Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Maize study may help improve crop yields
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Slovenian scientists say they compared corn kernel development to its closest wild relative, teosinte, and their findings overturn some common beliefs.
Transgenic songbirds provide new tool to understand the brain
(PhysOrg.com) -- Over the decades, scientists have learned a lot about the basic life processes shared by many animals - including people - by manipulating the DNA of...
UNC study pinpoints gene controlling number of brain cells
In populating the growing brain, neural stem cells must strike a delicate balance between two key processes - proliferation, in which the cells multiply to provide plenty of starting materials...
New type of genetic change identified in inherited cancer
Duke University Medical Centre and National Cancer Institute scientists have discovered that a novel genetic alteration - a second copy of an entire gene - is a cause of familial...
Creating naturally pest-free rice
An Australian researcher is fighting to protect rice in South East Asia from pests, without the use of chemicals or genetic engineering.
Boise River's cottonwoods in decline
BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The black cottonwood trees that hold the banks of the Boise River together and shade its water are in decline, officials say.
Fish-Killing Toxin Could Kill Cancer Cells
A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well. The toxin, called euglenophycin, has a molecular structure similar to that of solenopsin, an alkaloid from fire ant venom known...
Scientist Builds Imager That Identifies, Locates Individual Cancer Cells
A biomedical engineer has spent the last four years building a better imager for preclincal studies. He can now disassemble a specimen and reassemble it into a three-dimensional digital model...
Seals flocking to New England coastline
TRURO, Mass., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A growing number of seals are visiting the New England coastline in locations like Truro, Mass., and creating new problems, an expert says.
Using synthetic evolution to study the brain: Researchers model key part of neurones
The human brain has evolved over millions of years to become a vast network of billions of neurones and synaptic connections. Understanding it is one of humankind's greatest pursuits...
New Study Resolves The Mysterious Origin Of Merkel Cells
A new study resolves a 130-year-old mystery over the developmental origin of specialized skin cells involved in touch sensation.
USC neuroscientists awarded $9 million to map gene expression during human brain development
Two University of Southern California (USC) neuroscientists have been awarded nearly $9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to map how genes are expressed in different regions of...
Facebook Chat About "Ardi" With Science Correspondents
Earlier today, Science staff discussed the significance of the newly unveiled human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus [Read more]
Black-footed ferret back on prairie turf
An excited group of naturalists and wildlife scientists are in Saskatchewan's Grasslands National Park, releasing black-footed ferrets back into the wild.
Drink From the Fountain of Youth With a Grain of Salt
Two studies announced today could make you downright giddy, but you'd be wise to take them with a grain of salt.
Researchers identify gene with possible link to infertility in mice
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified the role of a gene in regulating molecular signals involved with ovarian follicle development, which may one day help shed light on some of...
Could stressed out sharks save more fish? (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Marine biology graduate student Austin Gallagher has studied the dwindling shark population around the world -from the waters of the South Pacific to those off Southern California.
Ardi's Secret: Did Early Humans Start Walking for Sex?
Why don't women know when they're ovulating? Why don't men have clacker-sized testicles? The world's oldest known "human" skeleton—"Ardi," after her species, Ardipithecus ramidus—may hold clues.
Monarch butterflies' migration at risk
SACRAMENTO, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Excessive logging in central Mexico is threatening the annual migration of butterflies from Canada to Mexico, environmental officials say.
Ornamentals to Brighten the Fall Garden Palette
(PhysOrg.com) -- With `trick-or-treaters` coming soon, imagine two spirited new pepper varieties making an appearance in your neighborhood as well. The new pepper cultivars have been released by the Agricultural...
New Plywood Glue Made With Corn
After the oil is extracted from corn germ meal, the corn germ is typically fed to poultry and other livestock animals. But a new, value-added use could be on tap...
Food 'Tattoos' An Alternative To Labels For Identifying Fruit
Those small and sometimes inconvenient sticky labels on produce may eventually be replaced by laser "tattoo" technology.
Pathways Of Movement Of Sudden Oak Death Pathogen Described
The pathogen that causes sudden oak death disease in California has a different genetic fingerprint than fungal strains found in nurseries in Oregon and Washington, according to scientists. This discovery...
Black rat does not bother Mediterranean seabirds
Human activities have meant invasive species have been able to populate parts of the world to which they are not native and alter biodiversity there over thousands of years. Now,...
Polar bear cub hitches a ride
A young cub is seen hitching a ride on its mother's back in the Arctic Ocean, a rarely sighted adaptive behaviour that may help it keep warm.
Mahlon Hoagland, tRNA Expert, Dies at 87
Mr. Hoagland helped discover transfer RNA, which aided in unlocking the mystery of how DNA is translated into the proteins that carry out its genetic instructions.
Fluorescent co-enzyme is an early indicator for breast cancer
(PhysOrg.com) -- Think back to high-school biology and you may recall some basics about cellular respiration: how organelles called mitochondria function like little power stations, converting nutrients from food into...
Most Manitobans living longer
Life expectancy for many Manitobans has increased but not for those who are poor or living in remote northern regions, according to a new study.