Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Julian Baggini: Is an iPod part of your mind?
Julian Baggini: Is an iPod part of your mind? The question is not as daft as it may sound
Fruit-fly Study Adds Weight To Theories About Another Type Of Adult Stem Cell
Researchers have found that mature, specialized cells naturally regress to serve as a kind of de facto stem cell during the fruit-fly life cycle.
Like Eavesdropping At A Party: How A Tiny Protein Senses All The Communications In A Cell
Cells rely on calcium as a universal means of communication. For example, a sudden rush of calcium can trigger nerve cells to convey thoughts in the brain or cause a...
How Some Bacteria May Steal Iron From Their Human Hosts
While humans obtain iron primarily through the food they eat, bacteria have evolved complex and diverse mechanisms to allow them access to iron. Scientists have discovered that some bacteria are...
In Lean Times, Flies Can't Survive Without Their Sense Of Smell
Working with fruit flies reared under laboratory conditions, researchers show that in times of plenty, the sense of smell is irrelevant for survival. But when food is scarce, a well...
Researchers Discover Dual-Use Sexual Attraction and Population-Control Chemicals in Nematodes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Organisms ranging from humans to plants to the lowliest bacterium use molecules to communicate. Some chemicals trigger the various stages of an organism's development, and still others are...
Male Fish Deceive Rivals About Their Top Mate Choice
When competitors are around, male Atlantic mollies try to hide their top mate choice, reveals a new study. They feign disinterest in females after onlookers enter the scene. What's more,...
Ivory Poaching At Critical Levels: Elephants On Path To Extinction By 2020?
African elephants are being slaughtered for their ivory at a pace unseen since an international ban on the ivory trade took effect in 1989, but a conservation biologist believes there...
Stem Cell Technology: First Neurons Created From ALS Patient's Skin Cells
Harvard and Columbia scientists have for the first time used a new technique to transform an ALS patient's skin cells into motor neurons, a process that may be used in...
Kiwi Fruit DNA Sequences Released
Scientists have released the world's most extensive collection of kiwi fruit DNA sequences. The release comprises over 130,000 kiwi fruit gene sequences from active genes in the plant; genes that...
Compounds From Soy Affect Brain And Reproductive Development
Two hormone-like compounds linked to the consumption of soy-based foods can cause irreversible changes in the structure of the brain, resulting in early-onset puberty and symptoms of advanced menopause, according...
Olives protected from frost
A natural product used on other crops was successful when it was recently trialled in New Zealand as a spray to reduce the significant damage frost causes to olives.
Neurons created from skin cells of elderly ALS patients
Less than 27 months after announcing that he had institutional permission to attempt the creation of patient and disease-specific stem cell lines, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Principal Faculty member...
Drugs turn 'couch potato' mice into long-distance runners
Scientists concerned about use of the drugs in athletics.
On-chip sequential cell treatment
Cells can be subjected to different chemical treatments in a continuous sequence using a chip designed by US scientists
Boron implicated in the emergence of life
Was borate responsible for stabilising the DNA sugar ribose in the deep oceans?
Droplet traps for worms on chip
Watching how worms behave in droplets is the basis for a new assay that could find use in high-throughput drug screening
Shining a light on molecular muscles
Australian researchers have developed a novel molecular muscle driven by light
A metal trap to stop Alzheimer’s
Promising drug halts a metal-mediated chemical reaction in the brain
New Manta Ray Species Discovered, Expert Says
The gigantic manta ray is actually two distinct species with different behaviors and habitats, new research shows.
Ottawa scientists seek insect ally against 'dog-strangling vine'
A researcher at Carleton University in Ottawa is looking hard for an insect that could potentially control a destructive European weed invading the Ottawa area.
Exercise in a pill? Researchers find two
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers who genetically engineered "marathon mice" that could run for hours have found two pills that can mimic the effects -- and they have already developed a...
Jellyfish Invasion Bothering Beachgoers
The stinging creatures are showing up on the sand and in the water in unusually high numbers, reports Susan Koeppen.
ANIMAL PHOTOS WEEKLY: Bubble-Blowing Beluga, More
A baby panda parades its pinkness, a whale learns a new trick, and more in our new weekly gallery of animal news photos.
Golden retriever adopts tiger cubs
A dog at a southeast Kansas zoo has adopted three tiger cubs abandoned by their mother.
Feature: Great wall of fungus comes tumbling down
A biochemist has demonstrated that a protein from ornamental tobacco is able to break through cell walls and kill a fungal cell that causes major disease and crop losses in...
Cilantro recalled for possible salmonella contamination
Canada's food watchdog is recalling cilantro grown in California because it may be tainted with salmonella.
Live fish caught at record depth
Scientists capture deep-sea fish at 2,300m and pull them to the surface alive in a special container.