Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Canada's management of polar bears at risk
Countries from around the world will meet in Bangkok in March to consider changes to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which could place polar bear hides and...
Why aphids land on their feet after falling
Aphids may not be able to fly, but they can fall pretty well: Like defenestrated cats, the common insects usually land upright, to paraphrase a new study.
Vitamin D, omega-3 may help clear amyloid plaques found in Alzheimer’s
A team of academic researchers has pinpointed how vitamin D3 and omega-3 fatty acids may enhance the immune system’s ability [...]
Scientists design mouse with more human-like immune response
Scientists have genetically engineered a mouse to more closely mimic a human immune response. The transgenic mouse exhibits humanized CD1d molecules, naturally occurring molecules that activate an especially potent white...
A little tag with a large effect: How the epigenetic marker 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is interpreted by neural cells
Scientists report that the marker 5hmC has an effect on gene expression opposite to that of 5mC. Since changes in the distribution of 5hmC are known to take place in...
Key Element of Lupus Found, Suggesting Better Drug Targets
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has identified specific cellular events that appear key to [...]
3-D printing breakthrough with human embryonic stem cells
A team of researchers from Scotland has used a novel 3-D printing technique to arrange human embryonic stem cells for the very first time. Scientists hope that this breakthrough will...
Monster Saturn Storm Fizzled by Choking On Own Tail
Like a monstrous snake biting its own tail, a giant storm on Saturn only fizzled out after running into its own wake.
Furry crabs may be healing Great Barrier Reef
Furry crabs once thought to be damaging the Great Barrier Reef may in fact be helping save the coral by stopping the spread of disease, a researcher said.
Insects groom to improve smell
Cockroaches groom their antennae to improve their sense of smell, scientists say.
Tortugas Marine Reserve yields more, larger fish
Both fish populations and commercial and recreational anglers have benefited from "no-take" protections in the Tortugas Ecological Reserve in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, a new report shows.
Paired genes in stem cells shed new light on gene organization and regulation
Researchers show that transcription at the active promoters of protein-coding genes commonly runs in opposite directions. This leads to coordinated production of both protein-coding messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and long noncoding...
Study confirms no transmission of Alzheimer's proteins between humans
A new study found no evidence to support concerns that abnormal neurodegenerative disease proteins are "infectious" or transmitted from animals to humans or from one person to another.
Biodiversity exploration in the 3-D era
A group of marine biologists from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Crete are testing computed tomography as a tool to accurately document the anatomy of biological specimens. The...
Parasitic wasps ambush ant-eating spiders
Spiders in the genus Zodarian are an ant's worst nightmare. These arachnids sleep during the day in igloo-shaped compartments under rocks and dead wood, but at night emerge to stalk...
Shark bites to be studied in Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Researchers in Florida say a unique scientific study of bacteria found in the mouths of sharks could lead to better treatments for...
Scientists turn toxic by-product into biofuel booster
Scientists studying an enzyme that naturally produces alkanes, long carbon-chain molecules that could be a direct replacement for the hydrocarbons in gasoline, have figured out why the natural reaction typically...
FYI: What Causes Muscle Twitches?
Got a twitch in your eyelid, arm, or leg? Wondering where the hell it comes from and how to get rid of it? Answers within. Involuntary muscle twitches are exceedingly common and...
Biodiversity exploration in the 3-D era
Taxonomy – the discipline that defines and names groups of organisms – is a field of science that still employs many of the methods used during the beginnings of the...
Q & A: Why, at 70, Is It Harder to Hear Conversations, yet Music Is Too Loud?
Age-related hearing loss, called presbycusis, is characterized by loss of hair cells in the base of the cochlea, or inner ear.
Pigeons, a Darwin Favorite, Carry New Clues to Evolution
Genetic scientists are using pigeons to study the mutations that produce radically new kinds of anatomy.
Sensitive Males Provide Clues to Mind Reading in Birds
Male Eurasian jays know which foods their mates want to eat next
How plants sense gravity: A new look at the roles of genetics and the cytoskeleton
Gravity affects the ecology and evolution of every living organism. In plants, the general response to gravity is well known: their roots respond positively, growing down, into the soil, and...
Gene variants found to affect human lifespan
By broadly comparing the DNA of children to that of elderly people, gene researchers have identified copy number variations that influence lifespan. Some of the variants raise disease risk, while...
Finding the way to memory
A new study reveals that DCC, the receptor for a crucial protein in the nervous system known as netrin, plays a key role in regulating the plasticity of nerve cell...
Bland Strawberries Get a Genetic Tweak for Flavor
Grocery-store strawberries look a lot better than they taste. Researchers hope to change that.
Angry Birds? "Shy" Sparrows Show Aggression With Wings
Scientists have discovered a new "angry bird." The swamp sparrow raises and quivers a wing at a time—a signal that it's ready to fight.
New Transmembrane Protein Support Structure Created
A new platform to support and extend the viability of proteins for scientific study has been developed through work done as part of the doctoral studies of a recent University...