Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Scientists Illuminate How MicroRNAs Drive Tumor Progression
Researchers have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for the progression of cancer. The findings, they say, expand researchers' understanding of the important...
Rare genetic disorder reversed
LA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The rare genetic disorder cystinosis has been successfully reversed in mice using stem cell transplantation, scientists in California say.
Native Hawaiian birds threatened
HONOLULU, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- A species of bird introduced to Hawaii in the late 1920s as pest control is threatening the state's native and endangered birds, researchers said.
Mechanism related to the onset of various genetic diseases revealed
Researchers at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) have revealed the process by which proteins with a tendency to cause conformational diseases such...
Roles of S100A2 and p63 in the carcinogenesis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
As a member of the S100 family, S100A2 is considered a candidate tumour-suppressor gene. Recently, p63 gene, a new member of the p53 gene family, has been studied in the...
Genes controlling insulin can alter timing of biological clock
Many of the genes that regulate insulin also alter the timing of the circadian clock, a new study has found...
Proposal to reintroduce Iberian lynx on abandoned agricultural land
Spanish scientists have developed a model to identify the agricultural areas with the greatest potential for restoring the habitat of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), which is at risk of...
Scientists pinpoint protein link to fat storage
A protein found present in all cells in the body could help scientists better understand how we store fat...
New Links Between Epilepsy And Brain Lipids
In mice that are missing a protein found only in the brain, neural signals "go crazy," leaving the animals with epileptic seizures from a young age, researchers have found. Their...
Study ID's fetal growth restriction cause
MONTREAL, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say they've discovered a specific protein plays a critical role in regulating intrauterine growth and lung maturation.
Nanosatellite to Test Life's Handedness in Space
Much of the biology on Earth involves molecules that are oriented in a left-handed direction. A proposed nano-satellite would carry up some of these bio-molecules to see if something in...
Color-blindness Cured by Gene Injection in Monkeys
A single injection of specialized genes has cured color-blindness in monkeys, a new study says. The same procedure would have cured color-blind humans, one scientist believes.
With a flash of light, a neurone's function is revealed
There's a new way to explore biology's secrets. With a flash of light, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley...
Landmark study sheds new light on human chromosomal birth defects
Using yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis, a cell biologist at The Florida State University found that...
Yale team finds mechanism that constructs key brain structure
Yale University researchers have found a molecular mechanism that allows the proper mixing of neurones during the formation of columns essential for the operation of the cerebral cortex, they report...
Decade-long US project to fight malaria builds thriving African mosquito net industry
WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 17, 2009) -- In a decade-long initiative to protect millions of families from malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, a U.S.
Researchers To Probe Whether Lyme Disease Will Follow Spread Of Ticks Across U.S.
Potentially debilitating Lyme disease doesn't afflict people everywhere that the ticks harboring it are found. At least not yet. A five-university consortium wants to find out why. "These ticks are...
Can Gene Expression Profiling Make It Possible To Predict Deadly Infections In Cattle?
A new study suggests that gene expression profiling may allow researchers to track the progression of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and ultimately predict their infectious status.
Live Birth -- Key To Much Marine Life -- Depends Upon Evolution Of Chromosomal Sex Determination
A new analysis of extinct sea creatures suggests that the transition from egg-laying to live-born young opened up evolutionary pathways that allowed these ancient species to adapt to and thrive...
Gene variation that lets people get by on fewer zees transferred to create insomniac mice
(SALT LAKE CITY) -- A University of Utah sleep expert has joined with researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Stanford University to identify a genetic variation...
Process Outgrowth in Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells: Role of the Growth Cone?
Axon or “process” outgrowth is a phenomenon well studied in neuronal cells, and is a process that requires in the most part a specialized structure at the tip of growing...
The Cliq may raise the bar for smart-phones
Motorola may have provided a glimpse of the next stage in the evolution of the smart-phone.
Antplant Ants Are Never Satisfied
Tree-dwelling ants expand their territory beyond hospitable trees [Read more]
Ottawa sends body bags to Manitoba reserves
Aboriginal leaders in Manitoba are horrified that some of the reserves hardest hit by swine flu in the spring have received dozens of body bags from Health Canada.
Photoswitches shed light on spontaneous free swimming in zebrafish
A new way to select and switch on one cell type in an organism using light has helped answer a long-standing question about the function of one class of enigmatic...
Why is Stanley Fish Against Curiosity?
Readers of this blog may begin to think that I have a personal antipathy for New York Times editorialist Stanley Fish. I don’t, really. Don’t even know the guy. And...
Feature: Ten tips for living (healthily) longer
It’s not just about living till you’re 120 anymore, these diet and lifestyle tips will keep you alert, energetic and healthy for longer.
Rare African Golden Cat Captured on Camera
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Yale anthropologist has captured photographic images of a rare, cougar-like cat ranging at night in an endangered Ugandan forest.