Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Proteins By Design: Biochemists Create New Protein From Scratch
Using design and engineering principles learned from nature, a team of biochemists have built -- from scratch -- a completely new type of protein. This protein can transport oxygen, akin...
Astrocytes distinguish man from mouse
ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 26 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they've discovered brain cells called astrocytes are what distinguish the human brain from that of other animals.
Scientists find potential way to create safer stem cells from skin
There may be a safe way to turn human skin cells into stem cells with the potential to be steered toward the body's repair system, scientists said Thursday.
Antibiotic thiostrepton genes identified
ATLANTA, March 26 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've identified the genetic machinery responsible for synthesizing thiostrepton, a powerful antibiotic produced by certain bacteria.
Darwin's College Bills
Storage-room discovery sheds light on famed naturalist's spending habits
Scientists find tiny genetic change keeps nicotine from binding to muscle cells
A tiny genetic mutation is the key to understanding why nicotine - which binds to brain receptors with such addictive potency - is virtually powerless in muscle cells that are...
'Master regulator' of skin formation discovered
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Researchers at Oregon State University have found one gene in the human body that appears to be a master regulator for skin development, in research that could...
Single embryo transfer is the cheapest and most effective strategy for assisted reproduction
Transferring single embryos to women's wombs over several assisted reproduction cycles that use both fresh and frozen embryos is more effective and cheaper than transferring two or more embryos at...
Komodo dragons maul man to death
Fruit picker attacked after he
New type of DNA design is created
SALT LAKE CITY, March 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. scientist and his colleagues have described the design of a new type of DNA with 12 chemical letters instead...
Starve a yeast, sweeten its lifespan
Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a new energy-making biochemical twist in determining the lifespan of yeast cells, one so valuable to longevity that it is likely to also functions in...
Herpes: Scientists find cellular process that fights virus
Scientists have discovered a new way for our immune system to combat the elusive virus responsible for cold sores: Type 1 herpes simplex (HSV-1). As reported in the advance online...
New 'green' pesticides are first to exploit plant defenses in battle of the fungi
Exploiting a little-known punch/counterpunch strategy in the ongoing battle between disease-causing fungi and crop plants, scientists in Canada are reporting development of a new class of "green" fungicides that could...
Time (and PPAR-beta/delta) heals all wounds
Mammalian skin requires constant maintenance, but how do skin cells know when to proliferate and at what rate? In the March 23, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology,...
Lipid droplets lead a Spartin existence
Spartin, a protein linked to the neuronal disease Troyer syndrome, was thought to function in endocytosis. In the March 23, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, Eastman et...
New research may save lives in suicide bombings
Florida Institute of Technology researchers have determined that where a person is standing in a room or other location during a suicide terrorist attack can have a great bearing on...
Recipes for Health: Getting Your Grains — and Greens, Too
I find whole grains appealing, even addictive, because of their chewy textures as well as their flavors.
Study shows how Salmonella survives in environment
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have demonstrated how a single-celled organism, living freely in the environment, could be a source of Salmonella transmission to animals and humans.
New stem cell therapy may lead to treatment for deafness
Deafness affects more than 250 million people worldwide. It typically involves the loss of sensory receptors, called hair cells, for their "tufts" of hair-like protrusions, and their associated neurons. The...
More research needed to tap Africa's biogas potential
Sub-Saharan Africa is missing out on the benefits of biogas production due to a lack of local research, say researchers.
Va. botanical garden welcomes two eaglets
NORFOLK, Va., March 23 (UPI) -- A botanical garden in Norfolk, Va., is home to two new eaglets whose eggs hatched in recent days, a site spokeswoman said...
Scientists Can See Brain Blunders Coming
About a second before mistakes are made, brain wave patterns predict the looming blunder.
New DNA test gives cold case hope
A new technique which can decipher previously unintelligible DNA samples is made available to all police forces in England and Wales.
Hippos and pigs or hippos and whales?
CALGARY, Alberta, March 23 (UPI) -- Canadian and U.S. professors are disputing each other's view of the family tree involving hippos, whales and pigs.
Zippety Zoo Dah: Bonnie the Whistling Orangutan
Bonnie the orangutan is the first nonhuman primate ever formally documented to whistle, or to spontaneously mimic the sound of another species. Scientists think she's copying humans.
Scientists boost whale surveys
Australian scientists have developed techniques that will help preserve whales by more accurately assessing their numbers.
Synthetic Capsules Made of Natural Building Blocks
(PhysOrg.com) -- The basis of all life forms are vesicles: membrane-enclosed, liquid-filled `bubbles` made of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. Cells, which are separated from the surrounding medium by their cell...
Brain On A Chip?
How does the human brain run itself without any software? Find that out, say European researchers, and a whole new field of neural computing will open up. A prototype ‘brain...