Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Gene that makes large, plump tomatoes identified
Farmers can grow big, juicy tomatoes thanks to a mutation in the cell size regulator gene that occurred during the tomato domestication process.
Engineering team images tiny quasicrystals as they form
What makes quasicrystals so interesting? Their unusual structure. Now scientists are actively pursuing this relatively new area of study.
Watch: American pronghorn calf rescued by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
Rescuers with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance swooped in to save an underweight American pronghorn fawn found struggling on private land in New Mexico.
Is it really Lyme? Researchers developing a new test to tell
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Diagnosing if a tick bite caused Lyme or another disease can be difficult but scientists are developing a new way...
Science Says: DNA test results may not change health habits
NEW YORK (AP) -- If you learned your DNA made you more susceptible to getting a disease, wouldn't you work to stay healthy?...
Australia’s ghost crabs decapitate baby sea turtles
Life can get off to a rough start for loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchlings. In fact, it can look more like a feeding frenzy with the sea turtles as the featured...
Orange male guppies are hornier
For guppies (Poecilia reticulata) getting ready to mate, the color orange speaks volumes. The more orange coloration on a male guppy, the more virile it is, according to a study recently published...
Pet cat helps discover a new virus
Pepper the cat is at it again. After his hunting skills helped virologists identify the first jeilongvirus in the United States, the virus-hunting feline has detected a new strain orthoreovirus. It helps that...
This parasitic fly gives birth inside of crickets
It’s pretty rare, but just like us mammals, some flies actually give live birth. One of them is a parasitic fly species Ormia ochracea (O. ochracea). A new study published this week...
In some genetic cases of microcephaly, stem cells fail to launch
In a very severe, genetic form of microcephaly, stem cells in the brain fail to divide, according to a new Columbia University Medical Center study that may provide important clues...
Purest yet liver-like cells generated from induced pluripotent stem cells
This image shows induced pluripotent stem cells expressing a characteristic cell surface protein called SSEA4 (green). A research team including developmental biologist Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., SmartStateTM Chair...
Study finds shark fins & meat contain high levels of neurotoxins linked to Alzheimer's disease
Cyanobacterial neurotoxin β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) and Mercury are detected in sharks from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In a new study, University of Miami (UM) scientists found high concentrations of...
More tomatoes, faster: Accelerating tomato engineering
A researcher transfers tomato plantlets from a plate of regeneration medium. Tomatoes are already an ideal model species for plant research, but scientists at the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI)...
New genus of bacteria found living inside hydraulic fracturing wells
Ohio State University researchers and their colleagues have identified a new genus of bacteria living inside hydraulic fracturing wells. Researchers analyzing the genomes of microorganisms living in shale oil...
Brain circuit that drives sleep-wake states, sleep-preparation behavior is identified
Stanford University School of Medicine scientists have identified a brain circuit that's indispensable to the sleep-wake cycle. This same circuit is also a key component of the reward system, an...
Giraffes more speciose than expected
Scientists from the Senckenberg and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation have analysed the genetic relationships of all major populations of giraffe in the wild. The large study on the genetic makeup...
Study reveals how ionising radiation damages DNA and causes cancer
For the first time, researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their collaborators have been able to identify in human cancers two characteristic patterns of DNA damage caused by...
The proteins that domesticated our genomes
EPFL scientists have carried out a genomic and evolutionary study of a large and enigmatic family of human proteins, to demonstrate that it is responsible for harnessing the millions of...
Condo-Style Living Helps Keep the Peace Inside These Ant Plants
Scientists studying ant plants in Fiji have discovered one way that a host plant can keep the peace among residents that might otherwise kill each other.
Reuben Saunders Wins Hertz Thesis Prize for Mapping Gene Function in Living Tissues
Hertz Fellow Reuben Saunders developed a powerful new CRISPRi-based screening platform to silence genes in millions of cells across living tissues. His award-winning thesis, "Pooled genetic screens with rich readouts...
Meet the 'Weird' Sea Spider That's Mapping the Evolution of Eight-Legged Creatures
UW-Madison researchers and their international colleagues have published the first high-quality genome of a sea spider species, providing a key reference point for the evolutionary traits of many related animals....
From Microbiota to Microgravity: What's Inside The FASEB Journal's Latest Issue
The FASEB Journal's July 2025 issue features new research on gut health, aging, cell signaling, innovative therapies, and how environment and diet shape disease, highlighting breakthroughs across biomedical science.
Cutting to the Core of How 3D Structure Shapes Gene Activity
In biology textbooks and beyond, the human genome and DNA therein typically are taught in only one dimension. While it can be helpful for learners to begin with the linear...
Some Sharks in the North Atlantic May Delay Their Fall Migrations South
A new, published study shows that certain migratory species of sharks may remain swimming and feeding in Atlantic Ocean waters in areas of the northeast coast for longer periods of...
For biologists studying tiny worms, new technologies make big improvements
Two new technologies are helping scientists understand new aspects of organ and nervous system development in C. elegans. One allows them to image worms developing in a natural environment, while...
New study resolves the structure of the human protein that causes cystic fibrosis
In order to better understand how genetic mutations give rise to cystic fibrosis, researchers need to map the protein responsible for the disorder. The new structure has led to new...
For microbes fighting viruses, a fast response means a better defense
Researchers have found that the bacterial immune system targets an invading virus as soon as it enters the cell. This discovery answers a long-standing question about how microbes defend themselves....
Study identifies “night owl” gene variant
Scientists have discovered a common mutation that might explain why some people have trouble going to sleep at night and getting up early. The gene alteration slows the internal biological...