Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Neurons show distinct styles as they interact with the same muscle partner
A study shows a newfound diversity in how cells talk to the muscle they innervate, revealing that the subclasses of neurons have distinct propensities for change, or 'plasticity'.
When it comes to DNA repair, it's not one tool fits all
Researchers studied double-strand breaks with complex damage and found that enzyme tools to resect the breaks are highly specific to the type of break to be repaired.
Common inherited genetic variant identified as frequent cause of deafness in adults
A common inherited genetic variant is a frequent cause of deafness in adults, meaning that many thousands of people are potentially at risk, reveals new research.
Strain of E. coli may offer protections against its more malevolent cousins
Researchers say E. coli Nissle may protect human cells against other more pathogenic strains of E. coli such as E. coli 0157:H7, which is commonly associated with contaminated hamburger meat.
Animals who try to sound 'bigger' are good at learning sounds
Some animals fake their body size by sounding bigger than they actually are. Maxime Garcia from the University of Zurich and Andrea Ravignani from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics...
How long to play dead in order to stay alive?
Many animals remain motionless or play dead after being attacked by a predator in the hope that it will give up and move onto some other unfortunate prey.
FBI Director Christopher Wray: U.S. counterintelligence opens a case on China every 10 hours
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that much of the U.S. government's counterintelligence efforts focus on China.
Look: Police warn of alligator on the loose in Michigan
Police are warning residents of a Michigan area to be on the lookout for an unusual escapee: a 1-foot alligator.
Scientists move to create single, comprehensive list of Earth's living species
An international group of scientists hope to convince biologists, taxonomists, conservationists and policy makers the world over to use a single, comprehensive list of the world's species.
Aggressive seaweed smothers one of world's most remote reefs
Researchers say a recently discovered species of seaweed is killing large patches of coral on once-pristine reefs and is rapidly spreading across one of the most remote and protected ocean...
Study: As REM sleep declines, life span suffers
Deep sleep is essential for good health, and too little of it may shorten your life, a new study suggests.
Aggressive seaweed smothers one of world's most remote reefs
Researchers say a recently discovered species of seaweed is killing large patches of coral on once-pristine reefs and is rapidly spreading across one of the most remote and protected ocean...
Nationals' Max Scherzer 'on target' but MVP candidate Juan Soto in isolation
Max Scherzer says he is "on target" for the 2020 season, but slugger Juan Soto is away from Washington Nationals summer camp and in isolation after he came into contact...
Double take: New study analyzes global, multiple-tailed lizards
Research into abnormal regeneration events in lizards has led to the first published scientific review on the prevalence of lizards that have re-generated not just one, but two, or even...
Engineered killer immune cells target tumors and their immunosuppressive allies
Scientists have engineered natural killer immune cells that not only kill head and neck tumor cells in mice but also reduce the immune-suppressing myeloid cells that allow tumors to evade...
Making a list of all creatures, great and small
A new article outlines a roadmap for creating, for the first time, an agreed list of all the world's species, from mammals and birds to plants, fungi and microbes.
Making a list of all creatures, great and small
A paper published July 7, 2020 in the open access journal PLOS Biology outlines a roadmap for creating, for the first time, an agreed list of all the world's species,...
Research reveals regulatory features of maize genome during early reproductive development
A team of researchers has mapped out the non-coding, 'functional' genome in maize during an early developmental window critical to formation of pollen-bearing tassels and grain-bearing ears.
Brain structural elements in psychiatric disorders
While researchers have previously identified brain structural signatures associated with individual neurological diseases using techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a team of scientists has now compared data from...
Women's egg quality dependent on metabolic factors
Increasing the levels of a chemical found in all human cells could boost a woman's fertility and help select the best eggs for IVF.
Circular RNA makes fruit flies live longer
The molecule influences the insulin signalling pathway and thus prolongs life.
Strange bedfellows: How butterfly caterpillars sustain their association with cocktail ants
The spectacular leaps of gazelles, group living in deer and monkeys, and fast flight in many insects are all linked by a common phenomenon—predation. In its various forms, predation has...
Our animal inheritance: Humans perk up their ears, too, when they hear interesting sounds
Many animals move their ears to better focus their attention on a novel sound. That humans also have this capability was not known until now. A research team now has...
High-throughput sequencing tracks historical spread of grapevine viruses
Grapevine is infected by more than 90 viruses, with new viral species discovered yearly as a result of the newer technology introduced by High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS). Within the last decade,...
Scientists use nanoparticle-delivered gene therapy to inhibit blinding eye disease in rodents
In experiments in rats and mice, two Johns Hopkins scientists—an engineer and an ophthalmologist—report the successful use of nanoparticles to deliver gene therapy for blinding eye disease. A uniquely engineered...
Kourtney Kardashian: 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' became 'toxic environment'
Kourtney Kardashian explained why she quit "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" after 18 seasons.
Research reveals regulatory features of maize genome during early reproductive development
Growth and development of all organisms depends on coordinated regulation of gene expression in time and space, and this is largely controlled by non-coding sequences in the genome. A major...
RNA key in helping stem cells know what to become
Look deep inside our cells, and you'll find that each has an identical genome -a complete set of genes that provides the instructions for our cells' form and function.