Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Human Mobility Is Not Random, Physicist Discovers
Physicist have found that humans can be characterized based on how they move. By following individuals in real-time they discovered that despite the diversity of their travel history, humans follow...
How Cell's Master Transcribing Machine Achieves Near Perfection
One of the most critical processes in biology is the transcription of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA), which provides the blueprint for the proteins that form the...
Manipulation Of Molecule Protects Intestinal Cells From Radiation
A new study identifies a signaling molecule that plays a major role in radiation-induced intestinal damage. The research may lead to new strategies for protecting normal tissues from radiation during...
Plastic Brain Outsmarts Experts: Training Can Increase Fluid Intelligence, Once Thought To Be Fixed At Birth
Can human beings rev up their intelligence quotients, or are they stuck with IQs set by their genes at birth? Until recently, nature seemed to be the clear winner over...
Molecular 'Ratcheting' Of Single Ribosome Molecules Observed In Act Of Building Proteins
Researchers have reported that they are the first to observe the dynamic, ratchet-like movements of single ribosomal molecules in the act of building proteins from genetic blueprints. The study reveals...
New Mouse Model Mimics Hyperglycemia, Aids In Diabetes Research
Researchers have genetically engineered a laboratory mouse in which pancreatic beta cells can regenerate after being induced to die. The new animal model's regenerative ability may provide future insights into...
New Way To Think About Earth's First Cells
A team of researchers have modeled in the laboratory a primitive cell, or protocell, that is capable of building, copying and containing DNA. Since there are no physical records of...
Otters reveal their identity
Genetic analyses of the feces could prove to be a promising approach when investigating otter populations, as researchers have written in the scientific journal Conservation Genetics. Researchers of the Helmholtz...
Brucella abortus S19 genome sequenced; points toward virulence genes
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and the National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, and collaborators at 454 Life Sciences of Branford, Conn., have sequenced the...
Is EBay Doing Enough to Stop Illegal Ivory Sales on its Site? [News]
An animal welfare group charges that eBay sales of ivory are brisker than ever a year after the online marketplace promised to restrict the sale of products made from animal...
Public strongly against cloned animal meat, study reveals
First research into the subject shows strong concerns about safety, ethics and animal welfare
Stem Cells Stop Mouse Shivers Cold, Could Thwart Rare, Neurological Disorders [News]
Researchers from the University of Rochester (U.R.) Medical Center say they cured some lab mice suffering from a nervous disorder (that causes tremors, seizures and premature death) with a single...
Scientists learn how neural networks form
COLD SPRINGS HARBOR, N.Y., June 5 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've discovered non-signaling brain cells known as glia direct the growth of nerve fibers and their connections...
Brain chemical helps us tolerate foul play
Serotonin allows us to keep our cool when faced with life's unfairness.
Faculty Expert Available to Discuss Oyster Population and Introduction of Non-Native Species
Martin Posey, marine biologist at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, is among a handful of scientists working to restore the North Carolina native oyster population, estimated to be 5-10...
NY considers creating 'organ-removal' ambulance
NEW YORK (AP) -- Saving the living has always been the No. 1 priority for a New York City ambulance crew. But a select group of paramedics may soon have...
A glass apart
British scientists are developing a new type of glass that can dissolve and release calcium into the body. This will enable patients to regrow bones and could signal a move...
Zebrafish enable scientists to study the migration of neurons that enable sexual maturity
Scientists are watching a small group of neurons that enable sexual maturity and fertility make a critical journey: from where they form, near the developing nose, to deep inside the...
Sweet nothings: Artificial vesicles and bacterial cells communicate by way of sugar components
For an organism to develop and function, the individual cells must exchange information, or communicate, with each other. Is it possible to learn their language and “talk to” the cells?
Bacteria May Unlock Mysteries of Human Body
A bacterium could hold the keys to alternative energy, toxics cleanup and how our bodies work.
Discovery Of New Family Of Genetic Mutations Involved In Inflammatory Intestinal Disease
The discovery of new genetic mutations involved in inflammatory intestinal disorders could lead to a better understanding of these common conditions.
Public Funding Impacts Progress Of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Bolstered by supportive policies and public research dollars, the United Kingdom, Israel, China, Singapore and Australia are producing unusually large shares of human embryonic stem cell research, while states like...
Cuttlefish spot target prey early
Cuttlefish recognise prey before they have hatched, the first known embryos to spot potential prey.
Enzyme plays key role in cell fate
The road to death or differentiation follows a similar course in embryonic stem cells, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online today...
Simple membranes could have allowed nutrients to pass into primitive cells
When the first cells developed, how could they bring molecules from the environment into their living interior without the specialized structures found on the modern cell membrane? A research...
Phone study confirms people are creatures of habit
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers who spied on 100,000 people using their cell phone signals confirmed on Wednesday that most human beings are indeed creatures of habit.
Plant Scientists Develop New Cell-Sorting Technique
A new cell-sorting technique developed by University of Arizona plant scientists has the potential to enhance our understanding of how cells of all types work - or, in the...
Key heart health protein found using frogs
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Scientists in Japan have identified a protein that appears to help develop a healthy heart, according to initial studies done on frogs.