Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Mom's pre-teen years can affect offspring's brain
A mother's life experience can affect the biology of her offspring, according to new animal research in the February 4 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. read more
Pathway And Enzyme Unique To Deadly Tularemia Organism Discovered
Researchers are closer to developing therapies to combat the deadly tularemia infection. Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious organism many fear could be used as a bio-weapon.
Holy Guacamole: Invasive Beetle Threatens Florida's Avocados
A researcher is tracking the movement of the Redbay Ambrosia beetle, an invasive insect that, if it spreads to southeast Florida, may severely affect the production of avocados, a $15...
RNA enzyme might inhibit herpes virus
GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they are using a gene-targeting RNA enzyme to inhibit strains of the herpes simplex virus.
Study discovers how deadly microbe grows
NEW YORK, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have determined how a deadly fungus microbe -- Cryptococcus neoformans -- evades the human immune system and causes...
A Spicy Meal
Also in today's links: pregnant whales giving birth on land, mice living the good life, and more. read more
15-year-old Theory About The Nervous System Disproved
Researchers have uncovered clues identifying which proteins are involved in the development of the nervous system and found that the proteins previously thought to play a significant role, in fact,...
Tinkering with the circadian clock can suppress cancer growth
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that disruption of the circadian clock - the internal time-keeping mechanism that keeps the body running on a...
Neural mapping paints a haphazard picture of odour receptors
Despite the striking aromatic differences between coffee, peppermint, and pine, a new mapping of the nose's neural circuitry suggests a haphazard patchwork where the receptors for such disparate scents are...
Caltech researchers help unlock the secrets of gene regulatory networks
A quartet of studies by researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) highlight a special feature on gene regulatory networks recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy...
Minnesota Partnership targets aphids
Medical scientists in Minnesota are focusing their expertise on a pest that destroys soybeans. The goal of the Minnesota Partnership team is to develop an insecticide that is safe for...
Mosquito genes could be target in malaria fight
LONDON (Reuters) - Researchers say they have identified genes that make some African malaria-carrying mosquitoes resistant to insecticide, and hope the breakthrough could boost efforts to prevent the deadly disease.
United States, East Africa allies must overcome radical Islam
Al Qaeda is the primary terrorist/extremist threat in East Africa, but the region suffers more broadly from a danger of radical Islamist groups. read more
At Rest, Your Brain Runs in Screensaver Mode
Your brain's visual centers remain active when your eyes are closed and even when you sleep.
Mysterious, Deadly Bat Disease Spreads
A mysterious and deadly bat disease discovered just two winters ago in a few New York caves has now spread to at least six northeastern states, and scientists are scrambling...
Radiation found in sludge from Ottawa sewage treatment plant
Tests at the U.S. border have picked up traces of low-level radiation in sludge from the City of Ottawa's wastewater treatment plant.
Don't go changing: New chemical keeps stem cells young
Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop...
Nanotechnology used to probe effectiveness of antibiotics
A group of researchers led by scientists from the London Centre for Nanotechnology, in collaboration with a University of Queensland researcher, have discovered a way of using tiny nano-probes to...
Plums Poised To Give Blueberries Run For The Money
There’s an emerging star in the super-food world. Plums are rolling down the food fashion runway sporting newly discovered high levels of healthy nutrients, say scientists at Texas AgriLife Research....
Personal Touch In Farming: Giving A Cow A Name Boosts Her Milk Production
Giving a cow a name helps to boost her milk production, scientists have found. Cows may feel happier and more relaxed if they are given a bit more one-to-one attention...
Sports of The Times: Baseball to Focus Attention on Gehrig’s Disease
Seventy years after Lou Gehrig’s “luckiest man” speech, Major League Baseball will help fight the disease that bears his name.
Zoos lack funds to inspire Obama's future scientists
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Science class for a group of 12-year-old New Yorkers frequently means a day at the zoo, petting a monitor lizard, laughing at infant gorillas as they...
Alberta orders oilsands giants to clean up tailings ponds
Almost a year after 500 ducks died in toxic oilsands sludge, Alberta's energy regulator is directing the companies that operate the oilsands to finally deal with dozens of lake-sized tailings...
Cluster's Last Stand
The waning black crescent is all that remains from an Escherichia coli sample. "If it could scream, it would," says University of Iowa microbiologist John Kirby, who led a recent...
Does hotter mean healthier?
Phytophthora blight, caused by Phytophthora capsici, is a major plant disease that affects many crop species worldwide, including chile peppers in New Mexico. Farmers' observations suggested that Phytophthora capsici...
Recent Developments at Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Burnham signs agreement with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development LLC; develops a means to use search algorithms developed for the digital communications industry to identify drug combinations; identifies...
'Self-destructing' fruit flies could protect crops
Modifying male fruit flies so that their offspring die young is an effective way to control populations and protect crops, say scientists.
Fluorescent tags to see catalysts in action
German researchers have used a fluorescent tag to monitor the state of a catalyst during a chemical reaction