Latest science news in Biology & Nature
The Science: How Gustav Could Become a Monster
The difference could be a small patch of very warm water called the Loop Current.
Endangered Species Act Proposal Called Bad Science
Conservationists concerned about proposed Endangered Species Act changes.
Study: Nature, nurture control ant caste
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Aug. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors determines whether some ants grow to become queens or...
Life Isn't 2-D, So Why Should Our Encyclopedias Be?
Biologists and biochemists are now able to access 3-D images of biomacromolecules underlying biological functions and disease. Rather than relying on text to provide the understanding of biomacromolecule structures, a...
Extinct In England For Nearly Three Decades: Could The Burbot Swim Again In UK Rivers?
Scientists are to carry out a feasibility study on the possibility of reintroducing burbot, a freshwater fish, to UK rivers, and are conducting an online survey to hear the views...
Yale undergrads' Amazon trip yields a treasure trove of diversity
A group of Yale undergraduates have discovered dozens of potentially beneficial bioactive microorganisms within plants they collected in the Amazon rain forest, including several so genetically distinct that they may...
How Well Do Antimicrobial Products Kill Biofilms?
Scientist Darla Goeres knows that there is more than one way to grow a biofilm, a fact that she uses to make sure that when a product claims it kills...
Observatory: In Lake, Photosynthesis Relies on Arsenic
Researchers have discovered bacteria that use the toxic element arsenic in photosynthesis in the absence of oxygen.
Infected Galápagos Penguins Could Get Avian Malaria
There has been a sharp increase in invasive insects in the Galápagos as tourism to the area grows.
Fish Tale Has DNA Hook: Students Find Bad Labels
With new tests, students found that restaurants and markets often misidentified fish, sometimes as more expensive species.
10 Polar Bears Are Seen Swimming in Open Water
Two federal officials confirmed that an unusually large number of polar bears were seen off the northern coast of Alaska recently.
Animal researchers given more protection
SACRAMENTO, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Animal researchers should be protected from violence and publishing of personal information on the Internet, California lawmakers have decided.
Bush Seeks to Protect 3 Pacific Island Chains
A plan could make three of the world's most pristine island chains off limits to commercial fishing.
Genome Of Simplest Animal Reveals Ancient Lineage, Confounding Array Of Complex Capabilities
The genome of the simple and primitive animal, Trichoplax adhaerens, appears to harbor a far more complex suite of capabilities than meets the eye. The findings establish a group of...
Virus-Infecting Virus Fuels Definition of Life Debate
The discovery of a massive virus that suffers from another virus has reignited speculation over whether the agents of infection should be considered life-forms.
Tiny Cellular Antennae Trigger Neural Stem Cells
Yale University scientists today reported evidence suggesting that the tiny cilia found on brain cells of mammals, thought to be vestiges of a primeval past, actually play a critical role...
Call of the wild
What started out as an MIT project aimed at monitoring owls in their natural environment has grown into an international collaboration on how to use widespread networks of citizen-scientists to...
VIDEO: Australian Wetlands Threatened
Australia's Coorong wetlands, long a haven for migrating birds and the fish they feed on, are threatened by the shrinking Murray River, the wetlands' primary source of water.
VIDEO: Invasive Lionfish Explode
Thought to have escaped from a Florida fish tank, stinging red lionfish are multiplying from the Caribbean to North Carolina, threatening native animals.
Stem cells 'created from teeth'
Japanese scientists say they have created human stem cells from tissue taken from discarded wisdom teeth.
Elephant legs are much bendier than Shakespeare thought
Throughout history, elephants have been thought of as 'different'. Shakespeare, and even Aristotle, described them as walking on inflexible column-like legs. And this myth persists even today. Which made John...
Yoda: The Cat with Four Ears
Ted and Valerie Rock said they've been inundated with television offers and media inquiries.
Man Recounts Wild Javelina Encounter
They stood their ground, snouts raised, nostrils flared and twitching, the fur on their backs rippling.
Even Seaweeds Get Sunburned
It is red, it burns and itches: a sunburn on our skin. However, too much sun is not only bad for humans. Many plants react sensitively to an increased dose...
Biological Chips For Disease Detection, Drug Discovery, Now Easy To Make With New Method
Scientists have developed a new and fast method for making biological ‘chips’ – technology that could lead to quick testing for serious diseases, fast detection of MRSA infections and rapid...
Munich researchers discover key allergy gene
Together with colleagues from the Department of Dermatology and Allergy and the Center for Allergy and Environment of the Technische Universität München, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have pinpointed...
Study: A bad joke might endanger the teller
MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) -- There's a reason comedians call it "dying on stage."...
Genes That Cause Hereditary Disease PCH Discovered
Scientists from Cologne and Amsterdam have discovered the mutations in humans that cause the hereditary disease ponto cerebellar hypoplasia (PCH), types 2 and 4.