Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Are Sperm Counts Really Declining?
Some studies have found marked drops in sperm count, whereas others have not, and it’s surprisingly hard to measure
Study examines how DNA damage is repaired by antioxidant enzymes
A typical human cell is metabolically active, roaring with chemical reactions that convert nutrients into energy and useful products that sustain life. These reactions also create reactive oxygen species, dangerous...
'How do we know what we don't know?': Scientists completely define the process of methylation
UNSW Sydney researchers, for the first time, have completely defined the essential cellular process known as methylation. In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,...
Revealing the secrets of freshwater streams
Beneath the surface of a freshwater stream, animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms create complex patterns of biodiversity. Brooke Penaluna, research fisheries biologist at the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research...
Study leads to milestone advances in understanding lethal bronzing of palm trees
Palm trees infected with lethal bronzing disease emit signals that warn nearby healthy palms of the threat. Those healthy palms produce their own defense that University of Florida scientists one...
Plants can distinguish when touch starts and stops
Even without nerves, plants can sense when something touches them and when it lets go, a Washington State University-led study has found.
Computational biologist Tal Einav joins LJI faculty
La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is pleased to welcome biophysicist and immune system researcher Tal Einav, Ph.D., to the Institute's faculty. His laboratory at LJI will develop new tools...
Research is the first to unlock the secret of microbial slime
The slimy outer layer of fungi and bacteria known as the "extracellular matrix," or ECM, has the consistency of jelly and acts as a protective and envelope layer. But, according...
As water levels drop, the risk of arsenic rises
When John Mestas' ancestors moved to Colorado over 100 years ago to raise sheep in the San Luis Valley, they "hit paradise," he said.
How a mysterious protein plays a crucial role in plant growth
It's springtime on campus, which means that flowers and plants of all kinds are bursting to life, growing and blooming.
Crossing the ring: New method enables C-H activation across saturated carbocycles
A new "molecular editing" technique from Scripps Research enables chemists to add new elements to organic molecules at locations that were previously out of reach.
Study identifies pro-viral human protein critical for embryo development
A new study led by scientists at Uppsala University and INRAE/Université Paris-Saclay has discovered that the pro-viral host protein ZC3H11A plays a critical role in maintaining embryo viability during early...
Overfishing linked to rapid evolution of codfish
The overfishing of codfish spanning the second half of the 20th century indicates that human action can force evolutionary changes more quickly than widely believed, according to a Rutgers-led study.
Detailed structure of understudied cell division 'nanomachine' revealed
Researchers have revealed, at high-resolution, the structure of a human protein complex named SIN3B, which is a 'nanomachine' involved in regulating cell division. Cell division is a fundamental process for...
Suspected Russian spy whale is looking for love in all the wrong places
A beluga whale that was discovered wearing a suspicious harness in 2019 is on the move in search of other belugas. But it's heading in the wrong direction.
The role of global DNA methylation in rat limb bud development in vitro
A team of leading Croatian researchers at the Center of Excellence in Reproductive and Regenerative Medicine, Zagreb School of Medicine, has made a novel discovery in our understanding of limb...
High-resolution roadmap charted for regeneration of pancreatic β cells
A research group led by Prof. Shao Zhen from the Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health (SINH) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the collaborators charted a high-resolution...
Assumptions about gender roles in past humans ignore an icky but potentially crucial part of original 'paleo diet'
One of the most common stereotypes about the human past is that men did the hunting while women did the gathering. That gendered division of labor, the story goes, would...
Chemical Found in Common Sweetener Damages DNA
A new study finds a chemical formed when we digest a widely used sweetener is "genotoxic," meaning it breaks up DNA. The finding raises questions about how the sweetener may...
Researchers reveal drug resistance mechanism of pathogen Staphylococcus aureus
Recently, a research team led by Prof. Sun Baolin from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) revealed the mechanism of transcriptional regulation via S-nitrosylation for vancomycin resistance...
Desert ants increase the visibility of their nest entrances in the absence of landmarks
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology report in Current Biology that in the absence of visible landmarks, desert ants increase the likelihood that foraging nest mates will...
These ants build tall nest hills to help show the way home
Some ants have figured out how to keep from getting lost: Build taller anthills. Desert ants that live in the hot, flat salt pans of Tunisia spend their days looking for food....
Watch: Brothers take on villains in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem' trailer
Paramount Pictures released the first trailer for its animated movie "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" on Wednesday.
This psychedelic-eyed gecko isn't what we thought it was
The bright-eyed reptiles were identified as a new species after a genetic analysis of other geckos revealed they were separate from another closely related species.
Engineering the bacteriophage T4 to serve as a vector for molecular repair
A team of medical scientists at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C., working with a colleague from Purdue University, has developed a way to engineer the bacteriophage T4...
Mosquito zappers get a boost from static-electricity harvester redesign
Controlling mosquito populations, especially in isolated or remote areas, is a global public-health priority. In a new study, a team of Chinese researchers advanced this agenda with a more efficient...
EU looks to boost boat tracking to fight overfishing
The EU is moving towards extra tracking and putting cameras on fishing boats to monitor their catches in order to prevent overfishing, under a deal Wednesday that environmentalists hailed as...
Plants can distinguish when touch starts and stops
Even without nerves, plants can sense when something touches them and when it lets go, a Washington State University-led study has found.