Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Butterfly vision, wing colors linked
IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led team of scientists says the long-held theory that butterfly vision and wing color diversity are linked is true -- at least...
Is That Elephant Running? Don't Bet on It
New study argues that, regardless of their speed, elephants don't actually run. [Read more]
Ants die alone, protecting their nest mates from infection
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists studying ants have discovered that when they are seriously ill they voluntarily go away from the nest to die, which reduces the chances of them passing their...
How Antibiotic Resistance Works
Antibiotics create a "whole zoo of mutants" in the bacterial, and some turn out to be resistant to one or more drugs.
Human use heel first gait because it is efficient for walking
Most running mammals totter along on their toes. In fact, toe running is far more efficient than landing heel first like humans. Yet when it comes to long distance endurance running, humans...
The genetic secrets to jumping the species barrier
Scientists have pinpointed specific mutations that allow a common plant virus to infect new species, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of General Virology. Understanding...
Tiny fruit fly could offer big clues in fight against obesity, researcher says
The tiny tongue of a fruit fly could provide big answers to questions about human eating habits, possibly even leading to new ways to treat obesity, according to a study...
Researchers develop dietary formula that maintains youthful function into old age
Researchers at McMaster University have developed a cocktail of ingredients that forestalls major aspects of the ageing process...
Epigenetic signals differ across alleles
Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), King's College London, have identified numerous novel regions of the genome where the chemical modifications involved in controlling gene expression are influenced by...
Grasping bacterial 'friending' paves the way to disrupt biofilm creation
Finding a biological mechanism much like an online social network, scientists have identified the bacterial protein VpsT as the master regulator in Vibrio, the cause of cholera and other enteric...
ASU scientists develop universal DNA reader to advance faster, cheaper sequencing efforts
Arizona State University scientists have come up with a new twist in their efforts to develop a faster and cheaper way to read the DNA genetic code. They have developed...
Cancer: 'Primitive' gene discovered
To find the causes for cancer, biochemists and developmental biologists at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, retraced the function of an important human cancer gene 600 million years back in...
Scientists synthesize unique family of anti-cancer compounds
Scientists have streamlined the process for synthesizing a family of compounds with the potential to kill cancer and other diseased cells, and have found that they represent a unique category...
How cholera bacteria becomes infectious
Researchers have described the structure of a protein called ToxT that controls the virulent nature of Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria that causes cholera. Buried within ToxT, the researchers were surprised...
Bacteria Are Better Gene Packers Than We Thought
(PhysOrg.com) -- In microbial genomes, genes are typically depicted as linear series of separate regulatory and coding regions. This leads to the assumption that annotations done by computer to predict...
Adenosine triphosphate detection in living cells with carbon nanotubes and luciferase
(PhysOrg.com) -- All living cells require a fuel to function: adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the cell "gasoline". Detecting ATP within cells can help researchers observe energetic physiological processes, such as signal...
Virus pulls bait and switch on insect vectors
A common plant virus lures aphids to infected plants by making the plants more attractive, but when the insects taste the plant, they quickly leave for tastier, healthier ones. In...
A Menu for Feeding 9 Billion
With a mix including genetically modified crops and expanded aquaculture, where appropriate, scientists foresee a well-fed human population later in the century.
Bringing the Definition of 'Life' to Closure
In the search for life beyond Earth, we should not expect to find life forms we're familiar with. Determining whether something completely alien is 'alive' could be a challenge, so...
New research eyes off colourful reef fish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people wouldn't give a second thought to the inner workings of the fish eye. But research by University of Queensland scientists is unlocking the secrets hidden behind...
Animal models that help translate regenerative therapies from bench to bedside
New Rochelle, NY, February 11, 2010 -- Clinical testing and development of novel therapies based on advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that will one day enable the repair...
Research team targets self-cannibalizing cancer cells
A team of scientists from Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has embarked on a major new project to unravel the secret lives of cancer cells that...
Dramatic changes in agriculture needed as world warms and grows, researchers say
The looming threats of global climate change and population growth call for sweeping changes in how the world produces its food and fiber, warns a group of prestigious scientists, including...
Contaminated public water wells studied
RESTON, Va., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Geological Survey scientists say they have discovered how and when contaminants might reach public-supply wells.
Shaping the tree of DNA's regulators
(PhysOrg.com) -- In each cell of the human body, more than six feet of DNA are carefully tucked into the tiny nucleus by wrapping around proteins called histones, resembling beads...
Listeria experiments probed at U of Saskatchewan
A senior researcher at the Saskatoon Cancer Centre at the University of Saskatchewan is under investigation for running unauthorized experiments - injecting lab mice with listeria bacteria.
Marine Protected Areas : a solution for saving the penguin
Researchers have shown that closing fishing zones in the ocean has a beneficial effect on Cape penguins, an endangered species endemic to Southern Africa, which feeds exclusively on fish.
Enzyme with industrial applications characterized
Microbial enzymes are commonly used to reduce the levels of contamination created by industrial processes. Researchers have now characterized xylan-degrading enzyme from the the bacteria Paenibacillus barcinonensis, an isolated microorganism...