Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Discovery reported in fight against TB
AMES, Iowa, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A team of U.S. scientists has identified a way of possibly neutralizing an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural...
Special Brain Wave Boost Slows Motion
Researchers have found that they can make people move in slow motion by boosting one type of brain wave. The findings offer some of the first proof that brain waves...
Protein That Enhances Long-term Memory By Controlling Rest Intervals Identified
Repeated learning sessions produce long-lasting memory when they are spaced out between rest intervals. Neuroscientists have discovered that this so-called "spacing effect" is controlled in the brain by a molecular...
Scientists track green turtle`s 900km migration
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Exeter scientists are part of the first team to monitor a sea turtle's journey from the Turks and Caicos Islands. The adult female green turtle, named...
Top predator loss causes major disruption
CORVALLIS, Ore., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The global decline of apex predators, such as wolves, lions and sharks, has led to a destructive surge in smaller mesopredators, scientists in...
Native grasses as biofuel aids wildlife
HOUGHTON, Mich., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Using prairie plants to produce bio-energy would help bird populations threatened by the conversion of grasslands to corn, scientists in Michigan said.
Cord cells alternative to embryonic cells
LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Blood cells from umbilical cords could be banked worldwide to serve as an alternative to embryonic stem cells, scientists in California said.
Scientists Decipher Missing Piece Of First-responder DNA Repair Machine
Scientists have uncovered the role played by the least-understood part of a first-responder molecule that rushes in to bind and repair breaks in DNA strands, a process that helps people...
Killer Bees May Increase Food Supplies For Native Bees
A long-term study of Africanized bee invasion of Mexico's Yucatan shows that "killer bees" may actually increase food resources for native bees.
'Anti-Atkins' Low Protein Diet Extends Lifespan In Flies
A new study provides details of a causal relationship between diet and mitochondrial function. It also provides the first genome-wide study of how proteins are translated under dietary restriction in...
Retinal Rescue: Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Reverse Retinal Degeneration
A new study reports that transplanted pigment-containing visual cells derived from human embryonic stem cells successfully preserved structure and function of the specialized light-sensitive lining of the eye (known as...
Control of mosquito vectors of malaria may be enhanced by a new method of biocontrol
Biopesticides containing a fungus that is pathogenic to mosquitoes may be an effective means of reducing malaria transmission, particularly if used in combination with insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs), according to a...
Why one way of learning is better than another
A new study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) of McGill University reveals that different patterns of training and learning lead to different types of memory formation....
East African cichlid fish offer new understanding of genetic basis of sex determination
Biologists have genetically mapped the sex chromosomes of several species of cichlid fish from Lake Malawi, East Africa, and identified a mechanism by which new sex chromosomes may evolve...
Aircraft 'eyesight' created
Australian scientists have created visual systems that will help unmanned aircraft see for themselves as they fly.
Gene Behind Malaria-resistant Mosquitoes Identified
Scientists have discovered that variations in a single gene affect mosquitoes' ability to resist infection by the malaria parasite
Estrogen Link In Male Aggression Sheds New Light On Sex-specific Behaviors
Territorial behavior in male mice might be linked to more "girl power" than ever suspected, according to new findings at UCSF. For the first time, researchers have identified networks of...
Lamp Runs on Human Blood
A lamp that uses blood to create light is meant to make people rethink how they use energy
Humpback whales make West Coast comeback
A threatened species of whale that was nearly hunted to extinction seems to be making a comeback off Canada's West Coast, but observers are concerned that could mean humpbacks could...
Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features RNA analysis methods
COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Thurs., Oct. 1, 2009) ? The study of RNA has long been the tool of choice for understanding where and when genes are expressed in a...
You must remember this: Scientists develop nasal spray that improves memory
Good news for procrastinating students: a nasal spray developed by a team of German scientists promises to give late night cram sessions a major boost, if a good night's sleep...
Suicide messenger told apart
Resolving a decade of debate, reseachers have distinguished two cell messengers – one causing cell suicide, the other inflammation.
Symmetrical brains can be an advantage
(PhysOrg.com) -- Many studies have found widespread asymmetry in the brains of different species, including humans, and most have assumed asymmetry is advantageous. A new paper, published in the Proceedings...
Strategy Outlined For Growing Bioenergy While Protecting Wildlife
Researchers have provided an analysis of the consequences for wildlife of the expanding production of bioenergy. The authors of new study identify harvesting of diverse prairie, which is dominated by...
Saving red squirrels from pox
A new study will investigate how red squirrels get the pox, an insight that may help save those left in the UK.
Study conducted into honey bees
Researchers embark on a three-year study into how food supplies affect honey bees and their resistance to disease.
Omnigenomics
Sometimes it is helpful to have a catchy word to describe one's type of research. I think that's why "omics" words are so popular -- they encapsulate a complex combination...
Tennessee Foresters Helping To Return Chestnuts To American Forests
The American chestnut was a dominant species in eastern US's forests before a blight wiped it out in the early 1900s. Today it's being returned to the landscape thanks in...