Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Epigenetic Mark Guides Stem Cells Toward Their Destiny
Scientists have uncovered a gene control mechanism that guides the development and differentiation of epidermal skin stem cells in mouse embryos, and shown that this mechanism tempers the development of...
Gliding Bristletails Give Clues On Evolution Of Flight
Biologists are providing insight on the evolution of winged flight. The scientists observed how arboreal bristletails -- evolutionary precursors to insects -- in the Amazon Forest can leap tree trunk...
Compound is key coordinator of clock and metabolism
Our circadian clock, or biological timing system, governs our daily cycles of feeding, activity and sleep. Research using cells has produced a solid portrait of the clock at the genetic...
Scientists create mouse model of melanoma that generates hope for the use of targeted therapies
Researchers have developed a new mouse model that allows them to replicate normal pigment cells at the earliest stages of conversion to malignant skin cancer in humans. After testing the...
Cells get two chances, not just one, to fix their mistakes
Cells have two chances to fix the same mistake in their protein-making process instead of just one - a so-called proofreading step - that had previously been identified, according to...
Researchers devise new way to explore DNA
A team that includes researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found a new way of detecting functional regions in the human genome. The novel approach involves looking...
Prion Discovery Gives Clue To Control Of Mass Gene Expression
The discovery of a new yeast prion may provide clues on whether prions, like proteins, can affect mass activation of gene expression.
Parkinson's-linked mutation makes neurones vulnerable to calcium-induced death
A new study reveals the mechanism by which a genetic mutation linked with Parkinson's disease (PD) renders dopamine neurones particularly vulnerable to cell injury and death. The research is published...
Change Of Lighting Could Drastically Reduce Bird Death By Collision With Communication Towers
Each year, it is estimated that millions of birds collide with communication towers. Researchers have discovered that a simple alteration of the lighting scheme on these towers may reduce bird...
Researchers Worldwide Rally to Help Scientist Exposed to Ebola
Victim, still in isolation, was given an experimental vaccine based on livestock virus
How deep brain stimulation works for Parkinson's
Finding that nerve fibers are where changes may happen could enable less-invasive treatments
A diet rich in calcium aids weight loss
Boosting calcium consumption spurs weight loss, according to a study published in the most recent issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, but only in people whose diets are calcium...
When intestinal bacteria go surfing
The bacterium Escherichia coli is part of the healthy human intestinal flora. However, E. coli also has pathogenic relatives that trigger diarrhea illnesses: enterohemorrhagic E.coli bacteria. During the course of...
The Queen was amused
As a new film sheds light on the early life of Queen Victoria, a story uncovered by a historian at the University of East Anglia offers its own insight into...
New DNA markers promote Finnish rye breeding
Healthy dark rye bread is a staple of the Finnish diet, but nowadays most of the rye used by bakeries is imported from other countries. Rye is less widely cultivated...
Missing piece of plant clock found
Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have identified a key protein that links the morning and evening components of the daily biological clock of plants...
Caltech scientists discover mechanism for wind detection in fruit flies
Tiny, lightweight fruit flies need to know when it's windy out so they can steady themselves and avoid being knocked off their feet or blown off course. But how do...
Gender bending shrimps help researchers to find sex genes
A scientist at the University of Portsmouth has won a half a million pound grant to further his research on the mysterious ability of some shrimp to change sex...
Half of all areas within Spain's Natura 2000 network do not have full protection
Spanish and Portuguese scientists have reviewed the regulations relating to protection of the ecologically-important natural areas within the Natura 2000 network. According to the researchers, the risk evaluation protocols used...
Air Force unveils brain injury clinic in Alaska
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AP) -- Behind Dan DeRosa's smiling face lurks a dull headache that never goes away. He suffers from memory lapses and...
'Octomania' grips La Habra neighborhood
Quiet cul-de-sac is overrun by paparazzi and looky-loos as Nadya Suleman brings two of her octuplets home. She even called 911 to say 'this is not safe for any of...
Scientists grow diabetes drug in tobacco plants
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have found a healthy use for tobacco after breeding genetically modified plants containing a medicine that could stop type 1 diabetes.
New iPod Shuffle a delight, despite flaw
Apple solved one problem with its fun, new iPod Shuffle: With the push of a button on its headphone cord, it can tell you what song is playing. But it...
How Dolphins Steer Their Sonar
Study suggests dual sonar pulses help toothed whales echolocate in multiple directions without moving their heads
Dingoes Go Far for "Love"
Unless they're looking for mates, Australian dingoes, wild native dogs, don't roam as far as previously thought, new research shows. Video.
Cell Pathway On Overdrive Prevents Cancer Response To Dietary Restriction
Researchers have pinpointed a cellular pathway that determines whether cancerous tumors are susceptible to dietary restriction during their development. When this pathway, known as PI3K is permanently turned "on" via...
Killing Young Fish Paradoxically Results In Population Growth, Study Finds
If you kill more fish, the total population of the species declines. However, kill only small, young fish, the total number of small, young fish increases. This seemingly paradoxical conclusion...
Bioinformatics Sheds Light On Evolutionary Origin Of Rickettsia Virulence Genes
Scientists have revealed that genes for a specific type of molecular secretion system in Rickettsia, a structure that is linked in many cases to virulence, have been conserved over many...