Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Scientists grow mice heart muscle strip that beats
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have grown a piece of heart muscle - and then watched it beat - by using stem cells from a mouse embryo, a big step toward one...
Mystery About Proteins That Package The Genome Solved
Researchers have solved a century-old mystery about proteins that play a vital role in the transfer of the human genetic code from one cell to another. The discovery could lead...
One small step for neurones, one giant leap for nerve cell repair
The repair of damaged nerve cells is a major problem in medicine today. A new study by researchers at the Montreal NeurologicaI Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) and McGill University,...
Establishing standard definitions for genome sequences
In 1996, researchers from major genome sequencing centres around the world convened on the island of Bermuda and defined a finished genome as a gapless sequence with a nucleotide error...
Genome Sequence Published For Important Biofuels Yeast
A strain of yeast that thrives on turning sugar cane into ethanol for biofuel has had its genome completely sequenced. The findings could lead to more efficient biofuel production.
TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare discover new 'pathways'
Using computer modeling, the Translational Genomics Research Institute and Scottsdale Healthcare have discovered lung cancer 'pathways' that could become targets for new drugs, according to a scientific paper published online...
Genome-wide study of autism published in Nature
In one of the first studies of its kind, an international team of researchers has uncovered a single-letter change in the genetic code that is associated with autism. The finding,...
Loyal alligators display the mating habits of birds
Alligators display the same loyalty to their mating partners as birds reveals a study published today in Molecular Ecology. The ten-year-study by scientists from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory reveals...
If Only The Weeds Would Keep Their Genes To Themselves
The ecological and economic impacts of gene flow between crops and their weedy relatives are significant. Weedy relatives may acquire beneficial genes from cultivated cousins, potentially increasing their invasive ability....
Sophisticated Genetic Engineering Improves Insulin-producing Beta Cells
Researchers have used sophisticated genetic engineering to remove or "knock out" the Lkb1 gene from beta cells of laboratory mice. The result was an increase in both the size and...
Wildlife may cause livestock infections
PENICUIK, Scotland, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Scottish scientists say a bacterium possibly linked to Crohn's disease could be lurking in wild animals, supporting theories of wildlife infection reservoirs.
Albatross Search for Food
Adult black-browed albatross soar above the Southern Ocean looking for food to feed their young chicks waiting on Bird Island, South Georgia. Such seabirds feed mainly on squid, fish and...
Novel Polymer Delivers Genetic Medicine, Allows Tracking
Researchers have developed a new molecule that can travel into cells, deliver genetic cargo, and packs a beacon so scientists can follow its movements in living systems.
The Wild Side: 'Leopard Behind You!'
Not only do many animals have sufficient vocabularies to sound an alarm when predators are near, but they're able to get very specific.
Indianapolis Prize 2010 nominees announced
INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The president of the American Bird Conservancy, George Fenwick, is one of 29 people nominated to receive the 2010 Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation.
Needle therapy numbs nerves
Researchers may have discovered why acupuncture works – it’s possible that the needles disrupt a certain network of pain nerves.
Ultrasound pioneer Dr. John Wild dead
EDINA, Minn., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Dr. John Wild, a leading developer of the use of ultrasound in cancer detection, died recently in Minnesota at the age of 95,...
Spray slows mind menopause
A recent study has found that a skin spray of testosterone can improve brain function for healthy post-menopause women.
Propelling bacteria ease liquid flow
Synchronized swimming of bacteria reduces the viscosity of fluid
Rare British butterfly wends its way north
A rare butterfly is spotted in Perthshire, hundreds of miles from its usual habits in England and Wales.
Study: Endangered AK beluga whale group declining
(AP) -- A government study found that a group of endangered beluga whales in Alaska is declining, raising concern that bolstered protection for the animals is not coming quickly...
Fewer hikers means less support for conservation, study says
Serious hikers and backpackers tend to become supporters of environmental and conservation groups while casual woodland tourists do not, a new study says -- and a recent fall-off in strenuous...
High-sensitivity bone marrow aspiration technology enhances leukaemia cell detection
Scientists have created a viable technology to improve the detection of leukaemia cells in bone marrow...
How does a worm build a throat? Tackling the 'organ formation puzzle'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mention worms to most people, and they probably think of fishing, gardening, or trips to the vet. Mention them to Susan E. Mango, and she begins telling you...
Gene linked with infertility in mice
RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have identified a gene involved with ovarian follicle development in a study that might shed light on human fertility...
Origin of Komodo dragon revealed
Scientists now find that the world’s largest living lizard species, the Komodo dragon, most likely evolved in Australia and dispersed westward to its current home in Indonesia.
Drought-hardy maize ready for field trials
South African researchers will soon begin field trials of a variety of maize capable of withstanding extreme dehydration.
Eleven Genetic Variations Linked To Type 2 Diabetes
Mathematicians have developed powerful new tools for winnowing out the genes behind some of humanity's most intractable diseases.