Male songbirds' sly tricks can get them girls

Males songbirds that cannot compete at singing one song will switch to another to try and trick females. The females comparison-shop for mates just as cell phone customers compare plans,...

Bone Cells Found to Influence Blood Stem Cell Replication and Migration

Using a novel investigatory technique, researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have established that osteoblasts, cells responsible for bone formation, are also directly involved in the proliferation and expansion of...

Molecular Scaffold That Guides Connections Between Brain Cells Discovered

Brain cells known as neurons process information by joining into complex networks, transmitting signals to each other across junctions called synapses. But "neurons don't just connect to other neurons," emphasizes...

Japan to probe whale meat 'theft'

Investigations begin into claims that meat from Japan's whaling programme is being stolen with official knowledge.

Scientists Characterize Protein Structure Of Environmentally Friendly Bacteria

Scientists have determined the structure of a key protein domain in a bacterium that could help with bioremediation of uranium-contaminated land sites.

Cause of lupus may be genetic 'editing'

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 21 (UPI) -- U.S. scientist say they've found evidence that the abnormal "editing" of gene messages in a type of white blood cell might be...

Modified protein might help hemophiliacs

HOUSTON, May 21 (UPI) -- U.S. pathologists say they've created a chemically modified protein that might help people suffering hemophilia -- a hard-to-treat genetic bleeding disorder.

Improved Gene Therapy Agent Is 30 Times More Efficient Than Current One

Geneticists have developed a new version of the adeno-associated virus gene transfer vector. With just a small molecular change, AAV works about 30 times more efficiently at transferring genes in...

Video: Panda Cubs Rescued After Quake

Seen in cell-phone camera footage, handlers at the Wolong National Nature Reserve in China evacuated more than a dozen panda cubs just after the massive May 12 earthquake.

Some biofuel crops could become invasive species: experts

Countries thinking of joining the rush for biofuels run the risk of planting invasive plant species that could wreak environmental and economic havoc, biologists warned on Tuesday.

Scientists receive unexpected help in whale recovery

Researchers from the University of British Columbia working to unearth a blue whale on P.E.I. received some surprise assistance on the weekend.

Plant flavonoid found to reduce inflammatory response in the brain

Researchers at the University of Illinois report this week that a plant compound found in abundance in celery and green peppers can disrupt a key component of the inflammatory response...

Artificial Bladders Pass More Early Tests

A company called Tengion announced recently that its full-size, neo-bladder replacements performed well in large animal models. Tengion's technology - the commercialized version of the work of Anthony Atala -...

Extinct tiger gene resurrected in a mouse

Giant kangaroo gives clues on climate

Scientists 'Paint' Viruses To Track Their Fate In The Body

Here's a new twist on the relationship between biology and art. Researchers describe how they were able to coat--or paint--viruses with proteins. This breakthrough should boost the efficiency of some...

A New Target To Fight Sleeping Sickness

Sleeping sickness affects more than 50,000 people around the world, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is caused by the Trypanosoma parasite, which is transmitted by the tsetse fly. A team...

Beyond the Male "Pill"

Last January, an Australian engineer announced a bizarre new contraceptive for men: a radio-controlled implant that could block the flow of sperm with the click of a button. The device,...

'Mind-Blowing' New Creature Discovered

Mysterious sea creatures grow into simple slug-like cell masses. These are no sea monkeys.

New Meaning For The Term 'Computer Bug': Genetically Altered Bacteria For Data Storage

Researchers have created 'living computers' by genetically altering bacteria. The research demonstrates that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications including data storage...

Clue To Mystery Crustacean In Parasite Form

First identified in 1899, y-larvae have been one of the greatest zoological mysteries for over a century. No one has ever found an adult of these puzzling crustaceans, despite the...

Researchers find smallpox drug may also target adenovirus

Scientists at Saint Louis University have made two key discoveries that could lead to the first-ever human testing of a drug to target the adenovirus, which causes a number of...

Those with rare diseases offered a chance for free treatment

(AP) -- They're the cold cases of medicine, patients with diseases so rare and mysterious that they've eluded diagnosis for years.

Gaming 'not green enough'

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are not producing 'green' enough consoles, says Greenpeace.

Observatory: Telltale DNA Bits Give Away Presence of Secretive Invaders

Some animals are so secretive that finding them, to determine how far they have spread, is nearly impossible.

Beetle juice inspires innovations

A beetle’s chemical warfare against marauding ants, birds and frogs has provided the inspiration for a European effort to design more efficient fire extinguishers, reliable pharmaceutical sprays and fuel-injection engines.

3-D Model of Chili Pepper Heat Receptor Generated

You can now not only feel the spicy kick of a jalapeno pepper, you can also see it in full 3D, thanks to researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in...

DNA clues to reproductive behaviour

A species of wild yeast goes through a cycle of sexual reproduction once in every 1,000 asexual generations, according to new research by Imperial biologists published in the PNAS journal...