Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Biomedical research often ignores the diverse genetic ancestry of Black Americans
The genetic ancestry of Black Americans is diverse, according to a new survey of residents in four U.S. cities. The results undermine the use of skin color as a proxy...
Some Indian jumping ant workers can transition to a queen-like state
A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has found that some Indian jumping ant workers can transition to a queen-like state if their queen dies. In their paper...
Reports: Olivia Wilde to direct female-focused Marvel film at Sony
Olivia Wilde is set to direct a female-centered Marvel film at Sony, Variety and Deadline reported.
Size may not matter when estimating community energy use
Ecologists often want to understand how a community functions. For example, how much food does a community of animals consume every day? Or how much oxygen do plants produce every...
Are the doors closing on the open office?
As workers return to their offices after the initial phase of lockdowns implemented to stop the spread of coronavirus, there is a new reckoning in the workplace: Will the open...
Machine-learning model finds SARS-COV-2 growing more infectious
A novel machine learning model developed by researchers at Michigan State University suggests that mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 genome have made the virus more infectious.
Studying viral outbreaks in single cells could reveal new ways to defeat them
Many viruses, including HIV and influenza A, mutate so quickly that identifying effective vaccines or treatments is like trying to hit a moving target. A better understanding of viral propagation...
Small enzyme-mimicking polymers may have helped start life
Most effort in origins of life research is focused on understanding the prebiotic formation of biological building blocks. However, it is possible early biological evolution relied on different chemical structures...
Australia's wish list of exotic pets
Unsustainable trade of species is a major pathway for the introduction of invasive alien species at distant localities and at higher frequencies. It is also a major driver of over-exploitation...
Ancient gene family protects algae from salt and cold in an Antarctic lake
Glycerol, used in the past as antifreeze for cars, is produced by a range of organisms from yeasts to vertebrates, some of which use it as an osmoprotectant—a molecule that prevents dangerous...
Genetic background may affect adaptions to aging
How we adapt to aging late in life may be genetically influenced, according to a study led by a psychologist. The research has implications for how epigenetic factors relate to...
Disorders in movement
Medical researchers are tracking the onset of ataxias. The results provide valuable data for prevention studies. The data were collected by a research network, which includes scientific institutions from Austria,...
Invasive shrubs in Northeast US forests grow leaves earlier and keep them longer
The rapid pace that invasive shrubs infiltrate forests in the northeastern United States makes scientists suspect they have a consistent advantage over native shrubs, and the first region-wide study of...
Partner selection ultimately happens in the woman's reproductive tract
The female reproductive tract has the final say in human mate choice, according to new research.
Invasive shrubs in Northeast forests grow leaves earlier and keep them longer
The rapid pace that invasive shrubs infiltrate forests in the northeastern United States makes scientists suspect they have a consistent advantage over native shrubs, and the first region-wide study of...
Unlocking the cell enhances student learning of the genetic code
An open-source educational biotechnology called the "Genetic Code Kit" has been developed by California Polytechnic State University researchers to allow students to interact with the molecular process inside cells in...
Down syndrome mice open door to better understanding of the disorder
Researchers have created and characterized a new mouse replica of Down syndrome, long considered one of the most challenging disorders to simulate in laboratory animals.
Songbirds, like people, sing better after warming up
If you've ever been woken up before sunrise by the chirping of birds outside your window, you may have wondered: why do birds sing so loud, so early in the...
Illegal trade with terrestrial vertebrates in markets and households of Laos
Scientists provide the first interdisciplinary assessment of human involvement into the terrestrial vertebrate trade in Laos and its impact on the survival of the local fauna populations. Sixty-six traded species...
Out of sync: Ecologists report climate change affecting bee, plant life cycles
Reporting on the first community-wide assessment of 67 bee species of the Colorado Rockies, ecologists say 'phenological mismatch,' changing timing of life cycles between bees and flowers, caused by climate...
Escape artists: How vibrio bacteria break out of cells
As soon as the foodborne pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus infects a human intestinal cell, the bacteria are already planning their escape. After all, once it is in and multiplies, the bacterium...
Biomedical scientists piece together how medication paralyzes parasitic worms
A new study upends the widely held belief that a medication used to treat lymphatic filariasis doesn't directly target the parasites that cause the disease. The research shows the medication,...
Termite-fishing chimpanzees provide clues to the evolution of technology
Unlike chimpanzees in East and West Africa, who use a single tool to extract termites, chimpanzees in Central Africa's Congo Basin use tool sets -- puncturing sticks or perforating twigs...
Team creates better tool to aid COVID-19 diagnosis
A radiologist and an evolutionary anatomist have teamed up to show the same techniques used for research on reptile and bird lungs can be used to help confirm the diagnosis...
Watch: 'Class Action Park' coming to HBO Max on Aug. 27, trailer released
"Class Action Park," a documentary film about the world's most dangerous amusement park, is set to premiere on HBO Max on Aug. 27.
Lungfish fins reveal how limbs evolved
The evolution of limbs with functional digits from fish fins happened approximately 400 million years ago in the Devonian. This morphological transition allowed vertebrates to leave the water to conquer...
This WWII shipwreck hosts an underwater kingdom of bacteria
The Pappy Lane shipwreck, as seen from above. (John McCord/)Thousands of vessels are submerged in the waters off the coast of North Carolina. The Outer Banks, with its strong currents and storms that...
How a single gene drives aggression in wild songbird
A new study shows how differentiation of a single gene changes behavior in a wild songbird, determining whether the white-throated sparrow displays more, or less, aggression.