Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Connecting cancer genes
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...
Studying "Fight or Flight" At the Cellular Level
C. elegans: Photo by Zeynep F. Altun (CC Licensed)It is well known how we humans respond to immediate stress—through a phenomenon we share with all animals known as fight...
Spider Named for Canadian Musician Neil Young
An East Carolina University biologist has brought his admiration of Neil Young into a class of its own. Or species, to be exact. Jason Bond, an ECU professor of biology,...
New Cost-effective Means To Reconstruct Virus Populations
Researchers from the United States and Switzerland have developed mathematical and statistical tools for reconstructing viral populations using pyrosequencing, a novel and effective technique for sequencing DNA.
Feedstock Makes A Difference In Feeding Distiller's Grains
When it comes to using distiller's grains in finishing rations of High Plains cattle, scientists say the type of grain used makes all the difference. An AgriLife Research beef nutritionist...
Tomato Stands Firm In Face Of Fungus
Scientists have discovered how to keep one's tomatoes from wilting -- the answer lies at the molecular level. Farmers and fellow agriculturalists are continuously battling the ability of plant pathogens...
Bread Mold May Unlock Secret To Eliminating Disease-causing Genes
Scientist have examined a new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of a certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by "silencing" unmatched genes during meiosis...
Intensive Farming Is Fine For Birds And Bees, Says Report
Eco-friendly plant and animal life have been thriving in intensively managed cereal farms alongside increasing crop yields, according to the first study of its kind. The analysis of 230 farms...
Dying Bats In The Northeast U.S. Remain A Mystery
Investigations continue into the cause of a mysterious illness that has killed thousands of bats since March 2008. At more than 25 caves and mines in the northeastern US, bats...
Virus Mimics Human Protein To Hijack Cell Division Machinery
Viruses are masters of deception, duping their host's cells into helping them grow and spread. A new study has found that human cytomegalovirus can mimic a common regulatory protein to...
Better Dirt Key To Solving Food Crisis
Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and old-fashioned crossbreeding. Now the problem is the dirt they are planted in.
Debate on analyzing 'cold hit' DNA matches swirls in case before California Supreme Court
A long-time scientific controversy centers on how to calculate the probability that such a match would be the result of coincidence. ...
New batch of walruses get tagged
Ten of Greenland's walruses are fitted with sat-tags to confirm whether the blubbery beasts migrate to Canada.
Sub-Saharan Africa news in brief: 23 April–8 May 2008
Scientists sterilise malaria-carrying mosquitoes, farmers get their hands on brand new rice varieties, roll out of HIV drugs is urged, and more.
Cat Urine Makes Mice Macho
Tom and Jerry may never get along, but cats could help mice get lucky in love.
$271 Million for Research on Stem Cells in California
The awards represent the largest chunk of money given at one time by California’s taxpayer-backed stem cell program, which plans to spend about $3 billion over a decade.
Personal Best: For Peak Performance, 3 Is Not Better Than 1
To run faster, triathletes need to stop swimming and cycling.
VIDEO: Orangutans Extinct in 3 Years?
The world's largest group of orangutans in Indonesia may face extinction by 2011 because of palm oil plantation expansion, which is destroying habitat, experts say.
Magnet Lab researchers make observing cell functions easier
Now that the genome (DNA) of humans and many other organisms have been sequenced, biologists are turning their attention to discovering how the many thousands of structural and control genes...
Scientists identify key roadblock to gene expression
A team of scientists has provided, for the first time, a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the...
Web tool puts wildlife diseases on the map
A new online map makes it possible, for the first time, to track news of disease outbreaks around the world that threaten the health of wildlife, domestic animals, and people.
What's Our Connection to the Platypus? [News]
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is an odd-looking creature whose features combine the furry torso and wide, flat tail of a beaver with the rubbery bill and webbed feet of a...
Flowers 'Wave' to Attract Insects
Flowers "wave" in the breeze on long stalks to attract passing insects, reports BBC News. read more
The platypus: A living quilt
The duck-billed oddity contains genes that are mammalian, avian and reptilian, scientists who mapped them say. ...
Genetics Confirm Oral Traditions of Druze in Israel
By using detailed comparative analysis of DNA sequence variations of residents of Druze villages in Israel, researchers have discovered a "living relic" that provides a glimpse of the Near East...
"Weird" Pygmy Whale Dissected
A six-month-old whale found dead on a New Zealand coastline is giving scientists a rare peek into the anatomy of the bizarre creature.
Sexy orchids do more than embarrass wasps: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orchids that mimic female wasps may not only waste the time of the male wasps they lure into spreading their pollen -- they also seduce them into...
El Salvador: Green light for GM crops
The Salvadorian parliament has approved the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) seeds, as a measure to combat food insecurity.