Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Realtime observation of structural dynamic of influenza A hemagglutinin during viral entry
Unlike living organisms, to avoid extinction, viruses need to hijack living host machineries to generate new viruses. The devastating respiratory virus, influenza A virus, utilize its hemagglutinin (HA) proteins to...
DNA damage triggers reprogramming into stem cells
A joint research team from the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) in Japan, Huazhong Agricultural University in China, and the Czech Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic has...
Cormorant predation may reduce perch catches, especially close to breeding areas
The joint study of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and University of Jyväskylä estimated the impact of cormorants breeding and living in Quark on perch populations and catches in...
Bacteria's secret weapon revealed
Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) scientists have discovered a previously unknown method used by bacteria to evade immune responses.
Listen: Norah Jones performs Tiny Desk concert from home
Norah Jones performed "I'm Alive," a single from her new album, "Pick Me Up Off the Floor," during an at-home stream for NPR.
How two new fungus species got named after the COVID-19 pandemic
Never mind that they’re not viruses. Catching the trend of cocktails called quarantinis and registered racehorse names like Wearamask, two fungal species now have pandemic-inspired monikers. In a nod to the new normal...
Study examines how adaptable common urban tree species are under drought conditions
Researchers in the Which Plant Where project based at Western Sydney University have assessed the physiological tolerance of five key urban tree species across four geographic locations as part of...
Does city life make bumblebees larger?
Does urbanization drive bumblebee evolution? A new study by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig provides an initial indication of this....
Shock to bacteria activates nature's electrical grid
The ocean floor and the ground beneath our feet are riddled with tiny nanowires—1/100,000th the width of a human hair—created by billions of bacteria that can generate electric currents from...
Researchers discover how enzyme protects cells from DNA damage
A research team from Mount Sinai has unraveled for the first time the three-dimensional structure and mechanism of a complex enzyme that protects cells from constant DNA damage, opening the...
Ultra-low voltage proven effective at killing bacteria, study finds
Ultra-low voltage electricity is effective at killing bacteria because it causes membranes that surround bacteria to leak, according to a new study by University of Arkansas researchers. The research advances...
Stomach SIDT1 mediates dietary microRNA absorption
In a new study published in Cell Research, Chen-Yu Zhang's group at Nanjing University School of Life Sciences, China, reports that SIDT1 in the mammalian stomach mediates host uptake of...
Juvenile survival of world's rarest parrot more than halves
New research shows one of the world's rarest birds, the orange-bellied parrot, remains at severe risk of extinction despite decades of intensive conservation work in their Tasmanian breeding range.
Some surprises about the degradation of microplastics in our oceans
Not all the news about plastic in the ocean is what we expect. In fact it may be not quite as bad as initially thought. This comes as welcome information...
Balance between growth and adaptability shapes microbial success, evolution
One of the foremost challenges in biology is the quest to uncover the underlying rules that determine how biological organisms behave in different situations. Even seemingly simple questions, such as...
At least 16 killed in attack on beachside hotel in Somalia's capital
Somalia's Ministry of Information said Sunday that at least 16 people, including five attackers, were killed in a gunfight after a car bomb detonated outside a beachside hotel in Mogadishu.
Scientists unlock Alpine trees' molecular defence
Researchers say they have found a way to resist the spread of a disease threatening forests.
Micro- and nanoplastics detectable in human tissues
Plastic pollution of land, water and air is a global problem. Even when plastic bags or water bottles break down to the point at which they are no longer an...
'Cyborg' technology could enable new diagnostics, merger of humans and AI
Although true "cyborgs"—part human, part robotic beings—are science fiction, researchers are taking steps toward integrating electronics with the body. Such devices could monitor for tumor development or stand in for...
A new role for a well-known molecule as a plant hormone
Researchers have discovered a new role for a well-known plant molecule, providing the first clear example of ACC acting as a likely plant hormone. Researchers show that ACC has a...
Systemic racism has consequences for all life in cities
A new review paper finds that social inequalities, specifically racism and classism, are impacting the biodiversity, evolutionary shifts and ecological health of plants and animals in our cities.
At least 16 killed in attack on beachside hotel Somalia's capital
Somalia's Ministry of Information said Sunday that at least 16 people, including five attackers, were killed in a gunfight after a car bomb detonated outside a beachside hotel in Mogadishu.
Hundreds of baby turtles begin to hatch at Ontario 'turtle nursery'
Nearly 2,000 turtle eggs are in the process of hatching at a turtle nursery in Cambridge, Ont. The eggs were collected from the sides of roads to protect the baby...
Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden celebrates 350th anniversary
The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh celebrates three and a half centuries of science and conservation.
Illinois' longest-serving governor, James 'Big Jim' Thompson, dies
Illinois' longest-serving governor, James Thompson, has died, his family announced. He was 84.
US allows killing sea lions eating at-risk Northwest salmon
U.S. authorities on Friday gave wildlife managers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho permission to start killing hundreds of sea lions in the Columbia River basin in hopes of helping struggling...
Mexican zoo live-streams birth of elephant named 'Zoom'
A baby African elephant whose birth was live-streamed by a safari park in Mexico has been named Zoom after the video chat app made popular by the coronavirus pandemic.
Pentagon to set up new unit to investigate UFOs
The Pentagon said Friday it was setting up a new task force under the US Navy to investigate UFO sightings.