Latest science news in Biology & Nature
A viral cloaking device
Viruses achieve their definition of success when they can thrive without killing their host. Now, biologists Pamela Bjorkman and Zhiru Yang of the California Institute of Technology have uncovered how...
Natural Selection May Not Produce The Best Organisms
"Survival of the fittest" is the catch phrase of evolution by natural selection. While natural selection favors the most fit organisms around, evolutionary biologists have long wondered whether this leads...
Shifting species as fast as climate
Moving species may be the only way to save some plants and animals from the impacts of climate change on their habitats, according to a group of researchers.
From humming fish to Puccini: Vocal communication evolved with ancient species
It's a long way from the dull hums of the amorous midshipman fish to the strains of a Puccini aria – or, alas, even to the simplest Celine Dion melody....
Saving the wild orchids of Borneo
Borneo (Kalimantan) is the third largest island in the world. It is rich with a variety of indigenous orchid species that grow in the forests. Borneo's rain forests are also...
Discovery Of A New Signaling Mechanism May Lead To Novel Anti-inflammatory Therapy
A new signaling mechanism used to activate protein kinases that are critical for the body's inflammatory response has been discovered.
Standards In Stem Cell Research
Standards in stem cell research help both scientists and regulators to manage uncertainty and the unknown, according to new research. Efforts to standardize practices across different labs is, however, a...
Breastfeeding trust hormone clue
Scientists have for the first time shown how a "trust" hormone is released in the brains of breastfeeding mothers.
Tiny bug threatens California citrus industry
(AP) -- Border agents have stepped up searches and hundreds of traps have been placed on the California-Mexico line in an aggressive campaign to stop a tiny bug from...
Researchers explore the genetic basis of social behavior in ants
Understanding how interactions between genes and the environment influence social behavior is a fundamental research goal. In a new study, researchers at the University of Lausanne and the University of...
Veterinarian saves shark that swallowed hook
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A veterinarian in Australia plunged his arm up to his shoulder into the throat of a rare shark to save the animal...
Distribution Of A Species Of Butterfly Predicted Using Geometric Variables
Biologists have recently explored the distribution of the butterfly Iolana iolas, one of the endangered species in the Madrid region whose population dynamics are determined by its host plant. The...
VIDEO: Red Tide Kills Mexico Fish
Dead and dying fish have become a common sight in Yucatán waters, killed off by a rare but naturally occurring algal bloom known as red tide.
Human Fats: A Link Between Leprosy And Atherosclerosis?
Leprosy is caused by the microbe Mycobacterium leprae, which lives inside cells and survives by both evading the immune system and using human fat molecules (lipids) to promote its growth...
Humming Fish Reveal Ancient Origin of Vocalization
Humans, birds, and other land animals share a brain circuit for vocalizing with toadfish, suggesting that the mechanism first appeared in animals 400 million years ago, a new study says.
1998: Syphilis Genome Sequenced; 2008: Syphilis on the Rise [News]
A decade ago, this week, scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Institute for Genomic Research announced they had decoded the genetic information inside...
Distribution Of Creatures Great And Small Can Be Predicted Mathematically
In studying how animals change size as they evolve, biologists have unearthed several interesting patterns. For instance, most species are small, but the largest members of a taxonomic group --...
Calif condors' animal instinct takes over in fire
(AP) -- As wildfire whipped toward a remote sanctuary of the endangered California condor last month, the rare birds got their biggest test in survival after years of pampering...
New videogame heroine moves like a model, kills with her hair
A curvy new heroine that walks like a runway model but has ankle pistols and deadly hair is getting ready to make her mark in a videogame world packed with...
Singing For Sex: Even Ugly Fish Do It
Many animals communicate vocally - birds chirp, frogs thrum, whales whistle - and comparing the nerve networks in a variety of vertebrates suggests that making sounds originated in ancient fishes,...
Spider to be named for Stephen Colbert
Talk show host Stephen Colbert has a big decision to make: Which spider should bear his name?
Researchers report toadfish sing to attract mates
(AP) -- It's not exactly Tony serenading Maria in "West Side Story," but for all their homeliness toadfish also sing to attract mates. OK, singing may be a stretch;...
Glimpses Of Earliest Forms Of Life On Earth: Remnant Of Ancient 'RNA World' Discovered
Some bacterial cells can swim, morph into new forms and even become dangerously virulent -- all without initial involvement of DNA. Researchers describe how bacteria accomplish this amazing feat in...
Reclaimed Wastewater Benefits Florida's Citrus Orchards
The Sunshine State has seen rapid growth in population during the last 50 years. Naturally, along with population increases, environmental concerns about pollution of surface waters by treated wastewater have...
Why ionic liquids might make you ill
Infrared study suggests link between ionic liquid accumulation rate and toxicity
Humans may sense light through skin
Proteins in human tissue outside the eye found to respond to light
Raman reveals DNA in action
Signal-boosting silver nanoparticles help Raman to ‘see’ strands of DNA hybridising
Bird flu vaccine shows promise
SEATTLE, July 17 (UPI) -- A California company says its early-stage testing of a new bird-flu vaccine for humans looks promising.