Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Million animals, plants at risk of extinction due to human activities, U.N. report says
About one million species of animals and plants around the world are now at risk of extinction, in part due to pollution and over-fishing. A new United Nations report says...
U.N. report warns 1 million plants and animals at risk of extinction
A bombshell U.N. report finds 1 million of the Earth's plants and animal species are now at imminent risk of extinction. The report found that humans are causing extinction at...
Ford turns up the heat to keep New York police officers safe from COVID-19
The nation's largest police force is trying to stop the coronavirus from spreading in a very unique way. They're heating up squad cars to kill COVID-19. Kris Van Cleave reports...
Invasion! Asian giant hornets have arrived
They can grow as large as 2½ inches and can slaughter a colony of thousands of honeybees in a matter of hours. And their sting? It's one of the most...
National Zoo reopens for the first time in 19 weeks
After shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. reopened to the public for the first time in 19 weeks. Some indoor exhibits still remain...
Evolutionary history of imperiled salmon stocks
New technologies for analyzing DNA may transform how imperiled species are considered and managed for conservation protection, according to a study. These technologies can be applied to a wide range...
Larvaceans provide a pathway for transporting microplastics into deep-sea food webs
A new article shows that filter-feeding animals called giant larvaceans can collect and consume microplastic particles, potentially carrying microplastics to the deep seafloor.
Problems with DNA replication can cause epigenetic changes that may be inherited for several generations
Scientists reveal that a fault in the process that copies DNA during cell division can cause epigenetic changes that may be inherited for up-to five generations. They also identified the...
Injecting manure instead of spreading on surface reduces estrogen loads
With water quality in the Chesapeake Bay suffering from excess nutrients and fish populations in rivers such as the Susquehanna experiencing gender skewing and other reproductive abnormalities, understanding how to...
Are stem cells the link between bacteria and cancer?
A new mechanism of stomach gland regeneration reveals impact of Helicobacter pylori infection.
How the genome sets its functional micro-architecture
Scientists now show how DNA is organized into specific regions, and that this depends on a combination of genomic distance and the presence of the CTCF protein.
Surprising discovery about how neurons talk to each other
New findings challenge existing dogma that neurons release fixed amounts of chemical signal at any one time and could have implications for brain disorders including Parkinson's and schizhophrenia.
New technique overcomes genetic cause of infertility
Scientists have created healthy offspring from genetically infertile male mice, offering a potential new approach to tackling a common genetic cause of human infertility.
Gene that makes large, plump tomatoes identified
Farmers can grow big, juicy tomatoes thanks to a mutation in the cell size regulator gene that occurred during the tomato domestication process.
Engineering team images tiny quasicrystals as they form
What makes quasicrystals so interesting? Their unusual structure. Now scientists are actively pursuing this relatively new area of study.
The hidden dangers of feeding wild animals
Feeding wild elephants might seem kind, but a new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego warns that it can lead to serious harm.
21-year-old in NYPD custody for shooting off-duty Border Patrol agent
A 21-year-old man is in police custody following a robbery-turned-shooting of an off-duty Border Patrol agent in New York City.
Is it really Lyme? Researchers developing a new test to tell
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Diagnosing if a tick bite caused Lyme or another disease can be difficult but scientists are developing a new way...
Science Says: DNA test results may not change health habits
NEW YORK (AP) -- If you learned your DNA made you more susceptible to getting a disease, wouldn't you work to stay healthy?...
In some genetic cases of microcephaly, stem cells fail to launch
In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center study that may provide important clues...
Purest yet liver-like cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells
This image shows induced pluripotent stem cells expressing a characteristic cell surface protein called SSEA4 (green). A research team including developmental biologist Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., SmartStateTM Chair...
Study finds shark fins & meat contain high levels of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer's disease
Cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and Mercury are detected in sharks from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In a new study, University of Miami (UM) scientists found high concentrations of...
More tomatoes, faster: Accelerating tomato engineering
A researcher transfers tomato plantlets from a plate of regeneration medium. Tomatoes are already an ideal model species for plant research, but scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI)...
New genus of bacteria found living inside hydraulic fracturing wells
Ohio State University researchers and their colleagues have identified a new genus of bacteria living inside hydraulic fracturing wells. Researchers analyzing the genomes of microorganisms living in shale oil...
Brain circuit that drives sleep-wake states, sleep-preparation behavior is identified
Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have identified a brain circuit that's indispensable to the sleep-wake cycle. This same circuit is also a key component of the reward system, an...
Giraffes more speciose than expected
Scientists from the Senckenberg and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation have analysed the genetic relationships of all major populations of giraffe in the wild. The large study on the genetic makeup...
Study reveals how ionising radiation damages DNA and causes cancer
For the first time, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have been able to identify in human cancers two characteristic patterns of DNA damage caused by...
The proteins that domesticated our genomes
EPFL scientists have carried out a genomic and evolutionary study of a large and enigmatic family of human proteins, to demonstrate that it is responsible for harnessing the millions of...