Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Siberian tiger in severe decline
The last remaining population of Siberian tigers has declined significantly, according to a recent survey.
A cup of mint tea 'can kill pain', according to a study
A cup of Brazilian mint tea has pain relieving qualities to match those of commercially available analgesics, a study suggests.
Fish food fight: Fish don't eat trees after all
What constitutes fish food is a matter of debate. A high-profile study a few years ago suggested that fish get almost 50 percent of their carbon from trees and leaves,...
Gene protects brain-eaters from mad cow-type disease
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Villagers in the highlands of Papua New Guinea who ritualistically ate human brains but did not die of a brain disease called kuru have a genetic mutation...
When is a stem cell really a stem cell?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- adult cells reprogrammed to look and function like versatile embryonic stem cells -- are of growing interest in medicine. They may provide...
Fecal architecture is beetle armor
Predators have a hard time getting through the layers of excrement some beetle moms give their young
Where the Wild Things Were: How Conservation Efforts Are Failing
In the essay, "Where the Wild Things Were," currently appearing in Foreign Affairs, Dr. Steven Sanderson, President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society, asserts the world's political institutions have...
NEW CATFISH PICTURE: "Picky," Elusive Hatchlings Born
A normally shy male twig catfish took center stage at the Smithsonian National Zoo this month as guardian of a new clutch of catfish hatchlings.
Model created to study fungal infections
WORCESTER, Mass., Nov. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created a model system to screen possible drug targets for conditions such as thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast...
Malaysia tracks orangutans with implants
Malaysian wildlife authorities are using electronic implants to keep track of orangutans in a bid to protect the endangered apes after they are freed into the wild, an official said...
Early protein processes crucial to formation and layering of myelin membrane
New findings from an international team of researchers probing the nerve-insulating myelin sheath were bolstered by the work of Boston College biologists, who used x-rays to uncover how mutations affect...
Atomic-level snapshot catches protein motor in action
The atomic-level action of a remarkable class of ring-shaped protein motors has been uncovered by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) using a state-of-the-art protein crystallography beamline...
Alternative animal feed part of global fisheries crisis fix
Finding alternative feed sources for chickens, pigs and other farm animals will significantly reduce pressure on the world's dwindling fisheries while contributing positively to climate change, according to researchers.
Ants use bacteria to make their gardens grow
Leaf-cutter ants, which cultivate fungus for food, have many remarkable qualities. Here's a new one to add to the list: the ant farmers, like their human counterparts, depend on nitrogen-fixing...
China to send two pandas to Australia
China will send two giant pandas to an Australian zoo this Friday as part of a joint research program.
Indian neutrino lab site rejected
Nilgiri location threatens important elephant habitat.
A sticky solution for identifying effective probiotics
Scientists have crystallised a protein that may help gut bacteria bind to the gastrointestinal tract. The protein could be used by probiotic producers to identify strains that are likely to...
Rocket science leads to new whale discovery
Rocket science is opening new doors to understanding how sounds associated with Navy sonar might affect the hearing of a marine mammal – or if they hear it at all.
South Asia News in brief: 12–25 November 2009
Bangladesh may have answer to arsenic problem, Nepalese poor to manage forests, Bhutan to open its first technology park, and more.
Local groups should set biodiversity research agendas
Local groups must help set biodiversity agendas if donors and scientists are to impact conservation, say Robert J. Smith and colleagues.
Polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids boost the birth of new neurons
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have confirmed that a diet rich in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids, patented as an LMN diet, helps boost the production of the brain's...
Non-protein antifreeze helps Arctic beetle chill out
Alaskan beetles lead scientists to discover new class of biological antifreeze molecules – the first that do not contain proteins
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: 6 Bones of Contention
On the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species, an intelligent design advocate and an evolutionist weigh in on six natural wonders often cited as evidence against Darwin's theory.
Database stores spider secrets
A database that lists hundreds of spiders' venom components has been created in the hope scientists will find medicinal uses for them.
Video: Inside an actor's brain | Fiona Shaw performs in a scanner
As part of a new exhibition on human identity, actor Fiona Shaw agreed to have her brain scanned while performing parts of TS Eliot's poem The Waste Land. Stuart Jeffries...
A mechanical model of vocalization
When people speak, sing, or shout, they produce sound by pushing air over their vocal folds -- bits of muscle and tissue that manipulate the air flow and vibrate within...
Observatory: How Hummingbirds Get Their Nectar With Tiny ‘Straws’
Hummingbirds take advantage of the forces of surface tension to extract nectar from a flower.
Remarkable Creatures: In Snails and Snakes, Features to Delight Darwin
As the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species,” some facts on snails and snakes that would have intrigued him.