Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Shuttle mice to boost disease research: Experiment on last flight of Discovery will probe spaceflight-induced immune-system impairment
When the space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its final flight Nov. 2, its six astronauts will be joined by 16 mice -- part of a long-term NASA effort aimed...
U.K. seabird breeding failures a concern
LONDON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Breeding among some species of seabirds has been "terrible" in some parts of the northern British Isles, a conservation group says.
Report warns of threats to planet's health
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A cautionary report by the World Wildlife Fund says humanity's consumption of natural resources is heading toward 50 percent more than the Earth can...
Bioelectrical signals turn stem cells' progeny cancerous; Newly discovered 'instructor cells' can deliver deadly directions
Biologists have found that a change in membrane voltage in newly identified "instructor cells" can cause stem cells' descendants to trigger melanoma-like growth in pigment cells a considerable distance away....
Scientists say Asia's corals dying en masse
Coral reefs in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean are dying from the worst bleaching effect in more than a decade, Australian marine scientists said Tuesday.
Recipes for Health: Mexican Scrambled Eggs
Serve this traditional dish with warm corn tortillas.
Scientists warn of funding cuts threat to animal test alternatives
Cuts to medical funding bodies threaten research aiming to reduce number of animals used in experiments, scientists sayResearch that aims to reduce the number of animals used in scientific experiments is in danger...
Movie finds our colour centre
Australian movie ‘Strictly Ballroom’ has been used to locate the colour processing centre in the human brain.
Cracking the Mystery of How Sloths Got Long Necks
The part of the skeleton which scientists had long believed to be part of the sloth rib cage is, in fact, analogous to the bottom of the mammal’s “neck.”
5 states make final pitch to close locks to carp
(AP) -- The reliability of DNA testing that suggests Asian carp may already be in waterways near Lake Michigan was the focus of final arguments Monday in a five-state...
From Taft to Obama, Victrola to DVD: Secrets of the Centenarians
Centenarians alive today are older than the Titanic, crossword puzzles and Mickey Mouse. Not surprisingly, the question they hear most often is “What is the secret to a long life?”
This is your brain on anesthesia: New light shed on how brain reacts during anesthetic induction and emergence
A new study strengthens emerging evidence that the act of going under anesthesia and coming out of anesthesia are distinct neurobiological processes. It also found that the parietal region of...
Mutation over 100 million years ago led flowers to make male and female parts differently
Research by plant scientists has uncovered a snapshot of evolution in progress, by tracing how a gene mutation over 100 million years ago led flowers to make male and female...
Cases: The Night My Liver Started Running My Life
Until my liver tried to kill me, it had done its work uncomplainingly and unnoticed, securely out of mind.
University of Cincinnati neurotrauma team awarded $2.1M to test 'lab on a tube'
The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) a $2.1 million Advanced Technology/Therapeutic Development Award to develop the next generation of brain monitors.
Computational model of swimming fish could inspire design of robots, medical prosthetics
Scientists at the University of Maryland and Tulane University have developed a computational model of a swimming fish that is the first to address the interaction of both internal and...
New faculty member wants to know how flies make decisions
Gaby Maimon, who will join the university on January 1, has developed a unique system for studying the neural basis for decision-making in fruit flies. By using fluorescence microscopy and...
Racing to Save Bats From Catastrophic Exctinction, Biologists Turn to New Tools
Little Brown Bat This little brown bat was photographed in Vermont's Greeley Mine March 26, 2009. White-nose fungus is evident on its face and wings. Marvin Moriarty/USFWSWhat would the United States look like...
Gene-synthesis rules favour convenience
But synthetic DNA standards offer little protection, critics say.
Scientists closer to grasping how the brain's 'hearing center' spurs responses to sound
Just as we visually map a room by spatially identifying the objects in it, we map our aural world based on the frequencies of sounds. The neurons within the brain's...
Optical technique reveals unnexpected complexity in mammalian olfactory coding
Cold Spring Harbor, NY -- A team co-led by neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has shed light -- literally -- on circuitry underlying the olfactory system in mammals,...
NIH-funded scientists sequence genomes of lyme disease bacteria
WHAT: Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have determined the complete genetic blueprints for 13 different strains of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that cause Lyme...
Can naturally raised beef find its place in the industry?
URBANA -- As consumer demand for naturally raised beef continues to increase, researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered that naturally raised beef can be produced effectively for...
Intestinal enzyme helps maintain population of beneficial bacteria
An enzyme that keeps intestinal bacteria out of the bloodstream may also play an important role in maintaining the normal microbial population of the gastrointestinal system. Since the loss...
German night milk may aid insomniacs
Company patents 'nocturnal milk' said to contain higher levels of the sleep hormone melatoninForget counting sheep: milking cows at night may hold the key to helping insomniacs fall asleep.A German company has patented...
Off-Target Acupuncture Kills 86 People in 45 Years
While science has had a hard time proving whether acupuncture works or not, a new study finds it can be deadly.
With a chaperone, copper breaks through: Research identifies features of copper transfer that may improve chemotherapy treatments
Researchers have investigated how a type of membrane protein transfers essential copper ions throughout the body. This mechanism could also be responsible for how the body absorbs Cisplatin, a common...
Brazil and Mexico lead nanotechnology in the region
Nanotechnology has strong government support in Brazil while in Mexico it is the scientists who are driving it forwards, says a study.