Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Starting Point Of Sun-induced Skin Cancer Discovered: Molecular 'Hooks' Also Pull Compounds From Marijuana From Bloodstream
The earliest event in the development of sun-induced skin cancer may have been identified. Researchers found that the point of entry for skin cancer in response to sun exposure is...
Pilot Whales Are "Cheetahs of the Sea," Study Finds
Short-finned pilot whales have been observed making high-speed chases after prey at great depths, the first time such behavior has been seen in deep-diving mammals.
Genes in mice act differently in humans
ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 15 (UPI) -- Although mice are used in medical research since they share 85 percent of their genes with humans, a U.S. study suggests...
Urgent efforts needed to save white oaks
PORTLAND, Ore., May 15 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say aggressive efforts are needed if communities of Oregon white oak trees, now in decline, are to be saved in...
New way to inhibit HIV target is created
ANN ARBOR, Mich., May 15 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created what's believed to be the first new mechanism in more than 20 years for treating the...
Polar Bears Listed As Threatened Under U.S. Endangered Species Act; Loss Of Sea Ice To Blame
The U.S. government has finally decided to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The listing is based on the fact that loss of...
First Conclusive Evidence Of Alzheimer's-like Brain Tangles In Nonhuman Primates Found
Researchers have discovered the first conclusive evidence of Alzheimer's-like neurofibrillary brain tangles in an aged nonhuman primate. They also discovered deposits of beta-amyloid protein in plaques and blood vessels of...
Introducing Virus Resistant 'Orange Bulldog' Pumpkins
Move over "Longface", "Spooktacular" and "Trickster" -- there's a new face in the pumpkin patch. Researchers recently introduced "Orange Bulldog," a new variety of the familiar fall fruit that may...
Memory cells may be replaceable
Scientists have discovered the resident stem cell in the brain that controls learning and memory, and have found out how to activate it to produce new neurons.
Shrimps see beyond the rainbow
A Swiss marine biologist and an Australian quantum physicist have found that a species of shrimp from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, can see a world invisible to all other...
Research sheds new light on heroin addiction
Researchers from the Howard Florey Institute in Melbourne have identified a factor that may contribute towards the development of heroin addiction by manipulating the adenosine A2A receptor, which plays a...
Restoring fish populations leads to tough choice for Great Lakes Gulls
You might think that stocking the Great Lakes with things like trout and salmon would be good for the herring gull. The birds often eat from the water, so...
VIDEO: Rare Dead Sea Scroll Displayed
A small, fragile piece of a 2,000-year-old Dead Sea scroll was shown briefly to visitors at a Jerusalem conference.
Fighting Pests And Diseases Organically With Help From Wild Cocoa Trees In French Guiana
In every production zone worldwide, cocoa trees are faced with pests and diseases that can wipe out entire harvests. To protect their crops, farmers often use costly, polluting chemicals or...
Scientists Discover Small RNAs That Regulate Gene Expression And Protect The Genome
RNA is best known as a working copy of the DNA sequence of genes. In this role, it's a carrier of the genes' instructions to the cell, which manufactures proteins...
Scientists Get Inside A Long-suspected HIV Hideout In Humans
Scientists have broken inside a cell long suspected of harboring HIV during drug treatment and determined it is indeed a reservoir of the virus in humans, where it remains highly...
Dr. Murray E. Jarvik, 84; UCLA pharmacologist invented nicotine patch
Dr. Murray E. Jarvik, the UCLA pharmacologist who showed that nicotine was the addictive factor in tobacco and invented the nicotine patch for smokers trying to quit, died Thursday at...
Scientists find 'yield-improving rice gene'
Chinese scientists have found a gene in rice that can control various traits, with the potential to improve rice productivity.
Research links common chemicals to obesity
GENEVA (Reuters) - Exposure in the womb to common chemicals used to make everything from plastic bottles to pizza box liners may programme a person to become obese later in...
First Use Of DNA Fingerprinting To Identify Viable Embryos
Fertility researchers have used DNA fingerprinting for the first time to identify which embryos have implanted after in vitro fertilization and developed successfully to result in the births of healthy...
Wild Three-Toed Sloths Sleep 6 Hours Less Per Day Than Captive Sloths, First Electrophysical Recording Shows
In the first experiment to record the electrophysiology of sleep in a wild animal, three-toed sloths carrying miniature electroencephalogram recorders slept 9.63 hours per day -- 6 hours less than...
Stable support needed for African malaria networks
African malaria research networks have helped scientists combat the disease, but they need more stable support and longer-term funding, says Thomas Egwang.
Opportunities and challenges in South–South collaboration
South–South research collaboration can be a powerful strategy for boosting scientific capacity and achieving common goals. But it should not be embraced uncritically, says Athar Osama.
Extinction fear for butterfly
A UK mountain-dwelling butterfly could be wiped out in Scotland because of climate change, experts say.
It Started With A Squeak: Moonlight Serenade Helps Lemurs Pick Mates Of The Right Species
Some Malagasy mouse lemurs are so similar that picking a mate of the right species, especially at night time in a tropical forest, might seem like a matter of pot...
Observatory: Steel Chompers Help Make a Mouth That’s Almost Human
What goes on in the mouth goes a long way to determining the flavor of food.
Museum Kills Live Exhibit
A “living coat” made out of mice stem cells had to be killed before it grew out of control.
Basics: A Gene Map for the Cute Side of the Family
The genetic map for a cute, yet unique, creature turned more heads than those maps for less-interesting creatures.