Latest science news in Biology & Nature
BP places cap on leaking oil well
BP lowers a cap onto a leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, but it will not be known for up to 24 hours if it will be successful.
USGS finds contaminants in public wells
RESTON, Va., May 25 (UPI) -- Scientists say more than 20 percent of untreated water samples from 932 U.S. public wells contain at least one contaminant of possible health...
Nine new species for disappearing handfish family
Nine new species of handfish have been described by CSIRO in research that highlights an urgent need to better understand and protect the diversity of life in Australia's oceans. The...
Minnow with fangs, golden orb spider and carnivorous sponge make top 10 list of new species
The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists have announced the top 10 new species described in 2009. The top 10 new...
Scientists make important step toward stopping plaque-like formations in Huntington's disease
Researchers describe a laboratory test that allows scientists to evaluate large numbers of fruit fly genes for a possible role in the formation of plaque-like protein aggregates within cells. Those...
Border Patrol high-speed chase ends in arrests
Border Patrol agents chased a Ford Expedition 100 miles from the Mexico border to Irvine early Saturday morning before taking the driver and six undocumented passengers into custody, authorities said.
'Dracula' Fish and Bombardier Slug Make Top 10 List
A "dracula" fish with canine-like fangs, a worm that launches glow-in-the-dark bombs and a psychedelic frogfish are among the top 10 new species discovered in 2009, scientists just announced.
Tsunami damaged ecosystems and altered the Chilean coast
People, animals and plants are in danger because of the dramatic changes caused to the coastline by the tsunami that hit Chile, studies reveal.
South Asia wildlife experts back new enforcement network
Experts from seven countries have laid the foundation for a South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) as a coordinated regional response to combat illegal poaching and trafficking...
Humanity will thank heaven that this creator of synthetic life is playing God
Spare us the parade of ethicists and clerics. This is a moment in evolution, as radical an invention as agriculture or industryMartin Rowson
Day of discovery for UK wildlife
A wide range of activities take place across the UK to celebrate International Day for Biological Diversity.
NIH Funds Multicenter "Glue Grant" to Study Enzyme Function
A multi-institutional team of researchers, including scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, has received a prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) "Glue Grant" to develop a...
Descanso Gardens overhaul has water conservation at its core
Nowhere in the West is sustainable gardening a harder sell than in Southern California. Public gardens preach conservation, but their grounds are surrounded by turf. The message to visitors: Eastern-style,...
Rare black rhinos relocated to Africa's Serengeti
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK, Tanzania (Reuters) - Conservationists flew the first five of 32 critically endangered East African black rhinos from South Africa back to their habitat in Tanzania's Serengeti park...
Top 7 Diet Tricks That Really Work
Here are the top seven diet tricks that scientists say really work.
Researchers Find Way to 'See' Water Molecules Hidden Inside Proteins
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University has discovered a way to look at water molecules hidden deep inside proteins, revealing a network through which information...
The Wildlife Conundrum
Repeatedly federal officials have said they are very concerned about gulf wildlife; that they cannot predict how birds and fish and the like will be affected; and that they have...
Endangered African rice varieties gain elite status
As part of a redoubled effort to stave off future food crises by bringing Africa's rice production in line with its rapidly growing consumption, scientists have announced a paradigm shift...
Researchers Turn to Supercomputing to Find Malaria's Soft Spot
Understanding the nuances of infectious diseases--in particular malaria , which killed about one million people worldwide in 2008 --is a crucial step toward wiping them out. However, getting...
Northwest Braces for Grasshopper Outbreak
Scientists in the Pacific Northwest are bracing for what's shaping up to be the worse grasshopper outbreak in 30 years. The USDA reports it found a dramatic increase in the...
Systems biology helps to understand hematopoiesis
Our body reacts to blood loss by stimulating the production of red blood cells (erythrocytes). The cells of the hematopoietic (blood-forming) system in the bone marrow do so upon receipt...
Using remote sensing to track invasive trees
A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists has refined remote sensing tools for identifying invasive Ashe juniper shrubs and trees in central Texas and nearby regions. These findings can...
Three steps to potential anticancer drugs
Shortcut speeds up synthesis of natural marine sponge product
UN warning on fisheries loss
The UN's top environment official echoes warnings that commercial fishing could be destroyed within 50 years.
Switch protein also influences the cytoskeleton
The protein Ras is known as the switch for cell division when it is activated. Mutations in Ras and its interaction partners can thus lead to the development of cancer....
Hippopotamus on menu at Beijing zoo
Don't feed the animals, but feel free to feed on them in the restaurant, visitors to Chinese capital's zoo are told• Student activists try to change Chinese appetites• A peek inside China's live...
Japan sends endangered sea turtles to Singapore for release
Thirteen endangered sea turtles bred in captivity in Japan have been given to a Singapore aquarium to prepare them for release into a natural habitat later this year, scientists said...
Dutch researcher develops new method of stem cell culture
Deborah Schop of the University of Twente, The Netherlands, and the MIRA research institute has developed a new method of stem cell culture. With the new method Schop can cultivate...