Latest science news in Biology & Nature
How cobras form hood flares
(PhysOrg.com) -- Cobras, and several other groups of unrelated snakes, form a menacing hood flare by expanding the sides of their necks as part of a defensive display. Now scientists...
Toxic ash threatens Iceland herds
Icelandic farmers race to protect their animals from being poisoned as rural areas become caked in dust.
Cell division orchestrated by multiple oscillating proteins, new research finds
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research takes the study of biological rhythms, like the heart beat, to a new level: the cell cycle. Scientists at Rockefeller University have proposed that the orderly...
Scientists discover new genetic sub-code
Computer scientists are chasing possible sub-codes in genomic information. The study led to the identification of novel sequence biases and their role in the control of genomic expression.
Chinese scientists discover marker indicating the developmental potential of stem cells
Researchers in China are reporting that they have found a way to determine which somatic cells -- or differentiated body cells -- that have been reprogrammed into a primordial, embryonic-like...
"Avatar" Creator Loses Amazon Battle
Conservationists Vow to Fight On After Brazilian Judicial Ruling Clears Way to Build Huge Dam
Museum holds first census of UK's cherry trees
The first census of cherry trees in the UK is to take place, to find out where the trees grow and flower.
Structure of inner-ear protein is key to both hearing and inherited deafness
Rising from the top surface of each of the specialised receptor cells in our inner ears is a bundle of sensory cilia that responds to the movement of sound. As...
Visualization of geographic patterns may predict spread of disease
Disease statistics buried within patient records or detailed in newspaper clippings can be sorted and organized to depict geographic patterns, allowing the discovery of trends that were previously overlooked, according...
Lessons from the pond: Clues from green algae on the origin of males and females
A multicellular green alga, Volvox carteri, may have finally unlocked the secrets behind the evolution of different sexes. Scientists have shown that the genetic region that determines sex in Volvox...
Oxygen-Free Animals Discovered—A First
Deep in the Mediterranean, scientists have discovered the first complex animals known to live without oxygen.
Open-source TB megaproject yields first fruits
The pioneering Open Source Drug Discovery project has mapped the TB genome and found a potential drug for the disease.
Exclusive: AIDS Scientist Investigated for Misconduct After Complaint
University of California, Berkeley, professor of molecular and cell biology Peter Duesberg tells ScienceInsider...
Why a rotten tooth is hard to find
Brain can't distinguish pain coming from top versus bottom tooth
Synthesis via paths less travelled
US scientists have demonstrated the existence of undiscovered chemical pathways to an important class of bioactive lipids in the nervous system
Shanghai braces for chemical restrictions
Chemical transportation in Shanghai will be strictly controlled during a six month long cultural exposition
Invading Species Carrying Parasites Have Healthy Appetites
Invasive species can decrease biodiversity and drive resident species to the brink of extinction. But how do these interlopers fare so well in unfamiliar territory? One idea is that they’ve...
Brain splits to handle two jobs at once
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research has shown that the brain handles two tasks at once by dedicating half the brain to one task, and the other half to the second. This...
University told to hand over data
Queen's University in Belfast has been told by the Information Commissioner to hand over 40 years of research data on tree rings.
'Gay' swans nest together
Male swans set up nest together and act like they will lay eggs.
Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog's site fidelity may lead to further decline
No longer found in 90 percent of its previously occupied habitat, the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog is further threatened by cumulative impacts of a changing climate, introduced non-native trout and...
Electronic 'nose' can predict pleasantness of novel odors
Scientists have 'trained' an electronic system to be able to predict the pleasantness of novel odors, just like a human would perceive them. The researchers argue that the perception of...
Perhaps a longer lifespan, certainly a longer 'health span'
Organisms from yeast to rodents to humans all benefit from cutting calories. In less complex organisms, restricting calories can double or even triple lifespan. It's not yet clear just how...
FDA issues shell eggs safety rules
WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says it has issued guidance to help small egg producers comply with 2009 federal egg safety regulations.
Big bites improve weight loss
Researchers have found that chewing your food less makes you feel full longer – and food can be designed to help that happen.
Study Affirms Importance of Insect-Eating Animals to Ecosystem Health
(PhysOrg.com) -- Lions, tigers and bears top the ecological pyramid-the diagram of the food chain that every school child knows. They eat smaller animals, feeding on energy that flows up...
Primordial Path To Painkillers
Heat stability of enzyme from Archaea microbe facilitates anti-inflammatory drug synthesis.
Mapping methylation's mysterious background
Analysis of 17 species fills in evolutionary history of DNA modification process.