Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Yak genome provides new insights into high altitude adaptation
Scientists have completed the genomic sequence and analyses of a female domestic yak, which provides important insights into understanding mammalian divergence and adaptation at high altitude.
Diving shrews — heat before they leap
How does the world’s smallest mammalian diver survive icy waters to catch its prey? A recent study of American water [...]
Mauling SA chimps escape death
Two chimpanzees which attacked a US student in South Africa will not be put down because they were defending their territory, an investigator says.
The big sleep: How do you anesthetize a hippopotamus?
It may rank fairly low in most lists of pressing problems to be solved but an increasing number of zoos and wildlife collections as well as gamekeepers nevertheless need to...
Natural plant protein converted into drug-delivery vehicles
Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Researchers have now shown a new approach for making vesicles and fine-tuning their shapes....
West coast of North America experiencing decreasing trends in salmon spawning
The number of adult sockeye salmon produced per spawner has been decreasing over the last decade or more along the western coast of North America, from Washington state up through...
Scientists discover bees can ‘turn back time,’ reverse brain aging
Scientists at Arizona State University have discovered that older honey bees effectively reverse brain aging when they take on nest [...]
A World Free of One of the Most Virulent Animal Diseases?
The Departments of Homeland Security and Agriculture have developed a novel vaccine for one of the seven strains of the dreaded Foot-and-Mouth Disease, paving the way for the development of...
Social bats pay a price with new fungal disease: Study determines which bats are headed for extinction
The impact on bat populations of a deadly fungal disease known as white-nose syndrome may depend on how gregarious the bats are during hibernation. Species that hibernate in dense clusters...
Amniotic fluid yields alternatives to embryonic stem cells
Stem cells found in amniotic fluid can be transformed into a more versatile state similar to embryonic stem cells, according to a new study. Scientists have succeeded in reprogramming amniotic...
Researchers develop an artificial cerebellum than enables robotic human-like object handling
University of Granada researchers have developed an artificial cerebellum (a biologically-inspired adaptive microcircuit) that controls a robotic arm with human-like precision. The cerebellum is the part of the human brain...
Organic tomatoes contain higher levels of antioxidants than conventional tomatoes, study suggests
Organic tomatoes contain higher levels of phenolic compounds than conventional tomatoes, according to new research. Phenolic compounds are organic molecules found in many vegetables with demonstrated human health benefits.
Oxytocin: is it really a trust hormone? Maybe we should choose who to trust
Products that supposedly contain oxytocin are unlikely to have much effect, other than making your wallet lighterSeahorses, Peruvian poison frogs, shingleback skinks, most birds and many fish all form long-lasting bonds with one,...
Not all animal traps are equal
(Phys.org) -- Large differences in the performance of spring traps used to kill mice, rats and moles, indicate considerable scope for improving the humaneness of such traps, and suggest that...
Genetically modified cotton gets high marks in India
Genetically modified cotton gets high marks in IndiaNature News , 03072012 doi: 10.1038/nature.2012.10927Gayathri VaidyanathanEngineered plants increased yields and profits relative to conventional varieties.
Rare orchid blooms in woodland
An "extremely rare and endangered" orchid which was on the brink of extinction in the UK is blooming again in Gloucestershire.
Pictures We Love: Best of June
A bird-buffeted elephant, an oddly green cathedral, and an impossible "droplet" figure among our favorite news photos of last month.
Six natural wonders declared World Heritage Sites
Sangha Trinational -- shared between Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo; Lakes of Ounianga in Chad and Chengjiang fossil site in China have been inscribed on...
Observatory: Hardly a Speck of a Fly, But Able to Decapitate Ants
The recently discovered fly, Euryplatea nanaknihali, is less than two-hundredths of an inch long — one-fifteenth the size of a housefly and one-fifth that of fruit fly.
DNA sequenced for parrot's ability to parrot
Scientists say they have assembled more completely the string of genetic letters that could control how well parrots learn to imitate their owners and other sounds.
VIDEO: Watch an infection take hold inside the body
Scientists have used scanning equipment to watch an infection unfurl, in real time, inside an animal.
Green Blog: Do Bears Sense That Hunters Are Afoot?
A new study shows that bears in Sweden alter their behavior when hunters are about, which could have a detrimental effect on their ability to survive long winters.
Phys Ed: What Runners Can Learn From Cheetahs
Humans have attained a top speed of less than 28 miles per hour, while cheetahs can run more than twice as fast. Scientists set out to discover what is it...
Bonobos get tech-savvy with touchscreens
Researchers are using touchscreens to add a new dimension to the already-formidable communication skills of bonobos, a chimplike primate species.
Researchers see dramatic decline of endangered white abalone
Scientists from NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service report a significant decline of endangered white abalone off the coast of Southern California in the journal Biological Conservation.
New brain receptor for drug 'fantasy' identified
Researchers are closer to understanding the biology behind GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid), a transmitter substance in the brain, best known in its synthetic form as the illegal drug fantasy.
In the news
Waging a losing war against mosquitoes “We had no winter in the Northeast this year, and so there’s a lot of predictions from mosquito control experts that we’re going...
A Topically Applied Skin Lotion That Modifies Your Genes
Hand Cream A new class of nanoparticles inside skin lotion could penetrate the skin for gene therapy. Kristen Bonardi Rapp via Flickr Future genetic therapy could be as simple as applying a topical...