Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Feature: Garlic, vampires and free radicals
Recent research into the benefits of free radicals has lead an Australian scientist to believe our ancestors may have been onto something when they used garlic to get rid of...
CFIA recalls strawberry sour milk due to melamine contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is recalling Mengniu strawberry flavour sour milk because it contains melamine.
Diversity of fish can restore coral reefs
ATLANTA, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they observed significant recovery of an endangered coral reef when they managed the reef's diversity of fish.
PHOTOS: Amazon Rain Forest's Untapped Fruit Bounty
Hundreds of fruit species flourish in the Amazon region, but relatively few--like antioxidant-rich acai, a wild palm fruit --ever reach international markets. Experts say fruits are a vital part of...
New properties of skin stem cells
Recent research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet reveals completely new properties of the skin's stem cells – discoveries that contradict previous findings. The studies, which are published in...
Florida's 'worm grunters' collect bait worms by inadvertently imitating mole sounds
When biologist Ken Catania heard about the peculiar practice of worm grunting practiced in the Apalachicola National Forest in the Florida Panhandle one of his first thoughts was an observation...
Electrons are used to treat organic seeds
DRESDEN, Germany, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- German scientists say they have developed an organic method of protecting plants from disease by using electrons to kill fungal spores and...
From Embryo or From Blood Cells: Obama and McCain's Stem Cell Showdown
Question Eight: Stem Cells So far the Science Debate 2008 questions have focused on technical issues which most Americans agree are important, even if they disagree over how the problems should...
Caterpillars Build Silk "Alarm Systems"
Metalmark moth caterpillars are now the only creatures other than spiders known to use silk threads to detect intruders, a new study says.
Scientist at Work | James W. Pennebaker: He Counts Your Words (Even Those Pronouns)
James W. Pennebaker looks at every single word people use — even the tiny ones — and is leading a resurgent interest in text analysis.
Enzymes hit with double punch
Small molecule designed to block two key cancer enzymes simultaneously
Worms' nervous system shown to alert immune system in Stanford studies
The nervous system and the immune system have something in common. Each has evolved to react quickly to environmental cues. Because the nervous system is able to detect some of...
How 'Sandfish' Swim: Could Help Materials Handling And Process Technology Specialists
It moves as quickly in sand as a fish moves through water, which is why this lizard, a species of skink (Scincus scincus) that grows to about 15 cm long...
Rebel Attacks Threaten Gorilla Park -- Dramatic Video
An African park infamous for gorilla murders is reeling from fresh rebel attacks captured in a harrowing video. The fighting threatens the Congo park's 72 mountain gorillas.
Scientists explain the 'flash-lag' effect
DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they might have explained a visual phenomenon called the "flash-lag" effect that has puzzled neuroscientists for about 100 years.
Research says singling out sheep will save 1.3 million from lameness
New research from the University of Warwick published today in the journal BMC Veterinary Research suggests that a simple cheap individual approach to the care of sheep could slash...
Brainy Genes, Not Brawn, Key To Success On Mussel Beach
Scientists have found that mussels in their natural habitat express their genes in cyclic waves, in what appears to be a survival strategy akin to the circadian rhythms that govern...
Tumor Formation In Stem Cells Linked to Mitochondria
Researchers report on a previously unknown relationship between stem cell potency and the metabolic rate of their mitochondria -- a cell's energy makers. Stem cells with more active mitochondria also...
Exotic spiders crawl into the UK
Exotic species of spider are making their homes in the UK- could the black widow be next?
2008 Horwitz Prize Awarded for Protein Folding, DNA Structure
Columbia will award the 2008 Horwitz Prize to noted biologists Ulrich Hartl and Arthur Horwich for their work in expanding fundamental understanding of protein folding, and its role in Alzheimer's...
New Gene Found That Helps Plants Beat The Heat
Plant scientists have discovered another piece of the genetic puzzle that controls how plants respond to high temperatures. That may allow plant breeders to create new varieties of crops that...
Modern Genetics Vs. Ancient Frog-killing Fungus: Round One
Scientists at the University of Idaho have sequenced the genome of the chytrid fungus known as Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Bd has been a major player in declining frog populations around...
Making Skin for Robots
Like it or not, the day is coming when we’ll live side by side with humanoids. But although most modern robots can grip objects and avoid walls, they lack a...
Whale deal falls at last minute
Hope for consensus between environmentalists and whalers in Barcelona is derailed by a last-minute Australian intervention.
Smell is 'noisy' and 'in shades of grey': Scientists debunk ancient lock-and-key theory
University of Manchester scientists have overturned the 2,500-year-old theory that smell is detected by simple lock-and-key codes - using maggots with only one working olfactory sensory neuron (OSN), a...
Bat sightings point to recovery
A bat survey at National Trust for Scotland shows signs of recovery for the endangered species.
'Caffeine Receptor' Solved: Structure Of Important Neurological Receptor Defined
Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute have determined the structure of an adenosine receptor that plays a critical role in a number of important physiological processes including pain, breathing, and...
Why Your Boss Is White, Middle-class And A Show-off
The way male managers power dress, posture and exercise power is due to humans' evolutionary biology, according to new research.