Latest science news in Biology & Nature
'Barren' Seafloor Teeming With Microbial Life
Seafloor bacteria are more abundant and diverse than previously thought, appearing to "eat" the planet's oceanic crust, according to a new study in Nature. The findings pose intriguing questions about...
Fundamental Building Block In Flowering Plants Evolved Independently, Yet Almost Identically In Ancient Plants
Biologists have discovered that a fundamental building block in the cells of flowering plants evolved independently, yet almost identically, on a separate branch of the evolutionary tree -- in an...
Origin Of Cells For Connective Tissues Of Skull And Face Challenged
With improved resolution, tissue-specific molecular markers and precise timing scientsists have possibly overturned a long-standing assumption about the origin of embryonic cells that give rise to connective and skeletal tissues...
Scientists Announce Top 10 New Species In Last Year
Scientists responsible for species exploration and classification -- have just announced the top 10 new species described in 2007. The taxonomists are also issuing a SOS -- State of Observed...
Scientists Back The Use Of Maize As An Efficient 'Factory' For Protein-based Pharmaceutical Products
Maize (corn) seeds are an effective and dependable platform within molecular agriculture in the effort to alleviate diseases. Over the next few years AIDS could be one of the first...
Miracle leaves that may help protect against liver damage
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berries are well known for their cholesterol busting properties, but scientists in India say that its leaves are also rich in anti-oxidants and may help ward...
A superorganism in trouble
Honeybees pollinate our crops and produce the honey we enjoy. We all know that. What we are perhaps not aware of, however, is just how or why they do this...
Boots accused of selling quack medicines
Leading scientific expert on alternative therapies accuses chemist of misleading public over homeopathic remedies
News Bytes of the Week: Endangered Animals Get Raw Deal [News]
Congress prompts Fish & Wildlife Service to revise endangered species delisting decisions [More]
Stamp out common virus to beat brain cancer
New strategy could help beat tenacious brain tumours.
Novel toxin receptor discovered for ulcer-causing stomach pathogen
Helicobacter pylori is one tough bug. It can survive in the human stomach, a zone with a pH somewhere between that of lemon juice and battery acid. Now researchers have...
Scientists reveal a protein's role in enabling AIDS virus to reproduce
A team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has discovered new details about how a simian strain of the AIDS virus replicates. The findings are significant because they...
A superorganism in trouble
In a time of global warming and catastrophic failure of bee colonies around the world, the new book "The Buzz about Bees" by Juergen Tautz is a timely call for...
For Treating Blindness, Scientists Look to Algae
What if the key to curing blindness was found in unicellular algae?
Important Plant Enzymes Identified
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have identified enzymes important in the modification of isoflavonoids, natural plant products that help plants resist fungal infections, and may...
Plant Foods for Preserving Muscle Mass
Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that are key to good health. Now, a newly released study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists suggests plant foods also...
Sticky business - researchers devise new way of mapping the viscosity of cells
A fluorescent dye can be used to map how viscous, or 'gloopy', different parts of a cell are, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical...
VIDEO: Humans Threatening Galapagos
People living permanently on the islands to serve tourists may represent an "invasive species" that could destroy the unique and iconic habitat.
Report says nation's wildlife refuges underfunded
(AP) -- America's wildlife refuges are so short of money that one-third have no staff, boardwalks and buildings are in disrepair, and drug dealers are using them to grow...
Science Extra podcast: Simon Singh
Science writer Simon Singh on his new book, Treat or Treatment - in which he questions the veracity of alternative therapies such as homeopathy and acupuncture
New statistical method reveals surprises about our ancestry
A statistical approach to studying genetic variation promises to shed new light on the history of human migration.
Your belly's very own body clock
Food availability can shift sleep patterns, though researchers aren't sure how.
Big Reptiles, Alien Trees Hamper Everglades Fire Fight
As they steer clear of pythons and alligators, crews are battling to keep the flames away from stands of invasive, and highly flammable, melaleuca trees.
Experiment advances understanding of cell reprogramming
The announcement last year by scientists in Japan, at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), and at the Whitehead Institute that they had each — independently — coaxed adult cells...
Getting to the Roots of Sunflower Cultivation
Global warming could affect one of the world's major oil seed crops, the sunflower. Drawing on genetic information from early plant stocks is key to improving future harvests.
Physicists Demonstrate Precise Manipulation Of DNA-Drug Interactions
Being able to target the genetic code to develop an effective treatment of a disease is the ultimate goal for many scientists. Focusing on how the DNA interacts with a...
VIDEO: Australia Sharks in Danger
Sharks and other creatures in the Coral Sea are vulnerable to human activities and could be wiped out if the area isn't protected, conservationists warn.
Rapid escalation characterizes virus/host arms race
The interaction between a virus and its host is often portrayed as an arms race, with each new viral attack parried by the host and each new defense by the...