Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New astroviruses are identified in bats
HONG KONG, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Chinese scientists say they've discovered bats might be reservoirs of a new group of astroviruses that cause diarrhea in many species, including...
Nonverbal Often Worth 1,000 Debate Words
A long sigh, a peek at a watch, a five o'clock shadow: An expert explains how appearance and gestures can tip the scales in a debate as much as anything...
Compound Could Help Detect Chemical, Biological Weapons At Long Distances
A light-transmitting compound that could one day be used in high-efficiency fiber optics and in sensors to detect biological and chemical weapons at long distance almost went undiscovered by scientists...
From One Laying To Another, The Female Collembolan Adapts Its Eggs To Environmental Constraints
Reproductive plasticity -- the ability of individuals to modify their reproduction and the characteristics of their progeny according to environmental or social conditions -- is a crucial factor in the...
Bees Can Mediate Escape Of Genetically Engineered Material Over Several Kilometers
Bees have the potential to mediate the escape of transgenes (genetically engineered material) from crops to their wild relatives over several kilometers. The findings bear significant implications for the introduction...
A New, Improved Stem Cell Recipe
Adult mouse cells reprogrammed without cancer-causing viruses, but hurdles remain for human cells
Free-Living Protozoa Found In Meat-Cutting Plants
A first time survey of free-living protozoa in meat-cutting plants showed high diversity rates of various species including those that could harbor food-borne pathogens say researchers from Belgium.
Novel Mechanism For Regulation Of Gene Expression Identified
Scientists have demonstrated that an enzyme called Uch37 is kept in check when it is part of a human chromatin remodeling complex, INO80. The results were published in Molecular Cell.
Australian Frog Species Chooses Not To Put Eggs In One Basket
A new study into the mating and nesting practices of a common Australian frog has found they partner up to eight males sequentially -- the highest recorded of any vertebrate.
Animals Farmed For Meat Are The No. 1 Source Of Food Poisoning Bug, Study Shows
A study, based on DNA-sequence comparison of thousands of bacterial samples collected from human patients and animal carriers, found that 97 percent of campylobacteriosis cases sampled in Lancashire, UK, were...
VIDEO: Pesticides Killing Flamingos?
Tests of the pink birds, which live in Kenya's Lake Nakuru, show heavy metals and pesticides—leading experts to suspect growing industry as the cause.
World leaders pledge $3B to eradicate malaria
World leaders and the heads of philanthropic organizations gathered at the UN on Thursday to pledge nearly $3 billion US to fight malaria, with the aim of eradicating it by...
Instant insight: Bacterial nanoinjectors
Roberto De Guzman explains how some of the world’s most deadly pathogens use needles to inject their prey
Genetic Damage In Minibacteria In Aphids And Ants Repaired By Faulty Copying
Aphids (plant lice) and ants carry minibacteria that produce essential amino acids and vitamins. These minibacteria have very limited genetic material and many broken genes. Now, researchers have found that...
Research underway to give sleep apnea sufferers relief and rest
For some, a full night's rest can be anything but restful. That's because they have sleep apnea, which causes them to struggle for breath in bouts throughout the night. Six...
Over half of Europe's amphibians face extinction by 2050
Climate change, diseases and habitat destruction threaten to wipe out toads and newts especially
Sexual practice of polygyny skews genetic variability
Researchers have found DNA evidence that polygyny, the practice among males of siring children with multiple female partners at the same time or successively, has led to an excess of...
Nanoparticles hide behind protein cloak
The protein coat nanoparticles pick up in human blood could affect their toxicity as well as their medical potential
Bats Pick Up Rustling Sounds Against Highway Background Noise
When bats go hunting by listening for faint rustling sounds made by their quarry on a quiet night they don't have any problems. But what happens when a bat goes...
Detecting Human Activities Through Barriers: Doppler Radar Signals Become Animation
Scientists are one step closer to making x-ray vision a reality. They are perfecting radar systems that can detect human activities through barriers and convert the signals to virtual renderings...
Stop tranquillizing polar bears for research, NTI says
Leaders with Nunavut's land-claim organization say they want scientists to stop tranquillizing polar bears and other wildlife, citing the concerns of Inuit elders and hunters about the practice.
Bio-imaging mass spectrometry techniques reveal molecular details about complex systems
Understanding biology at the systems level is difficult, especially when studying complex specimens like tissue slices or communities of organisms in a biofilm. Scientists must be able to identify, quantify...
Genetic mutation predicts organ rejection
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they have discovered a genetic mutation that identifies people whose bodies will reject transplanted tissues and organs.
Scientists identify novel inhibitor of human microRNA
Scientists at The Wistar Institute and their colleagues have identified, for the first time, a molecule that can regulate microRNAs - short strands of RNA that play a vital...
After the first decade of metagenomics -- adolescent growth spurt anticipated
Mostly hidden from the scrutiny of the naked eye, microbes have been said to run the world. The challenge is how best to characterize them given that less than...
Opsin's Active Conformation Revealed
Crystal structure of G-protein-coupled receptor provides new insight for how this class of proteins senses chemical and light signals
Toxic genes kill pancreatic cancer cells
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a technique in which nanoparticles are used to deliver a deadly diphtheria toxic gene that kills pancreatic cancer...
Serious Disease In Pet Lizards Caused By New Bacteria
Skin infections are common in pet lizards and can lead to fatal organ disease and septicaemia. The cause of these diseases has been unclear but now researchers in Belgium have...