Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Muscle stem cell identity confirmed
STANFORD, Calif., Sept. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they're the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells in muscle fibers harbor a stem cell that can repair...
FDA proposes approval process for genetically modified animals
The regulations would treat genetically engineered creatures like drugs. Critics suggest environmental concerns aren't being given proper weight. ...
Privately Owned Fisheries May Help Shore Up Stocks
Giving people ownership rights in marine fisheries can halt or even reverse catastrophic declines in commercial stocks, researchers are reporting.
Novel Anti-cancer Mechanism Found In Long-lived Rodents
Biologists have found that small-bodied rodents with long lifespans have evolved a previously unknown anti-cancer mechanism that appears to be different from any anticancer mechanisms employed by humans or other...
Road Crossing Structures Important In Reduction Of Animal Mortality On Roads
Spanish highways are increasingly incorporating walkways specially designed for wild animals, or mixed use structures designed for other purposes, which connect wildlife from one side of the road to the...
RNA interference plays bigger role than previously thought
In a paper published today online in the journal Nature, IBM (NYSE: IBM) and the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) reported findings from a joint research study that provides new...
Penn researchers use honeybee venom toxin to develop a new tool for studying hypertension
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have modified a honeybee venom toxin so that it can be used as a tool to study the inner workings of...
More than skin deep: There's no such thing as a 'safe' suntan, researchers warn
There may be no such thing as a 'safe' tan based on ultraviolet (UV) radiation, according to a series of papers published in the October issue of Pigment Cell &...
Significant Increase In Alien Plants In Europe Observed
The number of alien plant species has more than tripled over the last 25 years. This is the finding of a study by European scientists who evaluated the data from...
Signals From Blood Of Mother Enhance Maturation Of Brain
The maturation of the brain of unborn infants is given a gentle “prod” by its mother, according to new research. A protein messenger from the mother’s blood is transferred to...
It’s All In The Hips: Early Whales Used Well Developed Back Legs For Swimming, Fossils Show
The crashing of the enormous fluked tail on the surface of the ocean is a "calling card" of modern whales. Living whales have no back legs, and their front legs...
Scientists to Use Satellites to Count Kangaroo Rats
The feat would be the first time an endangered species is monitored from outer space.
Seedy but Speedy: Fungus Spews Spores at 55 Mph
In a finding that could help control harmful fungus, researchers have discovered a high-speed mechanism the germs use to project their spores into the air. Scientists from Miami University (M.U.)...
Rare otter species 'found in Vietnam'
Researchers said Thursday they have found two hairy-nosed otters, which have been listed as the world's rarest species, in a national park in southern Vietnam.
Scientists Find One Specimen of Bizarre Primitive Ant
The species Martialis heureka is the most primitive of living ants, its DNA least changed in the more than 100 million years that ants have existed.
To survive, tiger moths are bright for birds, click for bats
(PhysOrg.com) -- If you ate a spoiled hamburger from a fast-food restaurant, chances are you would be reminded of the experience every time you saw the chain's logo.
Benchmark cyanobacterium sequenced could be cheap renewable energy source
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers headed by biologists at Washington University in St. Louis has sequenced the genome of a unique bacterium that manages two disparate operations — photosynthesis...
Ecology: The heart of the wood
BiaBowie|a is one of the best-preserved woodlands in Europe. But is it a good reference point for what Europe looked like 5,000 years ago? Emma Marris goes deep into the...
Are Genome Hackers the Future of Biotech?
Annalee Newitz thinks genome hackers are the future of biotech. So much so that her blog io9 (part of Gawker Media) recently sponsored a worldwide synthetic biology "mad science" contest...
Structural Switch Boosts DNA Delivery
Chemical modification improves properties of potential reagents for transfection
Colorful spy tactics track live cells supporting cancerous tumors
A new advance in cellular imaging is allowing scientists to better understand the movement of cells in the area around tumors, also known as the tumor microenvironment. In a recent...
Wildlife Management: Salmon Fisheries, Yellowstone Wolf Introduction Show What Is Possible
The Netherlands is a densely populated nation, but could be a good example of how to practice wildlife management in the coming century. Rapid human population growth on the planet...
Scientists developing small robotic drones to become part of Air Force's arsenal
It may look like a futuristic arcade game, but it's a scene from an official Air Force animated video: Bad guys of indiscernible origin being shadowed, from a careful distance,...
Australia issues first license to clone human embryos
SYDNEY (Reuters) - The Australian government has issued its first license allowing scientists to create cloned human embryos to try and obtain embryonic stem cells.
Flatworm helps researchers study stem cells and cancer
Any way you slice it, the planarian's contributions to biological research just keep on growing.
Global Update: Fighting Disease in the Name of the Skeeter Beaters
A small group of Navy corpsmen volunteers worked to contain the spread of malaria in the South Pacific in World War II.
Scientist at Work | David B. Goldstein: A Dissenting Voice as the Genome Is Sifted to Fight Disease
David B. Goldstein, a leading young population geneticist, says the effort to nail down the genetics of most common diseases is not working.
Basics: Gut Instinct’s Surprising Role in Math
New studies suggest that two number systems, one that is innate for many animals and one that is uniquely human, may be profoundly related.