Latest science news in Biology & Nature
How plants put down roots: Geneticists research organ development in the plant embryo
Scientists have investigated how the thale cress, Arabidopsis thaliana, forms its first roots: the root founder cell in the tiny group of cells contained in the seed is activated by...
Level of gene alters risk of Alzheimer's disease, researchers find
Using sophisticated techniques that scan the genomes of patients, researchers have found that a gene appears to either help protect against development of Alzheimer's disease, or promote the disorder depending...
Half-Male, Half-Female Chicken Mystery Solved
It was a tough egg to crack, but scientists have discovered that half-male, half-female chickens possess a mixture of genetically male and female cells.
Humans Could Regenerate Tissue Like Newts Do By Switching Off a Single Gene
Scientists have long been stymied by human regenerative healing -- that is, wholesale regrowth of, say, a severed limb -- an ability inherent in some species but lost on humans. But new...
Bacteria on Your Hands Could Become New Forensic Fingerprint
The cats over at CSI might just have another forensic tool to supplement their super-sleek glass and steel science lab: the bacteria on our hands. A group of researchers at University of Colorado...
Study: Grass, fungus combination affects ecology
The popular forage and turf grass called tall fescue covers a vast amount of land in the U.S. - an area that's estimated to be larger than Virginia and Maryland...
To the Antarctic or Brazil for new feathers
Not only land birds, but also some seabirds, cover enormous distances during migration: the sooty shearwater, for example, circumnavigates the earth one and a half times on its travels. Despite...
Study suggests environment may impact apes' ability to understand declarative communication
When we notice somebody pointing at something, we automatically look in the direction of the gesture. In humans, the ability to understand this type of gesturing (known as declarative communication)...
Stanford computational feat speeds finding of genes to milliseconds instead of years
Like a magician who says, 'Pick a card, any card,' Stanford University computer scientist Debashis Sahoo, PhD, seemed to be offering some kind of trick when he asked researchers at...
Human 'germ print' found
Scientists have discovered that humans leave a trail of unique - and lasting - bacteria behind them in their daily lives.
Synergy between 2 types of de-worming drugs found promising in a lab test
A new combination drug treatment for parasitic intestinal roundworms shows promise in a test on a common laboratory species...
Surgeons use neck muscle, surrounding tissue as lip implant
Augmenting the lips with grafts of muscle and connective tissue from the neck appears to result in improved appearance for at least two years, according to a new report.
Peru mahogany decision highlights overlooked timber proposals at CITES
Beyond the headline-grabbing proposals on bluefin tuna and ivory trade, the largest wildlife trade convention meeting this week will also address several timber-related issues -- an often overlooked responsibility of...
Amniotic fluid cells more efficiently reprogrammed to pluripotency than adult cells
In a breakthrough that may help fill a critical need in stem cell research and patient care, researchers have demonstrated that skin cells found in human amniotic fluid can be...
Measuring protein movements with nanosecond resolution
Researchers at the Department of Chemistry at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed a method that allows the observation of local movements in proteins on a time scale of...
Researchers solve a molecular mystery in muscle
Despite widespread interest in insulin-like growth factors, key details about how these potent molecules work on muscle cells have been lacking. Researchers have now cleared up a longstanding mystery about...
3-D cell culture: Making cells feel right at home, suspended in magnetic fields
New research takes aim at a biological icon: the two-dimensional petri dish. Scientists have found a simple way to suspend cells in magnetic fields so they grow into three-dimensional cell...
Common English species face extinction | George Monbiot
If a country that takes conservation so seriously can still be losing plants and animals every year, where does hope lie?The names alone should cause anyone whose heart still beats to stop...
Carbon-capture scheme could cause toxic blooms
Findings raise more concerns over proposals to boost plankton growth in the oceans.
CSI's Latest Clue—Bacteria
Unique skin microbes might allow identification of criminals [Read more]
Molecular study could push back angiosperm origins
Flowering plants may be considerably older than previously thought, says a new analysis of the plant family tree.
Researchers identify gene that may play key role in atherosclerosis, other diseases
To understand the role of inflammation in cardiovascular and other diseases, it is essential to identify and characterize genes that induce an inflammatory response in the body -- and the...
Hormone hikes cotton yields in droughts
LUBBOCK, Texas, March 15 (UPI) -- U.S. government scientists say they've found a naturally occurring class of plant hormones called cytokinins can help increase cotton yields during droughts.
Medieval child's brain found preserved
Scientists were able to identify neurons and cerebral cells from the brain preserved from the 13th century. Brain - 13th century - Health - Conditions and...
Breakthrough in understanding how our body repairs itself
New research led by scientists at the University of Essex has given an insight into how the body finds damage in the DNA code to repair it...
K-State Veterinarian Says Keep Easter Lilies Away from Cats
K-State's Dr. Kenneth Harkin of Kansas State University said there is an unknown water soluble compound in the Easter lily, as well as in the tiger lily and the Asiatic...
Microfibres pure enough for the liver
A research group in Korea have developed a method to engineer artificial liver tissue using microfluidics
All aboard the DNA nanotube
Cargo-carrying DNA nanotubes that can rapidly release their load on demand have been made for the first time by Canadian researchers