Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Stem Cell Research - The Next Four Years Under Barack Obama
President-elect Obama has already announced that one of his first priorities as President will be to free federal funding for stem cell research. However, I fear that this money...
National Briefing | West: Hawaii: Birds Hasten Digital TV Switch
The state will switch to digital TV faster than the rest of the country to make way for an endangered volcano-dwelling bird.
Mom Genes, Dad Genes
Research improves the search for genes that differ depending on which parent they came from
Evolution in action: Lizards losing limbs
Some slender Australian lizards called skinks have gone from being five-fingered to legless (like most snakes) in just 3.6 million years, a new study finds. That's a blink of an...
Without enzyme, biological reaction essential to life takes 2.3 billion years
All biological reactions within human cells depend on enzymes. Their power as catalysts enables biological reactions to occur usually in milliseconds. But how slowly would these reactions proceed spontaneously, in...
Newborn neurones in the adult brain can settle in the wrong neighbourhood
A new study published in this week's PLoS Biology could have significant consequences for neural tissue transplantation to treat brain injuries or neural degeneration. Researchers at the Salk Institute for...
Protein can nurture or devastate brain cells, depending on its 'friends'
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Centre have uncovered new insights into the 'Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' nature of a protein that stimulates stem-cell maturation in the brain but, paradoxically,...
Lonesome George may miss out on fatherhood
Eggs laid by two females in the giant tortoise's enclosure are unlikely to hatch.
Fast Food Made Up Mostly of Corn
Do you want corn with that? A new chemical analysis of corn-laden burgers, fries, and chicken sandwiches may suggest bad news for our health and the environment.
Stem cells from monkey teeth can stimulate growth and generation of brain cells
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Centre, Emory University, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells...
How To Make Materials Everything-Proof
Nature has conjured up numerous defenses to water, imbuing duck feathers, lotus leaves and even butterfly wings with the ability to repel that ubiquitous liquid of life. But it hasn't...
Does HBV infection induce acute cellular DNA damage?
Eukaryotic cells employ multiple strategies of checkpoint signalling and DNA repair mechanisms to monitor and repair damaged DNA. There are two branches of the checkpoint response pathway, ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM)...
Wounded plants make jasmonates, inhibiting cell division, stunting growth
It is well known that plants growing under unfavourable conditions are generally smaller than those growing in stress-free conditions: indeed it is estimated that in the US, abiotic stress reduces...
Oxford University opens controversial animal research lab
A controversial animal research laboratory that became the focus of a campaign of terror by animal rights activists was officially opened today at Oxford U
Powerful malaria vector found in Panama
The discovery of a variety of Anopheles mosquito - a malaria vector - in Panama has led to calls for intensifying malaria prevention.
Liquid or solid? Charged nanoparticles in lipid membrane decide
Like water and ice cubes mixed in a glass, a group of organic compounds called lipids can coexist as liquid and solid in membranes. This patchiness in phospholipid membranes is...
Marine invasive species advance 50 km per decade
A rapid, climate change-induced northern migration of invasive marine is one of many research results announced Tuesday, 11 November during opening day presentations at the First World Conference on Marine...
Chinese menus, medicine threatening wildlife
BEIJING (Reuters) - Wild animals are climbing back onto Chinese plates after the deadly SARS virus made some diners wary, and booming demand for traditional medicine is also threatening some...
Recipes for Health: What to Do With the Rest of That Celery
This Italian salad may seem plain, but there’s something about the combination of textures and the tart and savory flavors that really works.
Red-eyed Treefrog Embryos Actively Avoid Asphyxiation Inside Their Eggs
Red-eyed treefrog embryos react to environmental oxygen concentration before they have blood or muscular movement. These initial responses to the environment may be critical to the frogs' long-term survival.
Study finds new nanomaterial could be breakthrough for implantable medical devices
A team of researchers led by North Carolina State University has made a breakthrough that could lead to new dialysis devices and a host of other revolutionary medical implants. The...
Basics: Scientists and Philosophers Find That ‘Gene’ Has a Multitude of Meanings
Scientists have learned that the canonical “genes” account for an embarrassingly tiny part of the human genome.
The Promise and Power of RNA
RNA interference, discovered only about 10 years ago, is attracting huge interest for its seeming ability to knock out disease-causing genes.
Now: The Rest of the Genome
Only 1 percent of the genome is made up of classic genes. Scientists are exploring the other 99 percent and uncovering new secrets and new questions.
Scientists Map Molecular Regulation Of Fat-cell Genetics
A research team has used state-of-the-art genetic technology to map thousands of positions where a molecular "master regulator" of fat-cell biology is nestled in DNA to control genes in these...
Icy Slush Chills Blood to Save Lives
A bio-compatible ice slurry is injected right into the body.
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: "Smile" Octopus Spawned Many Species
The evolutionary ancestor of many of the world's deep-sea octopus species is still living, according to a new gene study of new species and other animals.
How I Met Your Bacterium
It seemed like an ordinary day in the primordial ooze, but romance was in the methane-ammonia air. An amoeba, pseudopoding along as usual, met and was enchanted by a particularly...