Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Antagonistic genes modify rice plant growth
Scientists at Nagoya University and colleagues in Japan have identified two antagonistic genes involved in rice plant stem growth. Their findings, published in the journal Nature, could lead to new...
Hot sulfur breath: Extremophilic archaea provide clues on evolution of sufur metabolism
The use of sulfur compounds to produce energy is one of the most ancient types of metabolisms used by primitive microorganisms to thrive on the early anoxic Earth. How this...
Studies in mice give clues to combatting changes in aging muscle stem cells
Our muscles start to shrink and weaken when we reach our 50s and 60s in a process called sarcopenia, but new research in mice from the University of Michigan offers...
Forging molecular bonds with green light
QUT researchers have created a new molecular coupling tool employing both green light and pH triggers that has potential for use in applications such as drug delivery and 3-D cell...
This barren N.S. ecosystem is a rare biodiversity hotspot. Scientists want to preserve it
Over hundreds of years, human activity has reduced Nova Scotia's sand barrens to roughly 3 per cent of their original size. Scientists and a community organization are trying to build...
Coronavirus vaccine: What are human challenge trials?
Could human challenge trials speed up the development of a coronavirus vaccine?
Second day of record daily increases as Manitoba announces 72 new COVID-19 cases
Seventy-two new cases of COVID-19 were announced in Manitoba on Sunday, shooting past the province’s previous record of 42 new cases set Saturday. Most are in the Prairie Mountain Health...
Periodic Graphics: Natural sweeteners
Chemical educator and Compound Interest blogger Andy Brunning provides a taste of the molecules behind some natural sweeteners
'The whole world celebrates' on-camera birth of panda cub
A brand new giant panda cub is sparking pandemic-fueled panda-mania, and officials at the National Zoo said traffic on their livestream spiked 1,200% over the past week.
A new molecular guardian of intestinal stem cells
Researchers investigated how intestinal stem cells are controlled at the molecular level to remain stem cells or to develop into one of various intestinal cells. By studying mice lacking the...
Giant panda gives birth at National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Giant panda Mei Xiang, age 22, has given birth to a newborn cub at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C., caretakers announced.
Panda cub birth at Washington zoo sparks intense online interest amid pandemic
A brand new giant panda cub is sparking pandemic-fuelled panda-mania, and officials at the National Zoo said traffic on its livestream spiked 1,200 per cent over the past week.
In photos: Moments from Miami Swim Week
Models walk down the runway during Miami Swim Week in Miami Beach, Fla., on August 21, 2020.
With less money and more risk, waves of child-care providers call it quits
The coronavirus has forced thousands of child-care centers in California to close.
California wildfires: Santa Cruz evacuation site reaches capacity
A Santa Cruz shelter site reached capacity Saturday as wildfires raged in California, killing at least five people and burning down hundreds of homes.
Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali dead at 68
Quiet Riot drummer and manager Frankie Banali has died at age 68.
Genetically modified mosquitoes have been OK’d for a first U.S. test flight
After a decade of fits and starts, officials in the Florida Keys have voted to allow the first test in the United States of free-flying, genetically modified mosquitoes as a way to...
Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman dies at 64
Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman has died at age 64, his former band announced on social media.
Bioluminescent tag to detect DNA break repair
A new bioluminescent reporter that tracks DNA double stranded break (DSB) repair in cells has been developed.
Birth of panda cub provides 'much-needed moment of pure joy'
Delivering a "much-needed moment of pure joy," the National Zoo's giant panda Mei Xiang gave birth to a wiggling cub Friday at a time of global pandemic and social unrest.
Frigid waters are no match for salmon muscle
A single amino acid swap boosts cold tolerance in Atlantic salmon
Loofah-inspired aerogel efficiently filters microbes from water
Low-cost, functionalized silica material kills bacteria instantly and is easy to clean
Genomic analysis reveals many animal species may be vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Analysis of ACE2, the main receptor that SARS-CoV-2 uses to bind and enter cells, across 410 vertebrate species reveals that many are potentially susceptible to infection by the novel coronavirus....
Tiny engineered therapeutic delivery system safely solves genetic problems in mice
Inserting genetic material into the body to treat diseases caused by gene mutations can work, scientists say - but getting those materials to the right place safely is tricky. Scientists...
Researchers create bioluminescent tag to detect DNA break repair
A new bioluminescent reporter that tracks DNA double stranded break (DSB) repair in cells has been developed by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan....
Tiny engineered therapeutic delivery system safely solves genetic problems in mice
Inserting genetic material into the body to treat diseases caused by gene mutations can work, scientists say—but getting those materials to the right place safely is tricky.
New 'molecular computers' find the right cells
New nanoscale devices, made of synthetic proteins, have been designed to target a therapeutic agent only to cells with a specific, predetermined combinations of cell surface markers. They operate on...
Understanding how birds respond to extreme weather can inform conservation efforts
How do different bird species respond to extreme weather events that occur for different amounts of time, ranging from weekly events like heat waves to seasonal events like drought? And...