Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Old Growth Giants Limited By Water-pulling Ability
The Douglas-fir, state tree of Oregon, towering king of old-growth forests and one of the tallest tree species on Earth, finally stops growing taller because it just can't pull water...
Chili peppers' spice is a built-in pesticide
Study finds that the fruits developed their kick to ward off microbial invaders; the greater the danger, the more pungent the pepper. ...
Human iron test adapted for us in animals
NEW YORK, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Wildlife Conservation Society veterinarians say they have adapted a medical test to screen for elevated iron levels in marmosets and tamarins.
Tagged Elephant Seals Survey Antarctic Waters
Sensor-equipped elephant seals are effective alternatives to satellites and survey ships that can't study ice-covered Antarctic oceans during winter, a new study says.
Observatory: A Simple Test to Detect Nervous Tissue in Beef
Researchers are developing a test to check for the tissue that often carries the human variant of mad cow disease.
New Group Of Plant Hormones Discovered
Scientists have discovered a new group of plant hormones, the so-called strigolactones. This group of chemicals is known to be involved in the interaction between plants and their environment. They...
Bush Aims to Relax Endangered Species Rules
The White House's proposed revisions would cut out advice of government scientists in determining whether subdivisions, dams, highways, and other projects might harm endangered animals and plants.
Newly discovered molecular switch helps decide cell type in early embryo development
Researchers have discovered a central molecular switch in fruit fly embryos that opens new avenues for studying the causes of birth defects and cancer in humans. Writing about their study...
Scientists find elephant memories may hold key to survival
In a recent paper in The Royal Society's Biology Letters, conservationists with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological of London found that the oldest matriarch elephants may retain valuable...
New insight offered in holoprosencephaly
MEMPHIS, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. medical researchers have identified a molecular mechanism underlying the most common forebrain malformation called holoprosencephaly, or HPE.
Large Reservoir Of Mitochondrial DNA Mutations Identified In Humans
Clinical analysis of blood samples from almost 3,000 infants showed that at least 1 in 200 individuals in the general public harbor mitochondrial DNA mutations that may lead to disease.
Key To Treating Cancer May Be Finding Its Original Cell
Cancer biologists are turning their attention to the normal cells that give rise to cancers, to learn more about how tumor growth might be stopped at the earliest opportunity.
Alternate Pathway That Leads To Palate Development Identified
Researchers have uncovered another clue behind the causes of cleft palate and the process that leads to palate formation.
Neuroscientists Glimpse How The Brain Decides What To Believe
Research by neuroscientists suggests that the estimation of confidence that underlies decisions may be the product of a very basic kind of information processing in the brain, shared widely across...
Maelstrom Quashes Jumping Genes
Scientists have known for decades that genes called transposons can jump around the genome in a cell. This jumping can be dangerous, especially when it arises in cells that produce...
Chemical Warfare: Peppers Fight Fungus
Chiliheads who savor the kick of hot peppers are sampling one of the earliest examples of chemical warfare. In this case, it's a battle between the peppers and a type...
Hot chillis evolved to kill fungi
Study confirms spicy capsaicinoids defend fruit from microbes
Violence for animal rights hurts the goal
O ur cat Ernie killed a mouse the other night and I was terrified.
Yeast manufacture morphine precursor
Chemists mix and match enzymes in yeast to make painkillers and anti-cancer therapeutics
Resistant Prions: Can They Be Transmitted By Environment As Well As Direct Contact?
Prions, the pathogens that cause scrapie in sheep, can survive in the ground for several years, as researchers have discovered. Animals can become infected via contaminated pastures. It is not...
Sun and Skin: A Complex Relationship
Your sunscreen blocks UV rays. But those same light wavelengths make vitamin D, triggering beneficial immune system responses.
Egg P Bodies Protect Maternal Gene Messages
A cell decides what proteins to make based on the messages it receives from its genome. Sometimes messages are held back to be read later, and in most cell types...
Scientists Found Fatty Acids After Hydrolysis Of Purified Crude Oil Fractions
The nature, activity and metabolism of microbes that inhabit the deep subsurface environment are a matter of ongoing debate. Primarily limited by temperature , little is known about secondary factors...
Cooking and Cognition: How Humans Got So Smart
Brain metabolism, possibly stimulated by early cooking, may be the main factor behind our intelligence.
Opinion: Sowing feudalism
Genetically engineered crops now being grown represent a massive uncontrolled experiment whose outcome is inherently unpredictable, argues Evaggelos Vallianatos.
Cell change 'keeps organs young'
Researchers may have found a way to halt the biological clock which slows down our bodies over the decades.
Visuals: The Gang of Four at the Gateway of Life
How does an egg cell divide and direct its progeny to turn into each of the many types of cell needed by the adult?
Obesity genes revealed
A study of 228 women has revealed genetic variants responsible for body shape. Based on work in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, research published today in the open access journal...