Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Light-activated Antibacterial Coating Is New Weapon In Fight Against Hospital-acquired Infections
A new hard coating with antibacterial properties that has been tested by researchers and has been shown to kill 99.9 percent of Escherichia coli bacteria when a white hospital light...
Conficker worm plays no tricks on April Fools' Day
The Conficker worm's April 1st trigger date came and went without the bedeviling computer virus causing any mischief but security specialists warn that the threat is far from over.
Diet Affects Diversity Of Microbes In Human Gut, And In Turn, Colon Cancer Risk
A typical Western diet, rich in meat and fats and low in complex carbohydrates, is a recipe for colon cancer, scientists say. Researchers have described an expanding body of evidence...
Genes tell butterflies to head south
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have uncovered a group of 40 genes that appear to make North America's monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles south each autumn.
Chimp strength: Brains as well as muscles
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., April 1 (UPI) -- A U.S. evolutionary biologist says chimpanzees, which are several times stronger than humans, gain strength from their brains, as well as...
Some eye cells misidentified as stem cells
MEMPHIS, April 1 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led team of medical researchers says cells isolated from the eye that many scientists believe are retinal stem cells are actually normal...
Stem Cell Breakthrough: 'Switch' Created That Turns Stem Cells Into Muscle
In a genetic engineering breakthrough that could help everyone from bed-ridden patients to elite athletes, a team of American researchers has created a "switch" that allows mutations to be turned...
Antarctic marine biodiversity data now online
The International Polar Year (IPY) concluded in March 2009 with a tangible legacy in the form of a network of databases on marine biodiversity that will serve as clearinghouse for...
Visual Science: Fine-Grained Genetic Data
With the help of powerful gene chips, geneticists are able to distinguish between northern European populations.
Single Gene Shapes the Toil of Ants’ Fighter and Forager Castes
Researchers have found that protein levels can change, altering ant behavior.
A Conversation With Dee Boersma: A Census Taker for Penguins in Argentina
Dee Boersma, a University of Washington conservation biologist, is the Jane Goodall of penguins.
Cats' nervous systems able to repair themselves
Scientists studying a mysterious neurological affliction in cats have discovered a surprising ability of the central nervous system to repair itself and restore function.
Homebody queen ants help preserve family ties in large populations
Ant and bee colonies have long fascinated biologists because of their hierarchical social structure and the apparently altruistic behaviour of female workers in rearing the queen's young rather than reproducing...
Researchers bring new brain mapping capabilities to desktops of scientists worldwide
Mapping the billions of connections in the brain is a grand challenge in neuroscience. The current method for mapping interconnected brain cells involves the use of room-size microscopes known...
Tanzania study reopens debate on targeting mosquito larvae to control malaria
Targeting mosquito larval populations may be an effective intervention to help control malaria in urban situations, a study published today suggests. The research, conducted in Dar es Salaam, the largest...
Parasites hinder immunity against cholera
Intestinal hitchhikers may render people more vulnerable to the microbe and might lessen vaccines’ effectiveness
Lice genomes: Pieces of a new puzzle
Parents and school nurses take note. Lice are a familiar nuisance around the world and vectors of serious diseases, such as epidemic typhus, in developing regions. New research indicates that...
Hundreds of natural-selection studies could be wrong, study demonstrates
Scientists at Penn State and the National Institute of Genetics in Japan have demonstrated that several statistical methods commonly used by biologists to detect natural selection at the molecular level...
Workhorse immune molecules lead secret lives in the brain
Molecules assumed to be in the exclusive employ of the immune system have been caught moonlighting in the brain - with a job description apparently quite distinct from their role...
Mechanism That Regulates Cancer-causing Gene Discovered
Scientists have revealed how a cancer causing protein is regulated by reactive oxygen species -- a type of stress signal. Their findings provide new insight into how this protein normally...
Cancer Genomics Browser Gives Cancer Researchers A Powerful New Tool
A Cancer Genomics Browser provides a new way to visualize and analyze data from studies aimed at improving cancer treatment by unraveling the complex genetic roots of the disease.
Groundbreaking Study Reveals Intermediary Steps Of Genetic Encoding For The First Time
Scientists have shed light on a crucial step in the complex process by which human genetic information is transmitted to action in the human cell and frequently at which point...
Experimental design could reduce need for animal tests
Accounting for environmental changes may be better than trying to control them.
Gene Tells Soldier Ants to Beat Swords into Ploughshares
(PhysOrg.com) -- While science has yet to discover what makes that little ol' ant think he'll move that rubber tree plant, researchers at the University of Toronto Mississauga have identified...
New Possibilities for Hydrogen-Producing Algae
(PhysOrg.com) -- Photosynthesis produces the food that we eat and the oxygen that we breathe ― could it also help satisfy our future energy needs by producing clean-burning hydrogen? Researchers...
Wildlife Specialist Issues Salmonella Caution to Bird Feeders
Virginia citizens have been reporting a significant number of deaths of birds common to bird feeding stations such as finches. The current problem is not yet epidemic statewide. Salmonella occurs...
The Exploding Squid Population
It's been said there are not so many fish in the sea as there used to be. However, John Blackstone reports on a proliferation of Humboldt squid that is even...
Egg Makes Sure That Sperm Don't Get Too Old
In contrast to women, men are fertile throughout life. But new research in Sweden has now shown that a fertilizing sperm can get help from the egg to rejuvenate. The...