Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Fish Cancer Gene Linked To Pigment Pattern That Attracts Mates
Though skin cancer is deadly to male fish, it also has one perk: The black melanoma splotches arise from attractive natural markings that lure female mates. A new study shows...
Magpies, humans share a recognizable trait
Study uses mirrors to show the birds join humans, chimpanzees, dolphins and elephants on a short list of beings that can identify themselves. ...
Molecular Clues To Wilson Disease: How Mutation Alters Key Protein
Using computer simulations and lab experiments, physical biochemists have discovered how a small genetic mutation that's known to cause Wilson disease subtly changes the structure of a large, complex protein...
VIDEO: Baby Whale to Be Euthanized
A starving humpback whale calf—apparently orphaned and trying to suckle yachts near Sydney, Australia, for the past several days—will likely be euthanized, according to scientists.
Young horses fed sweet grain hard to train
BOZEMAN, Mont., Aug. 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests young horses may be easier to train if they are deprived of "sweet grain" or "sweet feed" --...
Decline And Slow Recovery of Atlantic Salmon Illuminated With Tagging
For years scientists have struggled to understand the decline and slow recovery of Atlantic salmon, a once abundant and highly prized game and food fish native to New England rivers....
Switching It Up: How Memory Deals With A Change In Plans
How do our brains switch so elegantly and quickly from one well-entrenched plan to a newer one in reaction to a sudden change in circumstances?
Pesticide Build-up Could Lead To Poor Honey Bee Health
Honey bees industriously bring pollen and nectar to the hive, but along with the bounty comes a wide variety of pesticides, according to Penn State researchers. Add the outside assault...
Fruit juice 'could affect drugs'
Fruit juices may not be as healthy as thought - they could reduce the effectiveness of some medicines, it is claimed.
DEET's Not Sweet To Mosquitoes, Groundbreaking Research Shows
Spray yourself with a DEET-based insect repellent and the mosquitoes will leave you alone. But why? They flee because of their intense dislike for the smell of the chemical repellent...
Novel Fungus Helps Beetles To Digest Hard Wood
A little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods according to a team of entomologists and biochemists....
Researchers Uncover Attack Mechanism Of Illness-inducing Bacterium
An infectious ocean-dwelling bacterium found in oysters and other shellfish kills its host's cells by causing them to burst, providing the invader with a nutrient-rich meal, researchers have found.
Body May Reject Transplanted Human Embryonic Stem Cells
The much-ballyhooed human embryonic stem cell apparently may share a problem with transplanted organs: a high probability of rejection. [More]
Bugs Smell Funny
In a striking departure from the rest of the animal kingdom, insects smell things their own way.
Technion Scientist Named One of World's "Top Young Innovators"
For leading the development of an "electronic nose" able to identify different types of cancer in a person's breath, Dr. Hossam Haick of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has been...
Wild dolphins tail-walk on water
In what is thought to be a world first, a wild dolphin is apparently teaching others to tail-walk.
Confused sea turtles march into Italian restaurant
ROME (Reuters) - About 60 newly hatched sea turtles lost their way during their ritual passage to the sea and marched into an Italian restaurant instead, a conservation worker said...
Dr William Brown on why symmetry is sexy
Symmetrical faces are more sexually attractive, scientists have found. Dr William Brown of Brunel University explains
30-day comment period on Endangered Species act begins
By Julie Cart An online portal will accept comments on the Department of Interior's proposed overhaul of the Endangered Species Act. The changes could cut out the role of...
How Daughter Is Different From Mother
Scientists know how mother and daughter can be so different. Mother and daughter yeast cells, that is. The researchers have discovered a new mechanism for cell fate determination -- how...
Future impact of global warming is worse when grazing animals are considered, scientists suggest
The impact of global warming in the Arctic may differ from the predictions of computer models of the region, according to a pair of Penn State biologists. The team...
Trees eat pollution products
Leaves can absorb organic nitrates and turn them into amino acids.
Students use technical skills to help save Blanding's turtles
An effort underway at Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia to save endangered Blanding's turtles from extinction now includes students from the Nova Scotia Community College.
Glow worms glimmer on cue
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Queensland researcher and lecturer Dr David Merritt has discovered Tasmanian cave glow-worms are energy conservationists: they switch their lights off at night-time.
Rain brings bumper mushroom crop to N.B.
A bumper crop of mushrooms in New Brunswick has some people's mouths watering, but government officials are warning people to be careful before eating the fungi.
Using a Poison to Turn Sunlight into Food
Arsenic, a deadly poison, kills by blocking the ability of cells to produce and consume energy. Yet, some red and green slime mats in briny hot springs in Mono Lake,...
Frontal lobe stimulation improves behavior
ZURICH, Switzerland, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Swiss scientists say they have discovered electrical stimulation of the brain can produce more careful driving behavior without the driver's awareness.
Bacteria may help farmed lobsters
Research has found that beneficial bacteria, naturally found in wild rock lobster populations, can protect farmed lobsters from disease.