Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Fruit's metallic blue caused by lipid nanostructures
Berries could use the color to advertise their nutritional benefits to birds
Bacterial enzymes 'hijacked' to create complex molecules normally made by plants
Chemists at Scripps Research have efficiently created three families of complex, oxygen-containing molecules that are normally obtainable only from plants.
Single-cell analysis provides new insights into mitochondrial diseases
Investigators have made discoveries at the single cell level to uncover new details concerning mitochondrial diseases -- inherited disorders that interfere with energy production in the body and currently have...
To understand the machinery of life, this scientist breaks it on purpose
By tinkering with some of life's oldest components, astrobiologists hope to find clues about how life emerged. In a recent article researchers report an unexpected discovery, hinting at an effect...
How a protein stops cells from attacking their own DNA
Viruses multiply by injecting their DNA into a host cell. Once it enters the intracellular fluid, this foreign material triggers a defense mechanism known as the cGAS-STING pathway. The protein...
Oprah Winfrey joins HBO special 'Between the World and Me'
Oprah Winfrey will appear in an adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates' book on being Black in the United States, "Between the World and Me," HBO said Thursday.
Researchers assemble first comprehensive list of Panama's trees with geographic ranges
Central America is one of the most diverse floristic regions in the world, but a lack of comprehensive plant records and knowledge of its endangered, endemic tree species impedes conservation...
Research gets to the heart of organ shape in nature
Researchers have shed fresh light on the evolution and function of the shapes we see in nature - using as a model the heart shaped fruits of the Capsella genus.
'Critical' questions over disease risks from ocean plastics
Key knowledge gaps exist in our understanding of how ocean microplastics transport bacteria and viruses -- and whether this affects the health of humans and animals, researchers say.
New type of taste cell discovered in taste buds
Our mouths may be home to a newly discovered set of multi-tasking taste cells that -- unlike most known taste cells, which detect individual tastes -- are capable of detecting...
New tools catch and release molecules at the flip of a light switch
A team has developed a class of light-switchable, highly adaptable molecular tools with new capabilities to control cellular activities. The antibody-like proteins, called OptoBinders, have potential applications including protein purification,...
World's oldest captive alligator marks 83 years in Belgrade zoo
Muja has lived through multiple bombing campaigns and several countries—all while never leaving a tiny pool in Belgrade's zoo for 83 years, making him the world's oldest captive alligator.
Flavonoids' presence in sorghum roots may lead to frost-resistant crop
Flavonoid compounds -- produced by the roots of some sorghum plants -- positively affect soil microorganisms, according to researchers, who suggest the discovery is an early step in developing a...
Snowshoe hare carcasses feed more then the usual suspects
What do lynx, flying squirrels, ravens, and wolverines have in common? They will all scavenge from snowshoe hare carcasses under the right conditions, according to ecologists. And they're not alone....
Mitochondrial dynamics in postmitotic cells regulate neurogenesis
The conversion of neural stem cells into neurons is associated with the remodeling of organelles, but whether and how this is causally linked to fate change is poorly understood. We...
BAF restricts cGAS on nuclear DNA to prevent innate immune activation
The appearance of DNA in the cytosol is perceived as a danger signal that stimulates potent immune responses through cyclic guanosine monophosphate–adenosine monophosphate synthase (cGAS). How cells regulate the activity...
Binding mechanisms of therapeutic antibodies to human CD20
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting human antigen CD20 (cluster of differentiation 20) constitute important immunotherapies for the treatment of B cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Type I and II therapeutic mAbs...
Huntingtons disease alters human neurodevelopment
Although Huntington’s disease is a late-manifesting neurodegenerative disorder, both mouse studies and neuroimaging studies of presymptomatic mutation carriers suggest that Huntington’s disease might affect neurodevelopment. To determine whether this is...
Newly discovered cells in mice can sense four of the five tastes
Taste buds can turn food from mere fuel into a memorable meal. Now researchers have discovered a set of supersensing cells in the taste buds of mice that can detect four of...
Sex, flies and videotape
On a hot summer day, in a darkened chamber, a video camera follows a couple as it engages in nature's oldest game—courtship. The male sings and chases after the female...
Researchers analyze the factors that enable fish to reproduce in the Gulf of Cadiz
Researchers from the Marine Biology Laboratory of the University of Seville, led by Professor José Carlos García Gómez, have studied the factors involved in fish reproduction and breeding in the...
Becoming a nerve cell: Timing is of the essence
Mitochondria are small organelles that provide the energy critical for each cell in our body, in particular, in the energy-demanding brain. In this week's edition of Science, a Belgian team...
Systemic racism has consequences for all life in cities
Social inequalities, specifically racism and classism, are impacting the biodiversity, evolutionary shifts and ecological health of plants and animals in our cities.
Study: Free spread of COVID-19 in Sweden didn't lead to 'herd immunity'
Diverging from much of the world, Sweden let COVID-19 spread in hopes the population would develop "herd immunity." But the risky strategy failed, a new report finds.
Humans have been cremating the dead since at least 7,000 B.C.
Cremation is a truly ancient practice. New research suggests humans have been turning the dead to ashes for at least 9,000 years.
Strianassa lerayi anker, new shrimp species from Panama's Coiba national park
Last year's expedition, part of the project to compare microbiomes of animals in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, resulted in the discovery of several new animal genera including a new...
Landmark paper calls for need to develop the world's microbiome biobanking infrastructure
A team of scientists led by CABI's Dr. Matthew Ryan has outlined a series of challenges and opportunities presented in a necessary review of how microbiomes—biological communities including bacteria, archaea,...
A 429-Million-Year-Old Trilobite Had Eyes like Those of Modern Bees
Rare, cracked fossil shows the world through ancient eyes -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com