Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Zimbabwe finds 10 more dead elephants, suspects bacteria
Zimbabwe wildlife authorities on Thursday said they suspect ten more elephants succumbed to a bacterial infection that killed 12 young pachyderms last week.
New species of freshwater Crustacea found in the hottest place on earth
A new species of freshwater Crustacea has been discovered during an expedition of the desert Lut, known as the hottest place on Earth.
Editing immune response could make gene therapy more effective
Gene therapy generally relies on viruses, such as adeno-associated virus (AAV), to deliver genes into a cell. In the case of CRISPR-based gene therapies, molecular scissors can then snip out...
Natural pest control saving billions
Biological control of insect pests - where 'natural enemies' keep pests at bay - is saving farmers in Asia and the Pacific billions of dollars, according to new research. Biological...
'Hotspots' of a coronavirus infection in the human body
An infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can affect multiple organs. Researchers have investigated cellular factors that could be significant for an infection. They analyzed the activity of 28 specific genes...
New tool allows researchers to predict key functional sites in proteins
A new technology that uses a protein’s structure to predict the inner wiring that controls the protein’s function and dynamics is now available for scientists to utilize. The tool, developed...
Scientists discover new rules about “runaway” transcription
On the evolutionary tree, humans diverged from yeast roughly 1 billion years ago. By comparison, two seemingly similar species of bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, have been evolving apart for roughly twice...
Using Tattoo Ink to Find Cancer
The humble ink in a tattoo artist’s needle could be the key to improving the detection of cancer, thanks to new research from the USC Viterbi Department of Biomedical Engineering....
Old males vital to elephant societies
Old male elephants play a key role in leading all-male groups, new research suggests.
Could plants help us find dead bodies? Forensic botanists want to know
Search teams looking for human remains are often slowed by painstaking on-foot pursuits or aerial searches that are obscured by forest cover. In a Science & Society article appearing September...
Study reveals lactose tolerance happened quickly in Europe
The ability for humans to digest milk as adults has altered our dietary habits and societies for centuries. But when and how that ability—known as lactase persistence or lactose tolerance—occurred...
Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris join Netflix sci-fi film 'They Cloned Tyrone'
Jamie Foxx and Teyonah Parris will star with John Boyega in the new movie "They Cloned Tyrone."
Why naming neurons can help cure brain disease
A group of 74 scientists proposed the use of single-cell RNA sequencing as the skeleton for a unified classification of cortical neurons. The 'Copenhagen Classification' came out of an international...
Scientists discover new rules about 'runaway' transcription
On the evolutionary tree, humans diverged from yeast roughly 1 billion years ago. By comparison, two seemingly similar species of bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, have been evolving apart...
Scientists capture rare footage of mother skink fighting a deadly brown snake to protect her babies
Unlike many mammals and birds, most reptiles show little sign of being caring parents. But our new research shows one lizard species may be more doting parents than we thought—the...
New research reveals these 20 Australian reptiles are set to disappear by 2040
Action came too late for the Christmas Island forest skink, despite early warnings of significant declines. It was lost from the wild before it was officially listed as "threatened," and...
Researchers develop dual-excitation decoding strategy for high-accuracy thermal sensing
Luminescent nanothermometry is a non-invasive method of detecting temperature in vivo, which is important in biology and nanomedicine researches.
Study reveals RNA G-quadruplex structures in nature for the first time
Researchers have resolved a longstanding biological debate by revealing the existence and function of complex RNA structures in plants.
Scientists name 20 Australian snakes and lizards on path to extinction
Australia has more reptile species than any other country; we are home to about 10% of the world's species.
Scientists have the answer to a tadpole mystery
The advance could help protect amphibians from extinction by protecting their breeding grounds.
New test can detect crown-of-thorns starfish as quickly as a home pregnancy kit
Researchers at the Australian Institute of Marine Science have developed a dipstick test that can detect crown-of-thorns starfish (CoTS) on coral reefs by using the same technology as home pregnancy...
Plant pathogens reorder physical structures of effectors to escape plant recognition
Phytophthora infestans is an oomycete, or water mold, that causes the devastating potato disease known as late blight or potato blight and was responsible for the famous Irish Famine of...
Unmanned aerial vehicles help wheat breeders
Breeding programs for crops with limited per-plant seed yield require one or more generations of seed increase to generate sufficient quantities for sowing replicated yield trials. The ability to accurately...
Newly identified gene grants tomatoes resistance to bacterial speck disease
Bacterial speck disease, which reduces both fruit yield and quality, has been a growing problem in tomatoes over the last five years. Because the culpable bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae, prefers a...
Researchers warn of food-web threats from common insecticides
In light of emerging evidence showing how a commonly used class of insecticides can spread through the environment to pollinators, predators and other insects they are not intended to kill,...
U.S. Open tennis: No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova falls; Novak Djokovic rallies
Top-seeded Karolina Pliskova suffered an upset loss in the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, N.Y.
Newly identified gene grants tomatoes resistance to bacterial speck disease
Bacterial speck disease, which reduces both fruit yield and quality, has been a growing problem in tomatoes over the last five years. Because the culpable bacterium, Pseudomonas syringae, prefers a...
Engineered yeast produce hyoscyamine and scopolamine
Scientists design longest, most complex engineered pathway, involving more than 20 enzymes and other proteins