Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Alaska trying to get polar bears off U.S. threatened list
The state of Alaska will sue to challenge the listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday.
Tasmanian Devils Named Endangered Species
The feisty marsupial's new status comes in response to its decline from a mysterious cancer, the Tasmanian state government announced recently.
Plant Biologists Discover Unexpected Proteins Affecting Small RNAs
Now that high school biology students can recite that genes are made of DNA, which is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which is then translated into protein, along comes a...
Embryonic Pathway Delivers Stem Cell Traits
Cells that undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition show properties of stem cells, including the ability to self-renew. In addition, stem cells exhibit properties of cells that undergo EMT. Strikingly, both normal...
Mice on remote Atlantic island eat birds
LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- Mice on a remote South Atlantic island have adapted so well to local conditions that they are threatening the survival of some nesting...
Larger Horns A Gamble For Young Soay Sheep
When it comes to winning mates, larger horns are an asset for male Soay sheep. But those that grow them may be putting their young lives on the line.
Monkey Model of Huntington's Disease
Reported genetically modified primates may be better than mice for studying neurological disorders
Surgeon operates to rescue chimp with rare deformity
An orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Liverpool has performed a groundbreaking operation on a chimp in Cameroon to correct a deformity more commonly seen in dogs.
Climate change raising extinction risk among birds: study
Climate change has emerged as a major factor behind the growing risk of extinction facing birds, the world's leading conservation agency warned on Monday.
Phylogenetic Fallacies and Platypus Genomes
There has been considerable interest in the publication of the platypus genome but it has led to a lot of confusion and some misconceptions about evolutionary relationships.
Human genetic separation suggested
TEL AVIV, Israel, May 19 (UPI) -- Israeli scientists say they've determined the human race was divided into two separate groups within Africa for as much as half...
Study Implicates 350 Gene Regions In Cancer Development In The Mouse
A large genetic study in mice has identified hundreds of genes involved in the development of cancer by examining the DNA of more than 500 lymphomas to find the cancer...
U.S. scientists develop artificial cell
STATE COLLEGE, Pa., May 19 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists report creating an artificial cell that can be used to study the organization and function of the most basic...
First Evidence Of Native Dendritic Cells In Brain Surprises Scientists
In a finding that has the potential to change the way researchers think about the brain, scientists at Rockefeller University have found dendritic cells where they've never been seen before:...
DNA could reveal viable embryos
Scientists have used DNA fingerprinting to find which embryos are successful after IVF, taking some of the guess work out of the previously random process.
Turning back the clock for Schwann cells
Myelin-making Schwann cells have an ability every aging Hollywood star would envy: they can become young again. According to a study appearing in the May 19 issue of the Journal...
An Ancient Protein Balances Gene Activity And Silences Foreign DNA In Bacteria
Compared to humans, bacteria have a much tidier genome. The tiny microorganisms pack their genes closely together, and don't carry around a lot of extraneous DNA, so-called junk DNA that...
'Wrinkle-free' sheep answer to mulesing says Australian inventor
An Australian who has bred sheep with no wrinkles said Monday the animals were a cruelty-free alternative to mulesing, the painful cutting of the hide to prevent disease.
Rare British beetle spotted
CAMBRIDGE, England, May 19 (UPI) -- A British naturalist recently spotted a crucifix ground beetle, an insect so rare the last known sighting was 10 years ago.
Houston Journal: A Pest Without a Name, Becoming Known to Ever More
A previously unknown variety of ant, with a staggering propensity to reproduce and no known enemies, is flourishing in Texas.
Restoring Fish Populations Leads To Tough Choice For Great Lakes Gulls
You might think that stocking the Great Lakes with things like trout and salmon would be good for the herring gull. The birds often eat from the water, so it...
Does Fishing On Drifting Fish Aggregation Devices Endanger The Survival Of Tropical Tuna?
Biologists studying tropical tuna fisheries aimed to establish if the use of drifting fish aggregation devices, a technique employed increasingly for industrial-scale tuna fishery, could act as just such an...
Jackie Ashley: This fight really matters, and lays bare the big party divide
Jackie Ashley: The embryo bill, with its ambush on abortion attached, crystallises the crucial clash: progressive Labour v reactionary Tory
Stroke claims reproductive pioneer Karman
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., May 18 (UPI) -- Psychologist Harvey Karman, known for his contributions to the field of women's reproductive health, has died of a stroke in Santa...
Alien threat to truffle delicacy
A Chinese truffle is found growing in Europe, threatening the pre-eminence of the famous Perigord black truffle.
A Liver Molecule In All Animals, Ashwell Receptor, Reduces Mortality During Sepsis
In research that solves the longest-standing mystery in glycobiology -- a field that studies complex sugar chains called glycans -- researchers have discovered that a molecule in the liver of...
Opinion: Stopping the river of illness at its source
Australia needs to think prevention - not just cure - in order to fight emerging epidemics, argues Todd Harper.
Brown says embryo research is key to life
PM says scientific research is an 'inherently moral endeavour' that could save millions of lives