Latest science news in Biology & Nature

Quack Medicines, Insect Immigrants, and What Eats What Revealed by DNA Barcodes

11 years ago from Newswise - Scinews

The newfound scientific power to quickly "fingerprint" species via DNA is being deployed to unmask quack herbal medicines, reveal types of ancient Arctic life frozen in permafrost, expose what eats...

Isolated reefs regenerate faster: study

11 years ago from Physorg

A recent study published in CSIRO’s Marine & Freshwater Research reveals isolated reefs may have a better ability to regenerate compared to those closer to human activity.

Science Weekly podcast: Your beating heart

11 years ago from The Guardian - Science

Vastly superior to any artificial mechanical pump, a human heart beats without pause for an entire human lifetime and is exquisitely tuned to the body's changing needs from moment to moment. In...

Protecting the red coral of the Catalan coastline, Spain

11 years ago from Science Daily

Poaching accounts for the loss of up to 60% red coral biomass in the Medes Islands Marine Reserve, according to a new article. The article reports the first study of...

Restaurants plan DNA-certified premium seafood

11 years ago from Physorg

(AP) -- Restaurants around the world will soon use new DNA technology to assure patrons they are being served the genuine fish fillet or caviar they ordered, rather than...

Cancer Screening: Changing Hype To Hope

11 years ago from

A problem began to come into existence a few decades ago and in the polarized climate enabled by instant access to partisan spin, it's only going to get worse.The problem...

What lurks beneath a scientist's lab coat?

11 years ago from The Guardian - Science

A surprising number of scientists are sporting tattoos related to their trade. Carl Zimmer explores the stories behind the inkCarl Zimmer

Eminent scientists and their tattoos | Feature

11 years ago from The Guardian - Science

From DNA to dinosaurs, scientists have a surprising and secret penchant for tattoos – of a particularly cerebral natureI happen to be friends with Professor Sandeep Robert Datta, a neurobiologist at Harvard Medical...

Traditional Farmland Provides Overwintering Habitat For Spanish Great Bustards

11 years ago from

We humans may be tempted to think that one farm is like any other, but at least one species of bird--the great bustard, Otis tarda--shows clear preferences for some agricultural...

Power lines a major risk for migratory birds

11 years ago from Physorg

When flamingos, storks, pelicans and other migratory birds undertake their long seasonal flights, they risk their lives winging their way through the endless power grids that cover the world.

Video: Video: 8th grader's bat study helps scientists

11 years ago from MSNBC: Science

An eighth grade scientist is conducting ground-breaking research on bat disease for Bucknell University. WVIT's Brad Drazen reports. (NBC News)

Small forest with big impact: Fragmented rainforests maintain their ecological functionality

11 years ago from Science Daily

Rainforests that are subject to use by the human population and are divided into forest fragments can maintain their ecological functionality.

Rare species make home in Broads

11 years ago from BBC News: Science & Nature

A quarter of the UK's rarest plants and animals are found in the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads, according to a survey.

Endangered baby gorilla born at Chicago zoo dies

11 years ago from Physorg

(AP) -- A preliminary exam shows that an endangered baby gorilla born nine days ago at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo died of head trauma.

St Maarten finds local lionfish tainted with toxin

11 years ago from Physorg

(AP) -- Conservationists in St. Maarten are warning islanders not to eat lionfish after tests found a naturally occurring toxin in the flesh of the candy-striped invasive species, officials...

War-torn Colombian valley now produces butterflies

11 years ago from LA Times - Science

A mother-daughter team's butterfly raising and exporting business provides jobs to disadvantaged women and brings a new spirit to a long-suffering land.Not long ago, Olga Lucia Salazar was breaking chicken...

Sickle cell anemia as malaria defense

11 years ago from LA Times - Science

Researchers get a glimpse into how mutated hemoglobin genes defend their cells against attack by a malaria parasite.Sickle cell anemia causes pain, fatigue and delayed growth, all because of a...

Worms Can Evolve to Survive Intersex Populations

11 years ago from Live Science

Experimental evolution reveals a possible intermediate stage in the evolution of sex determination.

The shark, a predator turned prey

11 years ago from Physorg

Sharks may strike terror among swimmers at the beach but the predators are increasingly ending up as prey, served up in fish-and-chips shops, sparking concern among environmentalists.

Sudden stress shifts human brain into survival mode

11 years ago from Physorg

(Medical Xpress) -- In threatening situations, the brain adapts within seconds to prepare for an appropriate response. Some regions are temporarily suppressed. Others become more active and form temporarily alliances...

Fishing-related Species Declines Impact Provisioning Of Ecosystem Services

11 years ago from

As more and more studies find that human disturbance impacts some species more than others, ecologists are shifting their focus to the next logical research question: What is the consequence...

Conducting how neurons fire

11 years ago from Physorg

Contrary to expectations that the neurotransmitter GABA only inhibited neuronal firing in the adult brain, RIKEN-led research has shown that it can also excite interneurons in the hippocampus of the...

Researchers decode a puzzling movement disorder

11 years ago from Physorg

Neurodegenerative diseases represent one of the greatest challenges of our aging society. However, investigation into these diseases is made particularly difficult due to the limited availability of human brain tissue....

Dantrolene protects neurons from Huntington's disease

11 years ago from Physorg

Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by ongoing destruction of specific neurons within the brain. It affects a person's ability to walk, talk, and think - leading to involuntary movement and...

The ABCC9 of sleep: A genetic factor regulates how long we sleep

11 years ago from Science Daily

Researchers have shown that ABCC9, a known genetic factor in heart disease and diabetes, also influences the duration of sleep in humans. This function is evolutionarily conserved as knock-out of...

How crabs avoid getting eaten

11 years ago from Science Alert

Crabs quickly learn to distinguish if an approaching creature is a friend or foe according to its direction of approach, new research shows.

Super-resolution microscope coming to a lab near you

11 years ago from Physics World

Max Planck Society to commercialize latest breakthrough

Spiders, webs and insects: A new perspective on evolutionary history

11 years ago from Science Daily

The orb web, typical of a large number of spider species, has a single evolutionary origin, according to molecular phylogenetic research. The study presents the hypothesis that the diversification of...