Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Useless DNA found to resist deletion
STANFORD, Calif., Oct. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they have discovered DNA that has no known function is much less likely than other DNA to be lost...
The Color of Evolution: How One Fish Became Two Fish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Ever since Darwin discovered that species can evolve, scientists have wondered how new species form. Answering this question is the key to understanding the diversity of all of...
Learning To Shape Your Brain Activity
A new study shows that the successful manipulation of sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) amplitude by instrumental SMR conditioning (ISC) improved sleep quality as well as declarative learning. ISC might thus be...
Short RNAs show a long history
MicroRNAs, the tiny molecules that fine-tune gene expression, were first discovered in 1993. But it turns out they've been around for a billion years.
Research about plant viruses could lead to new ways to improve crop yields
An interdisciplinary group of scientists has obtained the first detailed information about the structure of the most destructive group of plant viruses known: flexible filamentous viruses.
Wind Turbines Don't Make Birds Fly the Coop
Machines have little impact on nesting behavior, study finds
HIV dates back to around 1900, study shows
Genetic analysis of tissue specimen recently discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo leads researchers to believe the virus that causes AIDS has been present for more than a...
HHMI Names Next Leader
Biochemist Robert Tjian selected as new president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute
When Cells Go Bad: Cells That Avoid Suicide May Become Cancerous
When a cell's chromosomes lose their ends, the cell usually kills itself to stem the genetic damage. But now biologists have discovered how those cells can evade suicide and start...
New Fish Species May Emerge Because Of How Females See Males
Eye color and hair color play a role in human partner choice, but visual stimuli can also determine mating preferences in the animal kingdom. In many species, the male's fortunes...
HIV/AIDS Pandemic Began Around 1900, Earlier Than Previously Thought; Urbanization In Africa Marked Outbreak
Painstaking reconstruction of viral DNA and RNA sequences from decades-old tissue samples is beginning to yield a clearer picture of HIV's evolutionary history from its beginnings.
Cells Coordinate Gene Activity With FM Bursts, Scientists Find
How a cell achieves the coordinated control of a number of genes at the same time has long puzzled scientists. Researchers have discovered a surprising answer. Just as human engineers...
Malta 'bird slaughter' condemned
Conservation groups criticise Malta for failing to stop "rogue hunters" killing protected bird species.
Hi-tech windows into a whale's world
Tagging has transformed the way many animals are studied - and that is particularly true of whale species.
A Viral Blast From the Past
Fifty-year-old sample sheds light on when HIV jumped from chimps to humans
VIDEO: Dogs vs. Rabbits in Eco-War
Springer spaniels are training to do battle to save an Australian island from a rabbit boom. The rabbits are destroying vegetation, thereby threatening other species.
When a light goes on during thought processes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Thought processes made visible: An international team of scientists headed by Mazahir Hasan of the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg has succeeded in optically detecting...
Gender Is A Relative Term In Politics, Study Finds
For only the second time in presidential debate history, a female nominee will take the stage to spar with a male opponent. A revealing study has found that male and...
Colonial clue to the rise of HIV
The arrival of colonial cities in sub-Saharan Africa at the dawn of the 20th Century may have sparked the spread of HIV.
Wolves Enlisted in Race for the White House
Conservation group airs ad targeting Palin for aerial hunting of wolves.
48 Species Proposed as 'Endangered,' All Hawaiian
The newly proposed listed species include plants, two birds and a fly, from Kauai.
Butts, Faces Help Chimps Identify Friends
The primates can identify photos of their acquaintances' rears and match them with the right faces--an ability that may elude humans, experts say.
Weeds threaten Australia's environment
New guides have been released detailing eight invasive species that experts have identified as Australian flora and fauna's most immediate threat.
'Viking mouse' invasion tracked
Scientists say that studying the genes of mice will reveal new information about patterns of human migration.
Coral-killing starfish turns out to be four species, not one
The crown-of-thorns starfish, a notorious threat to coral in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, comprises four species, not one, biologists reported on Tuesday.
Gray wolves returned to endangered list
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Minnesota officials say a ruling by federal judge has put the western Great Lakes population of gray wolves back on the endangered species...
Shark Fishers Try to Reel in Cash, Turn to Conservation
Economies built on fishing shrinking stocks of shark are putting some Baja fishers in a precarious place.
Researcher Maps Genes of Destructive Parasite
(PhysOrg.com) -- The genome sequence and genetic map for a microscopic, soil-dwelling worm that is one of the world's most common and destructive plant parasites has been completed by a...