Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Conservation crime scientist uncovers secrets of trade threatening world's most endangered species
Trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products is estimated to be the fourth largest illegal trade in the world.
Mosquitoes found to prefer cooler temperatures
Mosquitoes have thermal preferences. This is an important parameter to better predict outbreaks of diseases transmitted by these insects.
When the cell digests itself: How inherited neurodegenerative diseases develop
A tangle of pockets, tubes and sac-like membrane structures runs through the cells of humans, animals, plants and fungi—the endoplasmic reticulum, or ER for short. In the ER, proteins are...
Selectivin found to kill crop-parasitizing nematodes without killing other organisms in the soil
A team of horticulturists affiliated with a host of institutions in Canada and the U.S. has found a chemical that kills crop-parasitizing nematodes in the soil without killing other organisms....
Look: Mystery alligator captured in Illinois woman's garden
Animal control officers in Illinois were in disbelief when they responded to a call from an elderly resident and discovered a 3 1/2-foot alligator was indeed wandering her garden.
Stealthy Salmonella escapes host's defenses using two-pronged approach
Like thieves that constantly look for ways to evade capture, Salmonella enterica, a disease-causing bacterium, uses various tactics to escape the human body's defense mechanisms. In a new study, researchers...
This Dubai lab clones prized camels
Camel cloning is emerging as a big business in Dubai, where the animals are cherished and can earn huge sums in beauty and racing contests. The Reproductive Biotechnology Centre in...
Yeast screen uncovers genes involved in chromosomal mutation
When creating a computer program, errors in the code can introduce bugs to the software. Similarly, errors in our body's genetic code, DNA, which is stored in structures known as...
Bird flu fells nearly 9,000 marine creatures in Chile
Nearly 9,000 sea lions, penguins, otters and small cetaceans have died in an avian flu outbreak battering Chile's north coast, the South American country's fisheries service said Thursday.
Precious cheetah cubs die in India national park
The cubs were the first to be born in the country 70 years after the animals were declared extinct here
Newly discovered chemical is a highly targeted killer of parasitic worms
The most abundant animals on farms—and everywhere on land, in fact—are microscopic worms called nematodes. Some kinds benefit the soil, but others parasitize crops, inflicting more than $100 billion in losses worldwide each...
Advanced imaging of root chemicals offers new insights on plant growth
On a sunny springtime stroll through a park, it's easy to ignore the parts of plants that are hidden from view. Plant biologists see things differently. They look below the...
Climate-stressed trees get a boost from new microbial partnerships
Climate change is subjecting plants to rapid shifts in temperature and precipitation, pushing them into new ranges and stressing them in old ones.
In rare case, man develops painful deep vein blood clots following brown recluse spider bite
A man in Michigan developed deep vein thrombosis after reportedly being bitten by a brown recluse spider.
Mikado in the cell: Arrangement of proteins could be responsible for diseases
Processes inside human cells are tightly regulated in time and space by various enzymes and proteins. However, if processes become unbalanced—for example, because cells experience increased stress—these processes can also...
Soil microbes that survived tough climates can help young trees do the same
Microbial stress can be a boon for young trees. Saplings grown in soil microbes that have experienced drought, cold or heat are more likely to survive when faced with those same conditions, researchers...
Ivory Coast imposes fishing bans in bid to conserve stocks
West African fish exporter Ivory Coast on Thursday announced temporary bans on trawling for tuna and other species in a bid to protect dwindling stocks.
What was behind Australia's potato shortage? Wet weather and hard-to-control diseases
,If you've been into a fish and chip shop in the last 12 months, you may well have seen a notice tacked to the wall about the impact of the...
Polar fish are less likely to die early, so they prioritize growth over reproduction
Polar fish experience lower mortality than tropical fish, allowing them to delay reproduction until later in life when they are larger and can produce more eggs, according to a study...
Study establishes molecular basis for interaction between essential protein complex and its regulator
The labs of Lauren Jackson, associate professor of biological sciences and biochemistry, and Todd Graham, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences at the College of Arts and Science and professor of...
New names proposed for Cynanchum species endemic to Madagascar
In Madagascar, Cynanchum L. is the most species-rich genus of the dogbane family (Apocynaceae). About 80 species are known there and most of them are endemic. Among these species, C....
Study finds double threat for endangered Australian east coast shark
A slow birthrate and night-time wanderings of pregnant gray nurse sharks away from no-take marine protected areas are putting the fierce-looking but mild-mannered species at further risk of extinction.
Conservation scientists give trafficked, endangered parrots fighting chance
Two dozen rare Amazon parrot chicks left orphaned and homeless by a sophisticated wildlife smuggling operation are receiving round-the-clock care by Florida International University conservation zoologists.
Photographic study reveals incidence of attempted shark predation on Australian dolphins
Dolphins and porpoises are welcome features of Australia's coastline however little is known about the predation risk they face from sharks in their habitat.
Doctor dog: How our canine companions can help us detect COVID and other diseases
While we humans generally experience the world through sight, dogs use scent to learn about the environment around them. What their nose knows is crucial for finding food, mates and...
Computational model estimates lifespan of any fish species using only its genome sequence
If a fishery manager could only know one thing about a fish species, it should be lifespan. But many species live out their lives on time scales much longer than...
Beetles in a bottle: A message from aliens to schools
While invasive alien species (IAS) represent a growing threat to global biodiversity and ecosystems, public awareness of them hasn't seen a significant increase. Many researchers believe informing people about IAS...
Orchids' ability to grow on other plants independently evolved multiple times
The most extensive study of the genetic relationships among orchids to date reveals that the flower's ability to grow on other plants evolved independently multiple times. A team of researchers,...