Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Database Shows Effects Of Acid Rain On Microorganisms In Adirondack Lakes
Researchers have long known that acid rain can severely decrease the diversity of plant and animal communities in fresh water lakes and ponds. However, little is known about how microscopic...
Baby crocodiles communicate from egg
ST. ETIENNE, France, June 25 (UPI) -- French scientists say they've discovered for the first time baby crocodiles communicate with each other and their mother while they are...
Frogs found whose toes morph into claws
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 25 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have found 11 African frog species whose toes can morph into claws -- the only vertebrate claws known to pierce...
Newly Identified Role For 'Power Plants' In Human Cells Could Lead To Targeted Therapies
Scientists have determined that human cells are able to shift important gene products into their own mitochondria, considered the power plants of cells. The finding could eventually lead to therapies...
Exploited Fish Make Rapid Comeback In World's Largest No-take Marine Reserve Network
No-take marine reserves, in which fishing is completely banned, can lead to very rapid comebacks of the fish species most prized by commercial and recreational fisheries, reveals a new study...
Crucial Factors In Lymphoma Development And Survival Discovered
Researchers have discovered an important factor in the development of B-cell lymphomas, one of the fastest growing forms of cancer. The B-cell receptor on the surface of B cells can...
To Find Out What's Eating Bats, Biologist Takes To Barn Rooftops
Bloodsucking pests like bat fleas and bat flies may not sound very appealing to the rest of us, but to many biologists they are considered among the most successful creatures...
Viruses hitch a ride in the cell
Viruses can travel around cells they infect by hitching a ride on a microscopic transport system, according to new research. Cells are exposed to foreign DNA and RNA and it...
Single Insecticide Application Can Kill Three Cockroach Generations
One dose of an insecticide can kill three generations of cockroaches as they feed off of each other and transfer the poison, according to entomologists who tested the effectiveness of...
Bacteria could be coral's killer
Researchers have found the first clues that the mysterious coral disease devastating reefs around the world could be caused by bacteria.
Panic therapy works as well online
According to a recent study, online therapy - exchanging emails with a psychologist - can work as well as face-to-face therapy for people with panic disorders.
DNA pioneers to get new £197m lab
A pioneering research organisation that has produced 13 Nobel Prize winners gets the go-ahead for a new £197m lab.
Japan blamed on Africa fish fall
A coalition of conservation groups and a leading fisheries scientist have accused Japan of damaging the fisheries interests of poorer countries.
Brazil launches two varieties of GM soya
The Brazilian company Embrapa has developed two varieties of soybeans resistant to pests and extreme weather conditions.
Sun-loving frogs aid fungus fight
Sunbathing tree frogs may hold the key to understanding how a deadly fungus is wiping out amphibians around the world.
Pigs prefer 3 square meals a day
Pigs raised in conventional indoor pens have different feeding patterns from those raised under more natural conditions. Research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica shows...
Some searchers still expect to see rare woodpecker
(AP) -- For the last three years, researchers in camouflage and waders have slogged through the east Arkansas woods hoping to spot a rare bird that so far seems...
Agent Orange scientist Arthur Galston dies
HAMDEN, Conn., June 24 (UPI) -- U.S. plant biologist Arthur W. Galston, whose research led to the development of Agent Orange, has died. He was 88.
Lyme Disease Spirochetes Tracked in 3D
Microbiologists have demonstrated the first direct visualization of the dissemination of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. This real-time, three-dimensional look at spirochete dissemination in a living mammalian...
Evolutionarily Preserved Signature Found In The Primate Brain
Researchers have determined that there are hundreds of biological differences between the sexes when it comes to gene expression in the cerebral cortex of humans and other primates. These findings...
DNA will help manage worms
Scientists have found DNA markers to use in a test that will drastically improve management of a major threat to Australian sheep.
World checklist of bees is compiled
WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led international team of scientists says it's identified nearly 19,500 bee species worldwide, which is about 2,000 more than previously estimated.
Life on the edge: To disperse, or become extinct?
Plants at range limits produce seeds with larger wings, Dr. Eckert discovered. The hardiest plants and those most likely to survive the climatic shifts brought about by global warming are...
Gene silencer and quantum dots reduce protein production to a whisper
More than 15 years ago scientists discovered a way to stop a particular gene in its tracks. The Nobel Prize-winning finding holds tantalizing promise for medical science, but so far...
Salmonella can ride water into tomatoes
(AP) -- Pick a tomato in the blazing sun and plunge it straight into cold water. If that happened on the way to market, it might be contaminated. Too...
Green Insect Repellents Come Up Short
There are natural insect repellents - citronella, lemongrass and rosemary, among them - but when it comes to effectiveness, at least for personal use, the chemical compound DEET is the...
Animal vertebrae development studied
KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 23 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they have discovered the mechanism that causes animals to develop varying numbers of vertebrae.
Primate's scent speaks volumes about who he is
Perhaps judging a man by his cologne isn't as superficial as it seems.Duke University researchers, using sophisticated machinery to analyze hundreds of chemical components in a ringtailed lemur's distinctive scent,...