Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Chemical Compound May Stop Deadly Brain Tumors
Researchers have identified a compound that could be modified to treat one of the most deadly types of cancer, and discovered how a particular gene mutation contributes to tumor growth.
Model Tissue System Reveals Cellular Communication Via Amino Acids
Researchers have found the first evidence of cell-to-cell communication by amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, rather than by known protein signaling agents such as growth factors or cytokines.
New Model For Drug Discovery With Fluorescent Anesthetic Demonstrated
Researchers have identified a fluorescent anesthetic compound that will assist researchers in obtaining more precise information about how anesthetics work in the body and will provide a means to more...
Human embryonic stem cells
Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) provide a potentially unlimited source of oral mucosal tissues that may revolutionize the treatment of oral diseases. When fully exploited in the future, this source...
Tiny swimmers stir oceans
A recent study confirmed that krill can stir water enough to improve nutrient mixing – by illuminating an aquarium with lasers.
Inquiry Opened After Death of Rare Jaguar
State officials deny that they had trapped the animal deliberately, but a project member says she was directed to put bait near a leg-hold snare.
Why Do We Have Fingerprints?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Unlike most wrinkles on our bodies, which appear due to bending and stretching of the skin, fingerprints aren't the result of repeated motion. Each of us is born...
Chimps ambidextrous when digging wells
Measurements of water holes dug in the wild suggest that these apes don’t have right versus left preference
Inbreeding taking toll on Michigan wolves
The two dozen or so gray wolves that wander an island chain in northwestern Lake Superior are suffering from backbone malformations caused by genetic inbreeding, posing yet another challenge to...
A new parasite has been discovered in black green lizards from the Iberian Peninsula
An international team of scientists has discovered a new acarine species (Ophionyssus schreibericolus) that lives off black green lizards from the Iberian Peninsula. This involves the first recording of the...
Stand and target triceps, rear delts
When you challenge your body with something new during each workout, your muscles have to struggle to adapt -- and you'll see results sooner. Here's a different way to target...
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
Study urges coastal wind farms ... Chicago water killing marine life ... Chocolate helps brain function ... Robot scientist acts without human aid ... Health/Science news from UPI.
How Baseball Players Catch Fly Balls
How do our eyes, brains, arms and legs combine to track and catch a fly ball?
Zebra fish used to study blindness
WEST LAYFAYETTE, Ind., April 3 (UPI) -- Experiments with zebra fish are helping identify genes linked to retinal diseases that cause blindness, a Purdue University scientist said.
Hobbit brain small, but organized for complex intelligence
Evolution may have endowed a controversial species with small but humanlike brains equipped to support advanced thinking
'Fuzzy logic' reveals cells' inner workings
(PhysOrg.com) -- Living cells are bombarded with messages from the outside world -- hormones and other chemicals tell them to grow, migrate, die or do nothing. Inside the cell, complex...
Chip mimics metabolism
Drug metabolism studies can be conducted on smaller samples than before thanks to an on-chip electrochemical cell designed by European scientists
Fluorescent probes take screening to next level
New screening technique uses fluorescence to shed light on the activities on little-understood proteins
Mexico City vows to protect historic maize varieties
Mexico City says it will protect local maize varieties; meanwhile the country has lifted its ban on GM crop trials in the north of the country.
Ohio zoo's baby elephant ready for the spotlight
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is ready to show off its latest addition, a baby Asian elephant born last week.
Fish Can Count, Study Finds
Fish have joined the growing ranks of animals that can count, according to a new study that showed mosquitofish could add up geometric shapes.
Orangutan Females Steal Food to Test Potential Mates
Female orangutans judge potential partners' aggression levels by snatching food from them and watching their response.
PHOTOS: Rainbow Hues of Amphibian "Worms" Demystified
Most animals that live in darkness are pale and colorless. Yet caecilians, wormlike amphibians that spend most of their lives underground, are surprisingly vibrant--a trait that might be due to...
Undersea Mating Habits of the Stars
Isabella Rossellini returns this month to the Sundance Channel with a new set of episodes of her Green Porno series, which focuses on the mating habits of the animal kingdom....
Improved Replicating Synthetic Membranes
Scientists have devised vesicles with multilayer lipid membranes that grow and divide--an improved model for creating artificial cells
Invasive Species: Will Europe At Last Unite To Combat Thousands Of Alien Invaders?
Europe's borders have been breached by thousands of plants and animal species from other parts of the world: from the American mink to the New Zealand flatworm. The invaders feed...
Protective Role For Kallikrein Proteins In Kidney Disease
A team of researchers has shed new light on several forms of the kidney disease known as nephritis.
Brain study could yield clues to schizophrenia
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have revealed the role of one type of brain cell in the development of a process crucial for memory and learning.