Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Parkinson's: Neurons Destroyed By Three Simultaneous Strikes
In a study that reveals the clearest picture to date of neuron death in Parkinson's disease, researchers have found that a trio of culprits acting in concert is responsible for...
Human Brain Can Recognize Objects Much Faster Than Some Have Thought
Some experts believe that vision isn't possible without feedback from higher levels of the brain, but a study now demonstrates that the brain can rapidly recognize objects under a variety...
Fish may actually feel pain and react to it much like humans
Fish don't make noises or contort their faces to show that it hurts when hooks are pulled from their mouths, but a Purdue University researcher believes they feel that pain...
Researchers report oral delivery system for RNAi therapeutics
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) report today on a novel approach to the delivery of small bits of genetic material in order to silence genes using...
Disrupting A Brain Protein Produces Antidepressant-like Effect In Mice
A brain protein involved in fear behavior and anxiety may represent a new target for depression therapies, according to new research. The study showed that disrupting the ASIC1a protein produced...
Matrix protein key to fighting viruses
Researchers from Durham University's Centre for Bioactive Chemistry are developing methods that show how proteins interact with cell membranes when a virus strikes. Using their approach, the team hopes to...
New flu virus may be a real mongrel, study shows
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The new virus that has killed as many as 177 people and spread globally is a mongrel that appears to have mixed with another hybrid virus containing...
Human brain contains neurones with a preference for whole real words
A new study provides direct experimental evidence that a brain region important for reading and word recognition contains neurones that are highly selective for individual real words. The research, published...
Is quitting Twitter more popular than re-tweeting?
(AP) -- Twitter quitters outnumber the flock of habitual tweeters on the rapidly growing online communications service, a new study suggests.
Glowing Puppies Created?
A South Korean research team claims to have cloned beagles with an implanted fluorescent gene. Some researchers say the technique could be applied to treatment of human diseases. Video.
DNA 'barcoding' raises hopes for elephantiasis
Scientists hope to expose the hideouts of elephantiasis-causing mosquitoes in the first use of DNA barcoding to tackle a major world disease.
Mites on hissing coackroach may benefit humans with allergies
Tiny mites living on the surface of Madagascar hissing cockroaches help decrease the presence of a variety of molds on the cockroaches' bodies, potentially reducing allergic responses among humans who...
Zebrafish offer clues to treatments for motor neurone disease
Tiny zebrafish could hold the key to stem cell treatments for motor neurone disease.
Interview: Bearing fruit
Alan Crozier on flavonoids, David Bellamy and good wine. Carl Saxton investigates
Animals that play dead sacrifice others
Many insects and animals, including humans, enter into a state of "fake death" immobility when threatened, but this seemingly passive frozen-with-fear state may be a selfish behavior that can lead...
Happy the hippo, meet Puddles and Patty
The National Zoo's solitary male Nile hippopotamus is heading to the Milwaukee County Zoo, where his new home will include a pool, a sandy beach and two potential girlfriends, Puddles...
German Researchers Make Significant Strides In Identifying Cause Of Bacterial Infections
Several bacterial pathogens use toxins to manipulate human host cells, ultimately disturbing cellular signal transduction. Until now, however, scientists have been able to track down only a few of the...
How Cells Function: Missing Target For Calcium Signaling Identified
Researchers can now describe one of the missing triggers that controls calcium inside cells, a process important for muscle contraction, nerve-cell transmission, insulin release and other essential functions. The researchers...
Remembrance Of Things Past Influences How Female Field Crickets Select Mates
Biologists researching the behavior of field crickets have found that female crickets remember attractive males based on the latter's song, and use this information when choosing mates. The researchers found...
Medicinal biodiversity needs stronger protection efforts
International bodies, governments and indigenous people must all help protect medicinal biodiversity, say Jeffrey A. McNeely and Sue Mainka.
Arabian Tahr gets royal protection
In a major conservation decision, the United Arab Emirates has established the Wadi Wurayah Fujairah - home to the endangered Arabian Tahr and possibly the rare Arabian Leopard - as...
Novel Approach to Treating Osteoarthritis Uses Engineered Proteins and Molecules to Halt Cartilage Degradation
Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and the Kennedy Institute for Rheumatology in the UK are developing and evaluating a novel approach for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment by employing engineered proteins and...
South Korea moves for first stem cell study in 3 years
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea has moved to allow human stem cell research for the first time since about three years ago when its pre-eminent researcher was accused of fraud...
Widespread And Substantial Declines Found In Wildlife In Kenya's Masai Mara
Populations of major wild grazing animals that are the heart and soul of Kenya's cherished and heavily visited Masai Mara National Reserve -- including giraffes, hartebeest, impala and warthogs --...
Protein That Makes Phosphate Chains In Yeast Revealed; Implications On Crops, Human Diseases
Polyphosphate, a long chain of phosphate molecules, is found in all life forms, and serves a multitude of purposes, from energy storage to stress response to bone calcification. Researchers in...
U.S. government revokes rule limiting species protections
U.S. federal agencies again will have to consult with government wildlife experts before taking actions that could impact threatened or endangered species.
The limits of life on Earth extended... in water
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new species of archaebacteria, Pyrococcus CH1, thriving within a temperature range of 80 to 105°C and able to divide itself up to a hydrostatic pressure of 120...
Fatty Foods May Boost Memory
A hormone released during the digestion of certain fats triggers better memory in rats, a finding that likely holds true for humans, a new study says.