but most are unlikely to hatch.
Visual Science: How Termites Live on a Diet of Wood
Living on a diet of wood is challenging, not least because wood contains so little nitrogen. So how do termites do it?
Tiny Radio Tags Offer Rare Glimpse into Bees' Universe
Scientists are fitting bees with radio tracking tags, a technological breakthrough that may provide clues to the honeybee decline—and how to harness other bees to protect food supplies
Neandertals, gut microbes and mail-order ancestry tests
Geneticists weigh in during the annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics