Latest science news in Biology & Nature
How zebrafish maintain efficient and fair foraging behaviors
New insight on how zebrafish achieve near-optimal foraging efficiency and fairness among groups has been published today.
The secret life of melons revealed: 'Jumping sequences' may alter gene expression
Researchers find that retrotransposons (a.k.a. 'jumping sequences') may affect gene expression in melons.
Two Strains of Polio Down, One to Go
It could be the second human disease we eradicate—but if we don’t finish the job, resurgence is possible -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Accumulating extra genome copies may protect fly brain cells during aging
Scientists have discovered a novel anti-aging defense in the brain cells of adult fruit flies: producing extra copies of the genome, according to a new study published today in eLife.
How zebrafish maintain efficient and fair foraging behaviours
New insight on how zebrafish achieve near-optimal foraging efficiency and fairness among groups has been published today in the open-access journal eLife.
Study revealing structure of a protein complex may open doors to better disease research
More than two decades ago scientists discovered the Arp2/3 complex, an actin (cellular protein) cytoskeketal nucleator which plays a crucial role in cell division, immune response, neurodevelopment other biological processes....
Blocking cellular communication stops SARS-CoV-2
In the transmission of signals within the cell which, for example, stimulate cell growth or trigger metabolic processes, phosphate groups play an important biochemical role. The phosphate groups are often...
Under The Sea In 3D
Texas A&M University is one of 16 institutions nationally participating in the effort, known as “Open Vertebrate Exploration in 3D,” or oVert. By 2021, the project seeks to scan 20,000...
Each human gut has a viral “fingerprint”
Each person’s gut virus composition is as unique as a fingerprint, according to the first study to assemble a comprehensive database of viral populations in the human digestive system. An...
Scientists create protein models to explore toxic methylmercury formation
A team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory created a computational model of the proteins responsible for the transformation of mercury to toxic methylmercury, marking a...
Conceptual model shows why changes in rain may matter more than temperature changes to tropical animals
Precipitation patterns, along with temperature, dictate where tropical forests are distributed around the world. Surprisingly, though, scientists know very little about the direct effects of rainfall on tropical animals.
Plant living with only one leaf reveals fundamental genetics of plant growth
Clinging to the walls of tropical caves is a type of plant with a single leaf that continues to grow larger for as long as the plant survives. Researchers at...
Column: Billboards that follow you? It's not sci-fi. They're already here
Clear Channel is rolling out technology in Europe that tracks people after they pass a billboard. The company has been doing this in the U.S. for years.
Hope takes flight: L.A.'s Natural History Museum will reopen its Butterfly Pavilion & gardens
The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County will open its Butterfly Pavilion to members starting Aug. 28 and to the public on Sept. 11.
New study shows evolutionary breakdown of 'social' chromosome in ants
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London have found that harmful mutations accumulating in the fire ant social chromosome are causing its breakdown.
Researchers develop new system to conduct accurate telomere profiling in less than 3 hours
The plastic tips attached to the ends of shoelaces keep them from fraying. Telomeres are repetitive DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequences that serve a similar function at the end of chromosomes,...
Worries grow following 'dramatic' drop in monarch butterfly population
Flight of the Monarch Day was held in Toronto Saturday, as well as various other locations across Canada, in an effort to raise awareness around declining monarch butterfly populations and...
Female hyenas kill off cubs in their own clans
Female hyenas may be out for cubs’ blood — even within their own clans. New research suggests that infanticide may be part of a strategy females use to maintain their social standing....
Toronto seeks to save oak tree older than Canada
In the shadow of Canada's largest cluster of skyscrapers, Toronto is looking to preserve a majestic, centuries-old oak tree—but efforts have been complicated by the pandemic.
Protein 'chameleon' colors long-term memory
A chameleonlike protein in neurons can change its mind, and in the process change our brains.
COVID-19 underscores 'pandemic-scale' problem of racial inequality, analysis finds
COVID-19 would need to kill an additional 1 million White Americans for their average life expectancy to fall to levels seen by Black Americans during non-pandemic years, according to an...
Habitats for endangered green sea turtles will be federally protected in Florida
Endangered green sea turtles will have some of their nesting beaches in Florida protected by federal agencies under a new legal agreement with conservation groups.
Each human gut has a viral 'fingerprint'
Each person's gut virus composition is as unique as a fingerprint, according to the first study to assemble a comprehensive database of viral populations in the human digestive system.
Each human gut hosts a unique community of viruses
The virome is the equivalent of the microbiome, and new research suggests each human hosts a unique virome in their gut.
Study: Targeting COVID-19 virus reproduction could halt infections
The COVID-19 coronavirus uses an unusually complex method to replicate itself inside human cells, and experts say the somewhat clunky process could be exploited to stop the virus in its...
Each human gut has a viral 'fingerprint'
Each person's gut virus composition is as unique as a fingerprint, according to the first study to assemble a comprehensive database of viral populations in the human digestive system.
Biologists discover a gene critical to the development of columbines' iconic spurs
Once in a while, over the history of life, a new trait evolves that leads to an explosion of diversity in a group of organisms. Take wings, for instance. Every...
Large molecules need more help to travel through a nuclear pore into the cell nucleus
A new study in the field of biophysics has revealed how large molecules are able to enter the nucleus of a cell. A team led by Professor Edward Lemke of...