Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Wild Orangutans Declining More Sharply In Sumatra And Borneo Than Thought
Endangered wild orangutan populations are declining more sharply in Sumatra and Borneo than previously estimated, according to new findings. Although other threats to orangutan survival exist, such as hunting in...
Rabbits, Mice And Prickly Shrubs Help Establish Natural Diversity
Small mammals, such as rabbits and mice, play a major role in the development of natural diversity. Biologists researched how scrub becomes established in natural grassland. It seems that prickly...
Statins Have Unexpected Effect On Pool Of Powerful Brain Cells
Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins have a profound effect on an elite group of cells known as glial progenitor cells that are important to brain health as we age, scientists...
Researchers identify tumor suppressor that manages cellular cleaning and recycling proceses
Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a specific tumor suppressor that manages membrane traffic routes for cellular cleaning and recycling.
New mate for lonely elephant beetle after banana boat ride
A worldwide search uncovers a mate for a lonely giant elephant beetle which arrived in Britain in a banana load.
Arms embargo hurts Ivorian fishing
Ivory Coast calls on the UN to lift an arms embargo that hampers its efforts to tackle illegal fishing.
Cold sore virus secret revealed
The secret of how the cold sore virus persists for a lifetime in the body may have been cracked by US scientists.
Mass. lobstermen promote practices as whale safe
(AP) -- New green rubber bands that will bind the claws of Massachusetts lobsters beginning this weekend won't save the lobsters from the dinner table. But they signify a...
Instances of mass die-offs in wild lions precipitated by extreme climate change
An international research team has published the first clear example of how climate extremes can create conditions in which diseases that are normally tolerated singly may converge and bring about...
Interview: Model membranes
Patricia Bassereau tells Michael Brown about the importance of the membrane in cellular functions
Texas A&M researchers develop tool to study complex clusters of genes
Two Texas A&M University researchers have developed a computational tool that will help scientists more accurately study complex units of clustered genes, called operons, in bacteria. The tool, which allows...
Tigers disappear from Himalayan refuge
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is alarmed by the dramatic decline of at least 30 percent in the Bengal tiger population of Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve in Nepal, once a refuge that...
Gene directs stem cells to build the heart
Researchers have shown that they can put mouse embryonic stem cells to work building the heart, potentially moving medical science a significant step closer to a new generation of heart...
Biodiversity: Some species could be wiped out 100 times faster than feared, say researchers
Ecologists say methods previously used to predict extinctions did not take into account gender proportion of species
Migrating Birds Understand "Local Languages"
Birds can extract detailed information from antipredator calls made by other bird species they encounter during their migrations, scientists say.
Synthetic molecules emulate enzyme behavior for the first time
When chemists want to produce a lot of a substance -- such as a newly designed drug -- they often turn to catalysts, molecules that speed chemical reactions. Many jobs...
Search for salt tolerant grasses aims to improve roadside plantings
Standing in a greenhouse at the University of Rhode Island, Rebecca Brown was smiling even though it appeared that something had gone terribly wrong. Almost all of the 16...
Species extinction threat underestimated due to math glitch, says CU-Boulder study
Extinction risks for natural populations of endangered species are likely being underestimated by as much as 100-fold because of a mathematical "misdiagnosis," according to a new study led by a...
Get smart about what you eat and you might actually improve your intelligence
New research findings published online in The FASEB Journal provide more evidence that if we get smart about what we eat, our intelligence can improve. According to MIT scientists, dietary...
Worms Do Calculus To Find Meals Or Avoid Unpleasantness
Thanks to salt and hot chili peppers, researchers have found a calculus-computing center that tells a roundworm to go forward toward dinner or turn to broaden the search. It's a...
Human evolution: Details of being human
A difference in one molecule led physician Ajit Varki to question what sets humans apart from other apes. Bruce Lieberman meets a man who sees a big picture in the...
Undergraduates Forge New Area Of Bioinformatics
A group of undergraduate students have forged a new area of bioinformatics that may improve genomic and proteomic annotations and unlock a collection of stubborn biological mysteries. Their work will...
Green tea protects against heart disease
LONDON (Reuters) - A few cups of green tea each day may help prevent heart disease, Greek researchers said on Wednesday.
Rare shark's genome mapped
Australian scientists have mapped the genome of a threatened shark genus, findings that will hopefully help ensure its survival.
Warming threatens 'living fossils'
Global warming could ensure the extinction of a prehistoric reptile, the threatened tuatara, by causing them to produce only male offspring, research has found.
Brain's "Core" Revealed by First Hi-Res Wiring Map
A dense and highly interconnected structure inside the human brain seems to play a vital role in communication within and between the hemispheres, a new study says.
Scientists work to determine species of beached whale
Scientists are expected to begin the examination of a 15-metre beached whale near Rockport, N.B., on Chignecto Bay, on Wednesday.
Salmonella probe adds foods served with tomatoes
(AP) -- Adding to tomato confusion, the government is about to start testing numerous other types of fresh produce in the hunt for the source of the nation's record...