Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New fluorescent imaging sorts microbiome in human mouth
New fluorescent labeling technology that distinguishes in a single image the population size and spatial distribution of 15 different taxa has uncovered new taxon pairings that indicate unsuspected cooperation --...
Decision making in bee swarms mimic neurons in human brains
Swarms of bees and brains made up of neurons make decisions using strikingly similar mechanisms, says a new study in the Dec. 9 issue of Science.
Gaia spreads its wings
(PhysOrg.com) -- ESAs Gaia star-mapper has passed a critical test ahead of its launch in 2013: the spacecrafts sunshield has been deployed for the first time.
Researchers discover that changes in bioelectric signals cause tadpoles to grow eyes in back, tail
For the first time, scientists have altered natural bioelectrical communication among cells to directly specify the type of new organ to be created at a particular location within a vertebrate...
Drug reverses aging-associated changes in brain cells, animal study shows
Drugs that affect the levels of an important brain protein involved in learning and memory reverse cellular changes in the brain seen during aging, according to an animal study.
Research could help people with declining sense of smell
Cells in the nose – smell sensors, primarily – are constantly replaced as old ones die off. Olfactory stem cells are the source for these new cells, but how do...
First realistic 3D reconstruction of a brain circuit
Researchers report that, using a conceptually new approach and state-of-the-art research tools, they have created the first realistic three-dimensional diagram of a thalamocortical column in the rodent brain. This is...
Register receipts called big BPA source
WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Recycled thermal cash register receipts can spread bisphenol A, linked to certain harmful health effects, to other paper products, U.S. researchers say.
Satellite data shows that Kirtland's warblers prefer forests after fire
(PhysOrg.com) -- Kirtland's warblers are an endangered species of lightweight little birds with bright yellow-bellies that summer in North America and winter in the Bahamas. But be it their winter...
Traumatic injury sets off a 'genomic storm' in immune system pathways
Serious traumatic injuries, including major burns, set off a "genomic storm" in human immune cells, altering around 80 percent of the cells' normal gene expression patterns.
Gene expression in mouse neural retina sequenced
Researchers have gained new insights into neural disease genes by sequencing virtually all the gene expression in the mouse neural retina. The technology to obtain such a "transcriptome" has become...
Sewage treatment plants may contribute to antibiotic resistance problem
Water discharged into lakes and rivers from municipal sewage treatment plants may contain significant concentrations of the genes that make bacteria antibiotic-resistant. That's the conclusion of a new study on...
A 'wild card' in your genes
The human genome and the endowments of genes in other animals and plants are like a deck of poker cards containing a "wild card" that in a genetic sense introduces...
Shedding light on why it is so 'toug'' to make healthier hot dogs
In part of an effort to replace animal fat in hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers and other foods with healthier fat, scientists are reporting an advance in solving the mystery of...
Institute presses for greater use of gene sequencing in medicine
Almost a year after researchers in Wisconsin published a groundbreaking paper describing their use of genetic sequencing to diagnose and treat a 4-year-old boy, a national health agency is shifting...
Ocean conservation: Uncertain sanctuary
Ocean conservation: Uncertain sanctuaryNature 480, 166 07122011 doi: 10.1038/480166aDaniel CresseyNations are racing to establish marine protected areas, but it's not clear whether many are living up to the name.
Baldness Treatments May Mimic Animals' Winter Coats
In some animals, the signals that trigger hair growth vary with the seasons.
Dangling Eyes of Scary Ancient Sea Predator Discovered
The animal's sharp vision would have made this large beast an even scarier predator.
Scientists are doing their most creative work later in life
In another illustration of the contributions older people make to society, an article in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) describes how older scientists are winning Nobel...
New insights into how the brain reconstructs the third dimension
A new visual illusion has shed light on a long-standing mystery about how the brain works out the 3-D shapes of objects.
Cellular automaton model predicts how hair follicle stem cells regenerate
Your hair -- or lack of hair -- is the result of a lifelong tug-of-war between activators that wake up, and inhibitors that calm, stem cells in every hair follicle...
Closing in on an ulcer- and cancer-causing bacterium
A research team led by scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong is releasing study results this week showing how a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, that causes more than half...
Cambodia opens controversial mega-dam
Energy-starved Cambodia on Wednesday opened the country's largest hydropower dam to date, a multi-million dollar Chinese-funded project that has attracted criticism from environmental groups.
Scientist-novelist back with second book at cell biology meeting
It's about living in two worlds times two, says Steve Caplan, the Israeli-born but American-now, scientist-novelist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. Caplan who has just published...
Whale song researchers seek volunteer listeners
Scientists are seeking the public's help to figure out what whales mean when they sing to one another.
Artificial enzyme outperforms nature
An antioxidant wrapped in a soft protein shell could be a treatment for a nerve cell disease
Rare monkeys to use touch screens
A new primate study centre opens in Hampshire where endangered monkeys will learn to use touch screen computers.
Voltage increases up to 25% observed in closely packed nanowires
(PhysOrg.com) -- Unexpected voltage increases of up to 25 percent in two barely separated nanowires have been observed at Sandia National Laboratories.