Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Antarctic Ice Creature Opens Window to Extreme Life
A shrimp-like creature and jellyfish tentacles discovered in the darkness under 600 feet of Antarctic ice, are further evidence of how life can thrive in surprising places.
How Its Internal Clock Is Read, Knows Reindeer
Humans are pegged to a 24-hour cycle. We're locked into it not just by day and night--there’s the master timepiece in the brain called the circadian clock. But it doesn't...
An organic approach to pest control: releasing super-sexed (but sterile) male insects
An improved method for sustainable pest control using "super-sexed" but sterile male insects to copulate with female ones is being developed by agricultural researchers in Israel. The scientists thus hope...
Brain-Like Computer Closer to Realization
(PhysOrg.com) -- Almost since computing began, scientists and technologists have been fascinated with the idea of a computer that works similarly to the human brain. In 2008, the first "memristor"...
Heat makes butterflies early
Butterflies are emerging earlier in spring because of climate change, according to a new study – it’s not just a coincidence.
Harsh winter delays spring blooms
It looks more like January than March as spring flowers bloom much later than expected, say researchers.
The formula for making teeth will soon be found
Each cusp of our teeth is regulated by genes which carefully control the development. A similar genetic puzzle also regulates the differentiation of our other organs and of all living...
Potential CITES trade ban for rare salamander underscores wildlife e-commerce
A little-known Iranian salamander is poised to become the first example of a species requiring international government protection because of e-commerce -- a major threat to endangered wildlife that authorities...
UN: Tigers "On the Verge of Extinction"
Top United Nations Official Says World Has "Failed Miserably" in Protecting Endangered Cat
Neuroimaging study describes Alzheimer's disease-like changes in elderly people without the disease
Researchers have related the findings that are emerging from PET-PIB imaging to changes in the function of brain circuits.
Imaging fat layer around heart can help predict disease
Imaging epicardial adipose tissue, or the layer of fat around the heart, can provide extra information compared with standard diagnostic techniques such as coronary artery calcium scoring. The size of...
Study points to role of antioxidant balance in bird health and reproduction
A balanced diet, exercise and reduced stress not only can lead to a longer life, but also better reproduction, according to a new study by a team of researchers, including...
Theory of single stem cell for blood components challenged
Components of the blood or haematopoietic system derive from stem cell subtypes rather than one single stem cell that gives rise to all the different kinds of blood cells equally,...
Fish can recognise a face based on UV pattern alone
Two species of damselfish may look identical - not to mention drab - to the human eye. But that's because, in comparison to the fish, all of us are essentially...
Protein-bait interactions, display libraries featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
The use of recombinant proteins, antibodies, small molecules, or nucleic acids as affinity reagents is a simple yet powerful strategy to study the protein/bait interactions that drive biological processes. Analysis...
Wine vine: Microscopic photography reveals bacteria destroying grape plant cell wall
Like a band of detectives surveying the movement of a criminal, researchers using photographic technology have caught at least one culprit in the act. In this case, electron microscopy was...
New Chains For Ionic Liquids
Kinked fatty acid side chains create a new class of low-melting-point salts.
Scientists find new form of prion disease that damages brain arteries
National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists investigating how prion diseases destroy the brain have observed a new form of the disease in mice that does not cause the sponge-like brain...
Smelling the scenery in stereo
Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena have investigated another navigational skill of desert ants. These ants are already well-known for their remarkable visual orientation: they...
The scientific brain
Alink and colleagues based this conclusion on the characteristics of responses in the primary visual cortex. It is known that the primary visual cortex is critical for vision and that...
New types of bandages and wraps developed
DALLAS, March 15 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas say they have created a unique cloth that can be used for therapeutic bandages and wraps.
India needs more wildlife protection areas
NEW YORK, March 15 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists studying the extinction of large mammals in India say the country needs improvements in protected areas and cultural tolerance for some...
Cells of aggressive leukaemia hijack normal protein to grow
Researchers have found that one particularly aggressive type of blood cancer, mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL), has an unusual way to keep the molecular motors running. The cancer cells rely on...
New technique allows study of protein folding, dynamics in living cells
A new technique to study protein dynamics in living cells has been created by a team of University of Illinois scientists, and evidence yielded from the new method indicates that...
Japan whale cull not necessary: researchers
Whale researchers returned from Antarctic waters Monday after a six-week expedition they say proves Japan's annual kill of whales for scientific purposes is unnecessary.
Developing Weed Resistance in Corn Hybrids
Scientists in Africa are working to develop maize hybrids that keep their genetic diversity and resistance to parasitic weeds.
Decoding the long calls of the orangutan
Research into the long calls of male orangutans in Borneo has given scientists new insight into how these solitary apes communicate through dense jungle. An acoustic analysis of the calls...
Fishery management practices for beluga sturgeon must change, experts urge
A first-of-its-kind study of a Caspian Sea beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) fishery demonstrates current harvest rates are four to five times higher than those that would sustain population abundance. The...