Latest science news in Biology & Nature
For The Birds Or For Me? Why Do Conservationists Really Help Wildlife?
Volunteers who take part in conservation efforts may do it more for themselves than the wildlife they are trying to protect.
Rabies from bats suspected in Venezuela deaths
(AP) -- At least 38 Warao Indians have died in remote villages in Venezuela, and medical experts suspect an outbreak of rabies spread by bites from vampire bats.
Putting MicroRNAs On The Stem Cell Map
Short snippets of RNA called microRNAs help to keep embryonic stem cells in their stem cell state. Researchers now have discovered the gene circuitry that controls microRNAs in embryonic stem...
Study examines bluetongue spread
Scientists look at how bluetongue is spread by studying the movements and biting habits of midges that transmit the virus.
32 research monkeys die in accident at Nevada lab
(AP) -- Thirty-two research monkeys at a Nevada laboratory died because human errors made the room too hot, officials for the drug company that runs the lab said Thursday....
Researchers Halt Spread Of HIV With RNAi In Animal Model
Using a novel method to deliver small molecules called siRNAs into T cells, researchers dramatically suppressed HIV in the first-ever animal model that mirrors progression of the disease in humans....
Gene For Sexual Switching In Melons Provides Clues To Evolution Of Sex
A newly discovered function for a hormone in melons suggests it plays a role in how sexual systems evolve in plants. The finding offers new insights into the molecular basis...
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
Cassini to again inspect Enceladus ... Researchers halt spread of HIV with RNA … Jupiter, Saturn: Filled with liquid alloy? … End of transplant drugs may be near ... Health/Science...
First complete Neanderthal genome sequenced
Full nuclear sequence, offering clues about our relatives' demise, expected within months.
B cells can act alone in autoimmune disease
B cells, the source of damaging autoantibodies, have long been thought to depend upon T cells for their activation and were not considered important in the initiation of autoimmune diseases...
Pheromones enhance sex, slow aging -- in worms
(PhysOrg.com) -- People will pay big bucks for pills that promise to enhance sex or slow aging. Now, a Cornell researcher and colleagues have uncovered a class of small molecules...
Tree rings used in African drought study
TUCSON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led study has used tree rings to investigate human-induced climate change that's projected to cause drier conditions in the mid-latitudes.
Anything but modest: The mouse continues to contribute to humankind
"Big things come in small packages," the saying goes, and it couldn't be more true when discussing the mouse. This little creature has become a crucial part of human...
Belgian Prince New Warden of Troubled Gorilla Park
The Congolese government announced yesterday it has appointed Emmanuel de Merode to run Virunga National Park—the site of last year's brutal gorilla killings and a recent deadly attack on conservation...
The Cold Catches a Cold
Sputnik, satellite virus, in green: Photo by NatureHave you lied in bed, aching from fever and coughing, wishing that awful flu virus could get a taste of its own...
Giant smelly flower puts on sex show in Belgium
MEISE, Belgium (Reuters) - It's one of the world's largest flowers, it stinks of rotting meat or rancid cheese and looks very much like a giant penis.
Cause of post-partum blues may be identified
Unique biochemical crosstalk that enables a fetus to get nutrition and oxygen from its mother's blood just may cause common postpartum blues, researchers say. read more
Skin cells produce library of diseased stem cells
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. stem cell experts have produced a library of the powerful cells using ordinary skin and bone marrow cells from patients, and said on Thursday they would...
Veterinarians adapt human tests for monkeys
A medical test developed to detect an overload of iron in humans has recently been adapted to screen for the condition in some distant relatives: diminutive monkeys from South America,...
Potato Blight Resistant Potatoes Coming Soon
Scientists have developed a method to more quickly identify and isolate genes that can be used to make potatoes resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the dreaded potato blight. With this method,...
Structural biology spin-out tackles major diseases
A spin out company from basic structural biology, Asterion Ltd., has led to new technology that provides a way of creating therapeutic proteins to tackle major diseases such as cancer,...
Nine To Twenty Individual Fire Ant Queens Started U.S. Fire Ant Population
The current U.S. population of red imported fire ants--which infest millions of acres across the southern states -- can be traced back to nine to 20 queens in Mobile, Alabama.
Red Flour Beetle's 'Selfish' Gene Sequenced
Tracking the red flour beetle in grain storage facilities could become easier, thanks to research to identify a key gene in this grain-feeding pest.
DNA Markers And Economically Significant Traits In Cattle Can Be Found With New Tool
Scientists are using a new tool to find relationships between DNA markers and economically significant traits in cattle.
Cuttlefish Change Color, Shape-Shift to Elude Predators
For the first time, researchers clearly document cuttlefish using complex color camouflage to elude predators at night.
Recipes for Health: Clear Summer Borscht
A glistening, lemony summer borscht that is infused with garlic and is utterly refreshing, even thirst-quenching.
Vulnerable to H.I.V., Resistant to Labels
In Mexico and other parts of Latin America, stigma surrounding homosexuality increases the challenges that AIDS experts say they face in combating the disease.
Blocking HIV Multiplication: Structure Elucidation Of 'Kissing Complex'
Scientists have used innovative techniques to elucidate the specific recognition mechanisms between AIDS virus RNA and a synthetic RNA. These results should provide a basis for the development of new...