Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New facts about flightless birds reported
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say flightless birds known as ratites, such as Australian emus, don't share a common ancestor as once believed.
You Can Be Replaced: Immune Cells Compensate For Defective DNA Repair Factor
A new mouse model has provided some surprising insight into XLF, a molecule that helps to repair lethal DNA damage. The research suggests that although XLF shares many properties with...
Changes To Embryonic Stem Cells Caused By Down Syndrome Revealed
Scientists investigating the mechanisms of Down syndrome have revealed the earliest developmental changes in embryonic stem cells caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21 -- the aberrant inheritance...
Molecular evolution is echoed in bat ears
Bats' ability to echolocate may have evolved more than once, according to research published this week by Queen Mary, University of London scientists. read more
Biocontrol insect exacerbates invasive weed
Biocontrol agents, such as insects, are often released outside of their native ranges to control invasive plants. But scientists in Montana have found that through complex community interactions among deer...
DNA editing tool flips its target
Imagine having to copy an entire book by hand without missing a comma. Our cells face a similar task every time they divide. They must duplicate both their DNA and...
Structure of key epigenetics component identified
Scientists from the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) have determined the 3D structure of a key protein component involved in enabling "epigenetic code" to be copied accurately from cell to cell.
New nano device detects immune system cell signaling
Scientists have detected previously unnoticed chemical signals that individual cells in the immune system use to communicate with each other over short distances.
Do 68 molecules hold the key to understanding disease?
Why is it that the origins of many serious diseases remain a mystery? In considering that question, a scientist at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine...
Infectious, Test Tube-produced Prions Can Jump The 'Species Barrier'
Researchers have shown that they can create entirely new strains of infectious proteins known as prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species with the normal...
New Methods Identify And Manipulate 'Newborn' Cells In Animal Model Of Parkinson's Disease
Researchers in the United States and Sweden used an engineered virus to deliver a protein that glows green when exposed to blue light (green fluorescent protein) into newborn cells of...
Trichoplax genome is sequenced
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. molecular and evolutionary biologists say they have sequenced the full genome of Trichoplax, one of Earth's most primitive multi-cellular organisms.
Scientists ID Ebola cell-invasion strategy
GALVESTON, Texas, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say their discovery of a biochemical process used by the Ebola Zaire virus to infect cells may lead to therapies...
Fungus Degrades Lignin In Bug Guts
Harnessing enzymes could lead to improved conversion of biomass into fuels
VHEMT: The case against humans
The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement asks what do humans do for the Earth's biosphere that isn't about humans?
Interdisciplinary volume on biological rhythms serves as both primer and in-depth resource
A variety of organisms—from bacteria and fungi to plants and animals—have biological rhythms, where the timing and duration of fundamental biological processes is naturally adjusted to allow them to adapt...
ANIMAL PHOTOS WEEKLY: Gustav Pups, Baby Gorilla, More
Pet owners evacuate animals ahead of Hurricane Gustav, a western lowland gorilla holds her new baby, and more in our weekly roundup of animal photos.
Hallucinations in the flash of an eye
Dominic H. ffytche at the Institute of Psychiatry in London reviews what we do know and moves the field forward, by introducing a new experimental approach to studying hallucinations as...
Jamaican lizards work out at dusk and dawn
In a demonstration of reptilian strength, Jamaican anole lizards begin and end each day with a visual display that includes push-ups, head bobs and flashy showings of their colorful neck...
Frog blog: Hunt for world's rarest frogs
BBC reporter Rebecca Morelle joins a team in the rainforest attempting to track down some of the world's rarest frogs.
Nanoparticles hunt down cancer cells
Cancer cells can be detected then destroyed using a nanostructure designed by South Korean researchers
Cablevision completes first phase of WiFi buildout
(AP) -- Cablevision Systems Corp. said Thursday it has finished the first phase of its wireless network buildout in New York and remains on track to complete the project in...
'Bar-coding' Midges Could Help Prevent Spread Of Bluetongue In The UK
Ecologists have developed a new technique for genetically "bar-coding" biting midges that could help prevent the spread of bluetongue -- a serious animal disease -- in the UK.
New Rare Primate Groups Found in Cambodia
Newfound troops of two endangered species numbering in the thousands are "undoubtedly" the largest remaining global populations of their kind, conservationists say.
"Major Leap" In Medical Cell Research
Scientists have transformed one type of ell into another in living mice, a big step toward the goal of growing replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases.
Scientists use bacteria to pinpoint chloride toxins
Scientists have studied the sensor with which bacteria detect chloride compounds, many of which can be carcinogenic or dangerous to the environment, and now hope to speed up identification of...
Why Did The Squirrel Cross The Road?
A study has shown that red squirrels can and do make use of special crossings set up over busy roads. This kind of bridge is usually installed at sites where...
Big data: Wikiomics
Pioneering biologists are trying to use wiki-type web pages to manage and interpret data, reports Mitch Waldrop. But will the wider research community go along with the experiment?