Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome
For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder...
Amaizing: Corn genome decoded
In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to...
Task force doctor stands by mammogram advice
(AP) -- A member of the panel whose new mammogram recommendations have led to confusion is defending the task force's report.
Bees can learn differences in food's temperature, study finds
Biologists have discovered that honeybees can discriminate between food at different temperatures, an ability that may assist bees in locating the warm, sugar-rich nectar or high-protein pollen produced by many...
Sharks under threat as environmental change bites hard
(PhysOrg.com) -- Their size and fearsome appearance have made them the stuff of nightmares, but new research just published suggests that sharks may not be as tough as they appear.
Imaging study shows HIV particles assembling around its genome
(PhysOrg.com) -- The genesis of one the planet's most lethal viruses, HIV, has been caught on tape. New imaging experiments show individual HIV genomes -- strands of RNA -...
Nanoparticles cause genetic damage in mice
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. study has shown titanium dioxide nanoparticles found in numerous household items can cause systemic genetic damage in mice.
Strange worms discovered eating dead whales
Some strange creatures can be found on the ocean seafloor, and boneworms are among the most bizarre — they have no eyes or mouth and feast on the bones of...
Petascale computing tools could provide deeper insight into genomic evolution
Technological advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing have opened up the possibility of determining how living things are related by analyzing the ways in which their genes have been rearranged on...
Bigger not necessarily better, when it comes to brains
Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists. Animals with bigger brains are not necessarily more...
Research describes connections between Circadian and metabolic systems
(PhysOrg.com) -- A paper by University of Notre Dame biologist Giles Duffield and a team of researchers offers new insights into a gene that plays a key role in modulating...
Darwin's finches tracked to reveal evolution in action
A new species of finch may have arisen in the Galapagos.
On your last nerve: NC State researchers advance understanding of stem cells
Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a...
Cross-country runabouts -- immune cells on the move
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now deciphered the mechanism that illustrates how these mobile cells move on diverse surfaces. "Similar...
Video: Newly born prehistoric fish caught on video for first time
Japanese and Indonesian researchers have filmed for the first time a newly born baby coelacanth, which experts say is a 'missing link' between fish and amphibians
Solving the 50-year-old puzzle of thalidomide
Research into the controversial drug thalidomide reveals that the mechanism through which the drug causes limb defects is the same process which causes it to damage internal organs and other...
Alternative animal feed part of global fisheries crisis fix: UBC study
Finding alternative feed sources for chickens, pigs and other farm animals will significantly reduce pressure on the world's dwindling fisheries while contributing positively to climate change, according to University of...
New view of blood vessel inhibition ID'd
UPPSALA, Sweden, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A team of Swedish-led scientists says it has identified a new mechanism by which a specific protein in the body inhibits formation of...
Australian marsupial soaks up sun like a lizard
A small Australian marsupial is taking a lesson from the reptile world and basking in the sun to conserve energy and improve its chances of survival, a researcher has found.
Seamount diary: In Pictures
The diversity of animals already sighted by the IUCN expedition to study seamounts rising from the floor of the Indian Ocean.
Squid, Wolves, And Global Warming
The Associated Press, that bastion of scientific knowledge, shares with us a list of "pests that are benefiting or could benefit from global warming", starting with: _Ticks that transmit Lyme disease...
Watching Lyme disease-causing microbes move in ticks
Lyme disease is caused by the microbe Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted to humans from feeding ticks. Justin Radolf and colleagues, at the University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, have...
Observatory: Digging Into the Science of That Old-Book Smell
Is the smell of old books — musty, slightly acidic, even grassy — quantifiable or useful?
New cause of osteoporosis: Mutation in a miroRNA
Many biological processes are controlled by small molecules known as microRNAs, which work by suppressing the expression of specific sets of genes. Xiang-Hang Luo and colleagues, at Second Xiangya Hospital...
Observatory: When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak
Mountain lions seem to actively seek out mule deer infected with chronic wasting disease.
Researcher wants to tip the scales for northern lizard
Armed with eyelash glue, a walking stick and a faithful horse, University of Alberta researcher Krista Fink is hoping to help Canada's most northern lizard get off the species-at-risk list.
Analyzing structural brain changes in Alzheimer's disease
In a study that promises to improve diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a fast and accurate method for quantifying...
Protecting the future: How plant stem cells guard against genetic damage
Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, have shown how plants can protect themselves against genetic damage caused by environmental stresses. The growing tips of plant roots...