Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Fish Health Claims May Cause More Environmental Harm Than Good, Researchers Say
The health benefits of fish consumption have been over-dramatized and have put increased pressure on wild fish, according to a new research.
Microscope reveals how bacteria 'breathe' toxic metals
Researchers are studying some common soil bacteria that 'inhale' toxic metals and 'exhale' them in a non-toxic form. The bacteria might one day be used to clean up toxic chemicals...
Researchers develop DNA 'patch' for canine form of muscular dystrophy
Using a novel genetic technology that covers up genetic errors, researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have developed a successful treatment for dogs with the canine...
Study identifies human genes required for hepatitis C viral replication
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers are investigating a new way to block reproduction of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) - targeting not the virus itself but the human genes the...
Historical Increase In Corn Yield: It's In The Roots
The extraordinary yield advance within the US Corn Belt over the past century has been a significant agricultural development associated with the breeding of hybrids and increased planting density. A...
Recipes for Health: Potato and Parsley Soup
This simple soup draws its flavor from an commonplace garnish: parsley.
Hippo ancestry disputed
Hippos spend lots of time in the water and now it turns out (or researchers argue), they are the closest living relative to whales. It also turns out, the two...
Catching the common cold virus genome
A new study by Brigham Young University researchers on the virus behind nearly half of all cold infections explains how and where evolution occurs in the rhinovirus genome and what...
Important new model shows how proteins find the right DNA sequences
Researchers at Uppsala University and Harvard University have collaboratively developed a new theoretical model to explain how proteins can rapidly find specific DNA sequences, even though there are many obstacles...
Flies may spread poultry farm bacteria
BALTIMORE, March 17 (UPI) -- Johns Hopkins University scientists in Baltimore say they have found evidence houseflies collected near poultry farms may spread drug-resistant bacteria.
Embryonic Stem Cells: 5 Misconceptions
While stem cell research holds great promise, hype and misconceptions cloud the picture.
Wet combing more accurate than visual inspection for identifying active head lice infestation
Combing through a child's wet hair may lead to more accurate identification of active head lice infestation than visual inspection, according to a report in the March issue of Archives...
Dendritic cells ensure immune tolerance
Dendritic cells are essential to the body's immune defenses. Now, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen (Germany) researchers show that they also have to protect the body from itself: They help to identify any...
Scripps research scientists 'watch' as individual alpha-synuclein proteins change shape
In an Early Edition publication of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) this week, the researchers demonstrate the "alpha-synuclein dance" - the switching back and forth of...
Why red flowers are eaten less
The belief that flowers evolved colour purely as a means of attracting pollinators is being challenged by new research.
Researchers Develop Wireless Method of Brain Stimulation
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new, wireless method of brain stimulation has the potential to activate specific regions of the brain or restore function to damaged or cut nerves, according to a...
Brain on a chip?
(PhysOrg.com) -- 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...
Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative announces completion of genome-wide analysis
Researchers announced today that a high-density genome wide analysis of participants in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI; www.adni-info.org) is more than 95% complete and that data will be shared...
Finding a bacterium in a blood sample
How do you separate bacteria from small biological samples? A lab-on-a-chip device that does just that offers hope for diagnostics
Happy Birthday, Web!
It's been 20 years this month since Timothy Berners-Lee proposed the Web as a means of organizing information generated at CERN. And if science enabled its creation, the Web has...
Key Events In Evolutionary History Revealed In Protein Structure Study
A new study of proteins, the molecular machines that drive all life, also sheds light on the history of living organisms.
Crown Farms-brand frozen fish recalled
WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of Crown Farms-brand "Gulsha" frozen fish because of possible bacterial contamination.
Nanoprobes created that can locate tumors
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., March 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. biological engineer says he has developed nanoprobes that can help locate tumors and might one day be able to...
Biomedical News from the Largest Physics Meeting of the Year
1) Immune Cells Shoulder Microscopic Backpacks; 2) New Polymer Material Helps Accelerate Bones Growth; 3) Imaging Neuronal Activity Directly with MRI; 4) Measuring the Flexibility of Human Eye Lenses as...
Mechanism Discovered For Wind Detection In Fruit Flies' Antennae
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...
Queen Cleopatra was 'of African descent', say scientists
Forensic tests on remains thought to be Queen Cleopatra's sister show the siblings had an African mother.
Genetic Mechanism in Mole Rats Can be Targeted in Cancer Research
Cellular mechanisms that subterranean mole rats have developed in order to survive the low levels of oxygen in their underground habitat are similar to the mechanisms used by tumors to...
Nanotechnology Coating Could Lead To Better Brain Implants To Treat Diseases
Biomedical and materials engineers have developed a nanotech coating for brain implants that helps the devices operate longer and could improve treatment for deafness, paralysis, blindness, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease.