Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Historic equine reverse vasectomy reported
WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- U.S. veterinarians at the Smithsonian's National Zoo say they have performed the first reverse vasectomy on an endangered equine species.
Heritage Of A Deadly Disease Pinpointed With Help From Iceland's Genealogical Database
Scientists have used Iceland's genealogical database to trace the ancestors of patients suffering from hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy. Analysis shows that the deadly mutation in the cystatin C gene,...
New Discovery Proves 'Selfish Gene' Exists
A new discovery provides conclusive evidence that the "selfish" gene does exist. In studying genomes, the word "selfish" does not refer to self-centered behavior but rather to the blind tendency...
State Decides on New Plan to Stop Moth
Officials in California have abandoned a plan to spray pesticides over several densely populated areas in an effort to eradicate a voracious invasive species.
U.S. May Free Up More Land for Corn Crops
Midwest floods have washed out millions of acres of corn, and many are urging Washington to allow corn to be grown on protected land and to roll back requirements for...
Researchers: Blue whales adjusting songs
SAN DIEGO, June 21 (UPI) -- Blue whales, the largest animals on the planet, have begun adjusting their songs to one another as their population increases, U.S. researchers...
Fungal infection strikes Ohio trees
COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 21 (UPI) -- White oak and sycamore trees in Columbus, Ohio, are being ravaged by a fungal disease brought on by the wet spring, experts...
Report compares costs of animal disease outbreak
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The government acknowledged that an outbreak of one of the most contagious animal diseases from any of five locations being considered for a new high-security laboratory -...
Backyard gardens need good food-safety practices, too
The recent tomato contamination outbreak has many people thinking about growing their own garden-fresh fruits and vegetables. But a food-safety specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says it's...
How Measles Virus Spreads (in Its Host)
Measles, one of the most common contagious diseases, has been thought to enter the body through the surface of airways and lungs, like many other major viruses. Now, scientists say...
Biologists at a loss over weak salmon run
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 20 (UPI) -- What happened to the king salmon run in Alaska may be remain a mystery, but what's known for sure is a popular...
Scientist: Hybrid embryos produced quickly
NEWCASTLE, England, June 20 (UPI) -- British scientists say they have produced nearly 300 hybrid embryos since they began inserting human DNA into cow eggs in January.
Asian carp still not in Lake Michigan
CHICAGO, June 20 (UPI) -- Two invasive Asian carp species haven't traveled any closer to the susceptible Lake Michigan, an annual survey by several U.S. federal agencies indicates
National Zoo giant panda pregnancy update
Scientists at the Smithsonian's National Zoo detected a secondary rise in urinary progestin levels in the Zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang (may-SHONG) earlier this month. The results from the...
Proliferating cells foil microRNA control
MIT biologists have discovered that proliferating cells shift the output of their genes to evade regulation by microRNAs, tiny molecules that normally suppress tumor growth.
The Voodoo Wasp
Let's hope the Glyptapanteles wasp continues to find caterpillars tastier than humans — otherwise mankind might be in some trouble. As if laying 80 eggs inside of a caterpillar's body...
Could New Discovery About A Shape-shifting Protein Lead To A Mighty 'Morpheein' Bacteria Fighter?
A small molecule that locks an essential enzyme in an inactive form could one day form the basis of a new class of unbeatable, species-specific drugs, including antibiotics. PBGS, an...
A doorman in plant cells
Scientists at the University of Tübingen, Germany identified important signalling-protein for the stress-response of plant cells. The research group of Klaus Harter at the Centre for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP),...
Pioneer in field of molecular biology dies at 84
(AP) -- Gunther Stent, who helped pioneer the field of molecular biology as one of the first scientists to confirm the structure of DNA, has died. He was 84.
First Plant Disease Clinic to Aid Farmers Opened in Bangladesh
Farmers in Bangladesh battling outbreaks of leaf blight and insect pests are now getting expert help from Southeast Asia's first plant disease identification clinic, established by an American plant pathologist...
Greenpeace members arrested in theft of whale meat
(AP) -- Japanese police arrested two Greenpeace activists on Friday on suspicion of stealing about 50 pounds of whale meat that the environmentalists said had been illegally siphoned by...
Researchers track Lyme disease spirochetes
Microbiologists at the University of Calgary 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...
Researchers find an evolutionarily preserved signature in the primate brain
Researchers from Uppsala University, Karolinska Institute, and the University of Chicago, have determined that there are hundreds of biological differences between the sexes when it comes to gene expression in...
Gene-expression profiling of the effects of liver toxins
Gene-expression data from liver tissue or whole blood can be used to classify histopathologic differences in the effects of hepatotoxins. It is hoped that these findings, published in BioMed Central's...
Systems properties of insulin signaling revealed
A team of Swedish researchers has characterized novel systems properties of insulin signaling in human fat cells. Their mathematical modeling, described in an article published June 20th in...
Supercomputer explores biochemical landscape to find memory switches
Switches are a part of daily life, from snoozing your alarm, turning on the coffee maker, firing up your car engine, and so on until we turn off the lights...
PHOTOS: Top Ten New Species of 2007 Named
Hot-pink millipedes, "Michelin Man" plants, and lethal jellyfish are among the new surprising new species in a ranking by the International Institute for Species Exploration.
New photo 'op' for ovaries may solve some mysteries of infertility
What causes a woman's eggs to deteriorate in quality with age, and can that be reversed?How does the ovary choose an egg -- out of a stash of roughly one...