Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Mobilizing the repair squad: Critical protein helps mend damaged DNA
In order to preserve our DNA, cells have developed an intricate system for monitoring and repairing DNA damage. Yet precisely how the initial damage signal is converted into a repair...
Citrus surprise: Vitamin C boosts the reprogramming of adult cells into stem cells
Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing...
Rice scientists divide and conquer
Half a protein is better than none, and in this case, it's way better than a whole one. A Rice University lab has discovered that dividing a particular fluorescent protein...
Protein that keeps stem cells poised for action identified
Researchers have now identified a critical component, called Jarid2, of this delicate balancing act -- one that both recruits other regulatory proteins to genes important in differentiation and also modulates...
Ladder-walking locusts use vision to climb, show big brains aren't always best
Scientists have shown for the first time that insects, like mammals, use vision rather than touch to find footholds. They made the discovery thanks to high-speed video cameras that they...
Neuroscientists store information in isolated brain tissue; possible basis of short-term memory
For the first time, neuroscientists have created stimulus-specific sustained activity patterns in brain circuits maintained in vitro.
Emerald BioStructures announces discovery of small molecule modulators of PDE4
Bainbridge Island, WA. December 28, 2009. Emerald BioStructures (formerly deCODE biostructures) announced today a publication in the December 27, 2009 advance online issue of Nature Biotechnology,...
Genes 'drive deadly brain cancer'
Scientists have discovered two genes that appear responsible for one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.
Plant chemical 'manipulates' ants
Acacia plants have chemical control over the armies of ants that guard them, scientists discover.
Flowering powers genetic understanding
New research on how plants adapt their flowering to climate is also helping to unravel some of the mysteries of how genes are controlled. Studies on a gene in Arabidopsis...
Happy Flies Look For A Place Like Home
A happy youth can influence where a fruit fly chooses to live as an adult, according to new research. The study provides new insight into how animals choose places to...
Secrets of the Brain: Researchers decipher parts of the neuronal code
The human brain works at a far higher level of complexity than previously thought. What has been given little attention up to now in the information processing of neuronal circuits...
Molecular anchor links the 2 inheritable diseases Fanconi anemia and Bloom's syndrome
A new study establishes a molecular link that bridges two rare inherited disorders and explains why these diseases result in genetic instability. The research, published by Cell Press in the...
Brazil Aims to Prevent Land Grabs in Amazon
In a huge stretch of the Amazon, the state has been virtually nonexistent, giving way to a brazen culture of illegal land seizures, often at the tip of a gun...
The Body Electric
An inside look at Darpa, the secretive defense agency that’s changing the way we use machines — and the way they use us.
Bone control of glucose levels
Bone cells known as osteoblasts were recently shown to have a role in controlling the biochemical reactions that generate energy via secretion of the molecule osteocalcin. Researchers have now determined...
Certain genes boost chances for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution
Genes that don't themselves directly affect the inherited characteristics of an organism but leave them increasingly open to variation may be a significant driving force of evolution, say scientists.
Genomic toggle switches divide autoimmune diseases into distinct clusters
Genomic switches can predispose an individual to one set of autoimmune disorders but protect the same person against another set of them, scientists have found.
Sensitizing leukemic cells to death-inducing compounds
Recent research has indicated that in the process of generating energy, leukemic cells use a cellular pathway known as fatty acid oxidation, rather than pyruvate oxidation, as had been previously...
Edwin Krebs, 91, Is Dead; Discovered a Crucial Bodily Process
Dr. Krebs shared a Nobel Prize in 1992 for discovering a crucial bodily process that helps govern the movement of muscles, the shape and division of cells, and even learning...
Warming has already boosted insect breeding
Museum records, publications suggest extra generations at same time as temperature increases
Hot Water Treatment Eliminates Rhizoctonia from Azalea Cuttings
(PhysOrg.com) -- Rhizoctonia, a fungal disease that can be found in many ornamental plants, can be eliminated in azalea by placing plant cuttings in a hot water treatment, an Agricultural...
Cavity Causer Goes Under the Microscope
Sequence of bacterium's genome reveals why it is such a pain in the tooth [Read more]
Slideshow: Deep-sea Spiders Have a Snack
Robot submersible captures rare creatures in the act of devouring sea anemones [Read more]
Vitamin C Boosts the Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells
Soon after the exciting discovery of a method to transform human skin cells into stem cells in 2006 came the frustration of actually trying to make a sufficient amount of...
Citrus surprise: Vitamin C boosts the reprogramming of adult cells into stem cells
Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing...
Fight infection by disturbing how bacteria communicate
Researchers have clarified the structure of an enzyme that disturbs the communication processes between bacteria. By doing so they have laid the foundations for a new method of tackling bacterial...
Cora Pizza closed after dead rats spotted
Cora Pizza, a popular eatery near the University of Toronto, has been shut down after several dead rats and fresh rat droppings were found on the premises.