Latest science news in Biology & Nature
redHUMAN: Deciphering links between genes and metabolism
In the last two decades, the life sciences have seen a growing partnership with information technology. The main drive behind this is the need to process and integrate enormous volumes...
Mothers ensure their offspring's success through epigenetics
Parents pass genes along to their offspring traits that equip them for life. In recent years, research has shown that the reality is much more complex and that parents endow...
Egg-based coating preserves fresh produce
Eggs that would otherwise be wasted can be used as the base of an inexpensive coating to protect fruits and vegetables, according to Rice University researchers.
Meet the hard-working microbes that make your favorite cheeses
Data from UMass Boston and Dairy Connection Inc. (Infographic by Sara Chodosh/)Every bite of cheese you’ve ever taken owes its funk and flavor to the community of microbes living inside it. The original...
New microscopy method provides unprecedented look at amyloid protein structure
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's are often accompanied by amyloid proteins in the brain that have become clumped or misfolded. A newly developed technique that measures the orientation...
Stable and functional dyes for near-infrared fluorescence imaging of living subjects
Scientists can monitor biomolecular processes in live tissue by noninvasive optical methods, such as fluorescence imaging. However, the fluorescent dyes used for that purpose are often rather unstable, and photobleaching,...
Harvard bee experts discuss the murder hornet threat
They’re here. Native to East Asia, the so-called murder hornets were spotted in North America for the first time late last year and just again in May. The presence of the predators,...
Asian tiger mosquito gains ground in Illinois
Researchers report that the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has become more abundant across Illinois in the past three decades. Its spread is problematic, as the mosquito can transmit diseases—like...
A tiny arctic shrub reveals secrets of plant growth on Svalbard
The polar willow (Salix polaris) may not seem like much when you look at it—just a jumble of tiny green leaves in a dense mat that pokes out of the...
World's most sensitive strain sensor can detect the weight of a feather
Scientists have unveiled the world's most sensitive strain sensor, capable of detecting the weight of a single feather.
Back from extinction: a world first effort to return threatened pangolins to the wild
Pangolins are one of the most illegally trafficked animals on the planet and are suspected to be linked to the current coronavirus pandemic.
New studies show how DNA crossovers can drive healthy, abnormal sperm, egg cell division
In the famous words of movie character Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get."
Small protein, big impact: ProQ found to aid in DNA repair
Meningococci are bacteria that can cause life-threatening meningitis and sepsis. These pathogens use a small protein with a large impact: The RNA-binding protein ProQ is involved in the activation of...
Alien frog invasion wreaks havoc on natural habitat
Indiscriminate feeding by an alien population of the carnivorous spotted-thighed frog—could severely affect the native biodiversity of southern Australia according to a new study by the University of South Australia.
NASA fosters innovative ways to understand biodiversity
The yellow-billed cuckoo has soft brown wings, a white belly, a long tail with black and white spots, and is running out of places to live. The cuckoo's population in...
Records reveal new trends in Australian temperature extremes
Researchers have developed Australia's longest daily temperature record, identifying a decrease in cold extremes and an increase in heatwaves since 1838.
Coronavirus: Can superspreading be stopped?
Identifying superspreading events could be crucial in the fight against the virus, scientists say.
Why developing nerve cells can take a wrong turn
A group of scientists from CECAD has found a mechanism by which neurodevelopmental diseases concerning neurons can be explained. The loss of a certain enzyme, UBE2K, impedes the differentiation of...
Science Book Roundup, Social Distancing Edition
When I posted my last science book roundup, few of us knew what was about to come. We had heard about a novel coronavirus and an outbreak of a new...
Study reveals continuous pathway to building blocks of life
A new study marks an important step forward in the effort to understand the chemical origins of life. The findings of this study demonstrate how 'continuous reaction networks' are capable...
Human activity threatens 50 billion years of vertebrate evolutionary history
A new study maps for the first time the evolutionary history of the world's terrestrial vertebrates: amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles. It explores how areas with large concentrations of evolutionarily...
Researchers evaluate 2020 Census data privacy changes
After the US Census Bureau announced that it was changing how it protects the identities of individuals for the 2020 Census, researchers began to evaluate how these changes may affect...
Pronghorn exhibit little genetic variation despite landscape obstacles
While previous research shows landscape features such as major highways restrict the daily and seasonal movements of pronghorn and increase mortality risk, this study found little, if any, evidence that...
Why developing nerve cells can take a wrong turn
Loss of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme leads to impediment in growth of nerve cells. A link has been found between cellular machineries of protein degradation and regulation of the epigenetic landscape in...
Synthetic red blood cells mimic natural ones, and have new abilities
Scientists have tried to develop synthetic red blood cells that mimic the favorable properties of natural ones, such as flexibility, oxygen transport and long circulation times. But so far, most...
Hairy, lab-grown human skin cell model could advance hair loss research
A new, hair-sprouting dollop of human skin created in the lab might one day help prevent hair loss. An article describes the hairy creation as the first hair-baring human skin...
New laser system provides 3D reconstructions of living deep-sea animals and mucus filters
Living in an essentially zero-gravity environment, many deep-sea animals have evolved soft, gelatinous bodies and collect food using elaborate mucus filters. Until now, studying these delicate structures has been virtually...
A promise to restore hearing
For the first time, researchers have used base editing to restore partial hearing to mice with a recessive mutation in the gene TMC1 that causes complete deafness, the first successful...