Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Migrating monarch butterflies 'nose' their way to Mexico
The annual migration of monarch butterflies from across eastern North America to a specific grove of fir trees in Mexico has long fascinated scientists who have sought to understand just...
Merkel Cell Polyomavirus Associated With Rare Skin Cancer, Merkel Cell Carcinoma
The Merkel cell polyomavirus is the only human polyomavirus known to be associated with a rare skin cancer, known as Merkel cell carcinoma, according to a new study.
There's only one giant panda
In our online poll, an overwhelming 78.8% of you voted to continue conservation efforts to save the beleaguered panda
Molecule might block the spread of cancer
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. and Chinese scientists say a piece of genetic material with no previously known function might hold the key to being able...
Ratchet-like genetic mutations make evolution irreversible
A University of Oregon research team has found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings...
Lotus-plant-inspired dust-busting shield to protect space gear
A NASA team is developing a transparent coating that mimics the self-cleaning properties of the lotus plant to prevent dirt from sticking to the surfaces of spaceflight gear and bacteria...
Rising above the din
The brain never sits idle. Whether we are awake or asleep, watch TV or close our eyes, waves of spontaneous nerve signals wash through our brains. Researchers at the Salk...
Research team finds first evolutionary branching for bilateral animals
When it comes to understanding a critical junction in animal evolution, some short, simple flatworms have been a real thorn in scientists' sides. Specialists have jousted over the proper taxonomic...
On-off iridescence in squid
Structural changes in skin cell proteins help some squid to control the iridescence of their skin
Genetic Discovery Could Accelerate Grapevine Breeding - And Bring Back European Vines From 150 Years Ago
European-tasting wines from American species and cultivars? It could happen, say German researchers who have unraveled an unexpected twist in grapevine DNA. read more
Magnetic Nanoworms and Nanocrystals Deliver siRNA to Tumors
(PhysOrg.com) -- Small pieces of nucleic acid known as short interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, can turn off the production of specific proteins, a property that makes them one of the...
Human damage 'needs limits'
Humanity needs to control the damage it is doing to the planet now, in order to avoid threats to human well-being, warn experts.
With an Eye on Locusts and Vegetation, Scientists Make a Good Tool Better
(PhysOrg.com) -- Locusts, the grasshopper-like insects of Biblical lore, are normally docile creatures that prefer solitary lives in the desert, away from other members of their species. But sometimes, when...
Evolution can’t be reversed, research suggests
In a kind of evolutionary bridge-burning, once a gene has morphed into its current state, the road back gets blocked, new research suggests. So there's no easy way to turn...
Huge Cold Spot in Early Universe Not so Cold After All?
Quelling theories of a mysterious supervoid or even an "imprint" of a parallel universe, a new study says the cold region is a completely unspecial fluke of statistics.
Shark has out-of-water operation to find hook
An operation is performed on a shark at a Dorset sealife centre - in what is thought to be the first such procedure out of water.
Consults: Alternative Therapies for Fibromyalgia
Dr. Brent A. Bauer answers readers questions on complementary and alternative therapies for fibromyalgia.
Tennessee foresters helping to return chestnuts to American forests
The American chestnut was a dominant species in eastern U.S.'s forests before a blight wiped it out in the early 1900s. Today it's being returned to the landscape thanks in...
Review: Rubik's TouchCube a little too touchy
(AP) -- Thirty years ago Erno Rubik took a puzzle he had been tinkering with and turned it into the must-have brain twister toy, the Rubik's Cube.
Rare Indian lotus 'disappearing'
Conservation efforts to save India's last surviving examples of a water-lily must be stepped up, a leading botanist says.
Measuring the Quality of a Scientific Paper
"Good" is a notoriously difficult word to define. A pretty common and reasonably uncontroversial definition of a good paper, though, is one that has significantly advanced human knowledge. The question...
Study finds one-time herbicide use decreased native plants, may have increased invasive plants
(PhysOrg.com) -- Matt Rinella, faculty in Animal and Range Science at Montana State University and an ecologist at the Fort Keogh Agricultural Experiment Station in Miles City, recently published the...
New Pest-Resistant Habanero Joins Peck of ARS-Created Peppers
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new red-fruited habanero is the latest pepper with resistance to root-knot nematodes to be released by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists.
Blue whales disturbed by seismic surveys: scientists
Seismic surveys used for oil and gas prospecting on the sea floor are a disturbance for blue whales, the world's biggest animal and one of its rarest species, biologists reported...
In Profile: Scott Manalis
Two years ago, MIT professor Scott Manalis and members of his laboratory demonstrated what was by far the world's most precise scale for weighing individual cells. Though Manalis knew it...
Coyote + wolf = new breed of predator
New DNA evidence reveals that coyotes have bred with wolves in the the northeastern United States, turning mice-eating coyotes into much larger animals with a hunger for big prey, such...
Zoo-raised Houston toads released
HOUSTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Texas wildlife officials have released 360 Houston toads born and raised in the Houston Zoo, hoping they can replenish the wild population.
DEFORMED FROG PICTURE: Sign of Parasites on the Rise?
California tadpoles are developing into frogs with missing legs and eyes—deformities possibly caused by an alien parasite that usually attacks farmed fish, experts say.