Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New culture dish could advance human embryonic stem cell research
A new synthetic Petri dish coating could overcome a major challenge to the advancement of human embryonic stem cell research, say University of Michigan researchers...
Bright butterfly wing colors duplicated
CAMBRIDGE, England, June 2 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've found a way to mimic the bright colors found on the wings of tropical butterflies -- a finding that...
Single-molecule manipulation for the masses
Scientists have developed a new massively-parallel approach for manipulating single DNA and protein molecules and studying their interactions under force. The finding appears in the June 2 issue of Biophysical...
Richard Firn obituary
My friend Richard Firn, who has died of cancer aged 65, was a plant biologist whose questioning of orthodoxy made him an inspiring teacher and colleague, and a scientist of the utmost...
1997 Warning on Deep Blowouts: "Options Are Limited"
In 1997 an expert on well blowouts warned about extreme risk on the deep-sea frontier.
Deepwater mystery: Oil loose in the Gulf
(AP) -- Streaming video of oil pouring from the seafloor and images of dead, crude-soaked birds serve as visual bookends to the natural calamity unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.
How whales have changed over 35 million years
Evolutionary biologists have looked back 35 million years to provide the first test of why whales show such rich diversity. Species diversification and body size of whales were established early...
Genes associated with throat cancer found through study of over 10,000 subjects
Scientists from Singapore, China and USA have identified three new susceptibility genes in a genome-wide association study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The study advances understanding of the important role of...
Acupuncture’s molecular effects pinned down
Scientists have taken another important step toward understanding just how sticking needles into the body can ease pain. In a paper published online May 30 in Nature Neuroscience, a team at...
Under the Waves, a Deep Unknown
Why the brutal nature of the deep sea makes stopping a runaway oil well in the Gulf of Mexico so daunting.
New estimate cuts species tally
A statistical study has found that the number of species on Earth is most likely to be about 4 million – not the 30 million usually quoted.
Quebec DNA bank halfway to goal
A Quebec project to create a giant bank of DNA for medical research purposes has passed the halfway mark toward its goal.
The number crunchers who are saving lives
Ten years on from the revelation that scientists had cracked the human genome, the phenomenal capacity of modern computers is starting to exploit the potential of that discovery for the fight against diseaseA...
How RNA viruses copy themselves: Hijack cellular enzyme to create viral replication factories on cell membranes
Researchers have made a significant new discovery about RNA (ribonucleic acid) viruses and how they replicate themselves. Certain RNA viruses -- poliovirus, hepatitis C virus and coxsackievirus -- and possibly...
New source of stem cells form heart muscle cells, repair damage
A new and noncontroversial source of stem cells can form heart muscle cells and help repair heart damage, according to results of preliminary lab tests.
After 'Top Kill,' Few Options to Cap Well
The list of options for promptly stanching the flow of oil in the gulf is shrinking.
From Californians’ DNA, a Giant Genome Project
More than 130,000 members of Kaiser Permanente in Northern California have volunteered to have their DNA scanned as part of the largest human genome study of its kind ever attempted.
Hawaii says no to shark fin soup
HONOLULU, May 29 (UPI) -- Shark conservation groups are praising Hawaii, which has become the first U.S. state to ban the sale, possession or distribution of shark fins.
Yale researchers develop test to identify 'best' sperm
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered a method to select sperm with the highest DNA integrity in a bid to improve male fertility. The method is comparable to...
Following the sugar right from the start
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC), Berkeley, have successfully attached imaging probes to glycans - the sugar...
Alaska sues feds over predator control
(AP) -- The state of Alaska sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Friday, seeking a court order allowing it to go ahead with a controversial predator control program.
The 'Jane Goodall of ants'
Smithsonian scientist Mark Moffett talks about the insects' social structure, their methods of making war, and why much of California is just one big ant colony. ...
Stripes may not be bees' defence
UK researchers have found that birds avoid bumblebees even when the insects do not have the classic black-and-yellow stripes.
Tracking Ticks via Satellite
Ticks cause Lyme disease and many other ailments, but finding the little bloodsuckers by hand can be both disgusting and dangerous. Now there's a better way--via satellite.
Baby Steps to New Life-Forms
Creating new designs on life - literally - and possibly gaining a more profound understanding of its evolved nature.
Dead orca calf not from endangered B.C. group
A dead killer whale calf that washed up on a Vancouver Island beach west of Victoria was not from B.C.'s southern resident orca population.
Sand Berm Approved to Fight Oil; Scientists Skeptical
The state of Louisiana is poised to begin a large experiment in blocking oil...
Expert: Oil Spill Could Cause Huge Problems for Endangered/Threatened Animals
A Texas Tech endangered species specialist can describe perils faced by whales, dolphins and endangered sea turtles.