Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New leads on mechanisms that confer virulence to E.coli-type bacteria
The researchers have solved the three-dimensional structure of a key region of the DNA-protein complex. Knowledge about the structures that control the activity of genes associated with virulence and...
Best Science Photos of the Week - Dec. 10, 2011
An albino seal pup, rare Persian leopard, disappearing lake, and more.
The physics behind great white shark attacks on seals
A new study examines the complex and dynamic interactions between white sharks and Cape fur seals in False Bay, South Africa; Offers new insights on physical and biological factors underlying...
Survival of the fittest: Linguistic evolution in practice
(Washington, DC) -- A new study of how compound word formation is influenced by subtle forms of linguistic pressure demonstrates that words which "sound better" to the speakers...
Suppression of protein critical to cell division stops cancer cells from dividing, kills them
Suppressing a newly identified and characterized protein involved in regulating cell division could be a novel strategy to fight certain cancers because it stops the malignant cells from dividing and...
Study unlocks origins of blood stem cells
A research team led by Nancy Speck, PhD, professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has discovered a molecular marker...
Step forward in foot-and-mouth disease understanding
Researchers at the University of Leeds have been studying an enzyme called 3D which plays a vital role in the replication of the virus behind the disease. They...
A New Perspective On Overfishing
What is the state of modern fisheries, and how sustainable are current fishing practices? These are questions that can provoke heated debates among the fisheries biologists that study them, as...
Empathy: rats to the rescue
New experiments show rats demonstrating compassion and helping other rodents. It is a trait some scientists thought was reserved only for humans and higher primates.
Dolomite discovery ends 100-year treasure hunt
(PhysOrg.com) -- The century-old mystery of a missing mineral in coral reefs has been solved by a team from The Australian National University.
Prime Indonesian jungle to be cleared for palm oil
(AP) -- The man known as Indonesia's "green governor" chases the roar of illegal chainsaws through plush jungles in his own Jeep. He goes door-to-door to tell families it's...
Star Wars-inspired bacterium provides glimpse into life
(PhysOrg.com) -- A bacterium whose name was inspired by the Star Wars films has provided new clues into the evolution of our own cells and how they came to possess...
Coral reefs in warming seas
Disease outbreaks are often associated with hot weather. Because many bacteria typically multiply more rapidly in warmer conditions, it's a commonly held notion that warm-weather outbreaks are a straightforward consequence...
Characterizing a toxic offender
The brains of individuals with Alzheimer's disease contain protein aggregates called plaques and tangles, which interfere with normal communication between nerve cells and cause progressive learning and memory deficits. Now,...
Proteins linked to longevity may be involved in mood control
Over the past decade, MIT biologist Leonard Guarente and others have shown that very-low-calorie diets provoke a comprehensive physiological response that promotes survival, all orchestrated by a set of proteins called sirtuins.In a...
New biosensor is based on a nanowire crystal array
(PhysOrg.com) -- A quick, inexpensive and highly sensitive test that identifies disease markers or other molecules in low-concentration solutions could be the result of a Cornell-developed nanomechanical biosensor, which could...
Yahoo! launches online comedy channel
Yahoo! is adding a comedy channel to its online line-up, kicking it off with a "CrazyStupidPolitics" show starring Bill Maher live in Silicon Valley in February.
Solar power development in US Southwest could threaten wildlife
Government agencies are considering scores of applications to develop utility-scale solar power installations in the desert Southwest of the United States, but too little is known to judge their likely...
Solitary sea otter pops up near Laguna Beach
Participants in a whale-watching excursion made the sighting. Experts said the otter was probably a solo male roving far beyond the boundaries of the threatened species' established range along California's...
T. Franklin Williams, Early Geriatric Specialist, Dies at 89
Dr. Williams was a former director of the National Institute on Aging and a longtime professor at the University of Rochester.
Premature babies harbor fewer, but more dangerous microbe types
One of the most comprehensive studies to date of the microbes that are found in extremely low-birthweight infants found that hard-to-treat Candida fungus is often present, as well as some...
Scientists Find Mechanism for Reprogramming Stem Cells
In healthy bodies, liver cells beget liver cells, while skin cells beget skin cells. Previous research, however, has shown that cells sometimes can be reprogrammed, for example, from skin to...
Secret Coca-Cola Recipe Displayed at Museum
The secret recipe for Coca-Cola, which has been stored in the same bank vault in Atlanta since 1925, has finally been moved.
Nano-carving offers medical leaps
A new method to "carve" complex shapes out of nano-particles may create new medical tests and drugs delivery systems.
New target found for aggressive cancer gene
Researchers have found a way to kill human cells hijacked by a genetic accelerator that puts cancer cells into overdrive: the Myc oncogene. The discovery reveals new drug targets for...
Twitter redesign: Close but still not great
Too bad Steve Jobs never got his hands on a micro-blogging site whose design has been serviceable but crappy
Empathetic rats help each other out
The act of helping others out of empathy has long been associated strictly with humans and other primates, but new research shows that rats exhibit this prosocial behavior as well.
Biologists Sequence Genome of Controversial Arsenic Bacterium
Test Bed Wolfe-Simon collecting sediment samples at Mono Lake in 2009 El Universal/Zumapress.com One of the most controversial science stories in recent memory, the saga of arsenic-loving microbes, resurfaced again this week, a...