Latest science news in Biology & Nature
RNA interference found in budding yeasts
FINDINGS: Some budding yeast species have the ability to silence genes using RNA interference (RNAi). Until now, most researchers thought that no budding yeasts possess the RNAi pathway because Saccharomyces...
Dramatic Biological Responses To Global Warming In The Arctic
The Arctic as we know it may soon be a thing of the past, according to the research of a large, international team. The researchers carried out ecosystem-wide studies of...
Observatory: The Gecko’s Tail Has a Life of Its Own
When a gecko is threatened and self-amputates its tail, the tail doesn’t just sit there: it can make movements for up to half an hour.
Great Tit Turns Out to be a Killer
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Great Tit is an aggressive songbird found in Britain, continental Europe, parts of Northern Africa, and much of Asia. It is believed to survive mostly on seeds,...
Protein found to control form of diabetes
IOWA CITY, Iowa, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- University of Iowa scientists say they've discovered a molecular mechanism regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion in a form of diabetes.
Engineered human fusion protein inhibits HIV-1 replication
In 2004, Jeremy Luban and colleagues from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, reported that New World owl monkeys (Aotus genus) make a fusion protein - AoT5Cyp - that potently blocks...
Plants on steroids: Key missing link discovered
Researchers at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology have discovered a key missing link in the so-called signalling pathway for plant steroid hormones (brassinosteroids). Many important signalling pathways are...
Disease-causing Escherichia coli: 'I will survive'
Strains of Escherichia coli bacteria that cause food poisoning have been shown to have marked differences in the numbers of genes they carry compared to laboratory strains of E. coli....
Yawning toons make an ape gape
Computer animations of yawning chimpanzees provoke the same irresistible grins in real chimps, according to an unusual study released Wednesday.
Liposuction leftovers make easy stem cells: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fat sucked out of chunky thighs or flabby bellies might provide an easy source of stem cells made using new and promising technology, U.S. researchers reported on...
Rats With Part of Brain Deactivated Move Toward Food But Do Not Eat
Using an animal model of binge eating, researchers discovered that deactivating the basolateral amygdala, a brain region involved in regulating emotion, specifically blocked consumption of a fatty diet. Surprisingly, it...
Spare Gene Is Fodder For Fishes' Evolution
Scientists have suspected that spare parts in the genome -- extra copies of functional genes that arise when genes or whole genomes get duplicated -- might sometimes provide the raw...
Larger Seasonal Speed Zones Could Save Whales
(PhysOrg.com) -- Larger areas of speed limits for ships around major ports could significantly help North Atlantic right whales' survival, according to a new study led by Duke University scientists.
Protein found as link to heart evolution
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found a specific protein helped the 3-chambered heart of amphibians evolve into the 4-chambered heart of birds and mammals.
Freckles and Flab Make Better Stem Cells Than Skin
In a development sure to give Eric Cartman some conflicted feelings, a pair of studies have found that cells taken from freckles or fat cells produce stem cells faster, and with a...
Researchers Wage Communication Warfare on Bacteria
When a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria begins an assault on the human body, doctors usually have few tools to fall back on, save more antibiotics and crossed fingers. But a group of researchers...
Crab Apple Trees: Long-term Apple Scab Resistance Remains Elusive, Expert Says
There are hundreds of choices when picking a crabapple tree from the nursery, but an expert says only a handful are resistant to a widespread fungus or other serious diseases.
Engineered Protein-like Molecule Protects Cells Against HIV Infection
With the help of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and molecular engineering, researchers have designed synthetic protein-like mimics convincing enough to interrupt unwanted biological conversations between cells.
A new �bent� on fusion
Success in cellular fusion � as occurs at the moment of conception and when nerve cells exchange neurotransmitters � requires that a membrane be bent before the merging process can...
National search for proteins that cause MS
Australian researchers will aim to discover the proteins that cause multiple sclerosis (MS), thanks to a new nationwide research effort.
Why Obama's Dog Has Curly Hair; Utah Aids NIH Gene Study
University of Utah researchers used data from Portuguese water dogs � the breed of President Barack Obama�s dog Bo � to help find a gene that gives some dogs curly...
Turning back the clock: Fasting prolongs reproductive life span
Scientific dogma has long asserted that females are born with their entire lifetime�s supply of eggs, and once they�re gone, they�re gone. New findings by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer...
Scientists Identify Gene for Resistance to Parasitic 'Witchweed'
Scientists at the University of Virginia have identified a gene in cowpea (black-eyed pea) that confers resistance to attack from witchweed, a parasitic plant. This discovery will help researchers better...
Diversity in Key Environmental Cleanup Microbe Found
Researchers analyzed the gene sequences, proteins expressed and physiology of 10 strains of bioremediation microbes called Shewanella. Results showed surprising diversity not seen using traditional microbiology approaches.
Anticoagulant Protein S plays unexpected role in maintaining circulatory integrity
Protein S, a well-known anticoagulant protein, keeps the blood flowing in more than one way, discovered researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. The protein contributes to the formation...
Novel research to root out how microbes affect rice plants
Plants that live in the soil don't live alone -- a mere teaspoon of soil teems with an estimated billion microscopic organisms.
Study illuminates fMRI interpretation
HELSINKI, Finland, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Finnish and Canadian scientists say they've found brain cells called astrocytes play a major role in generating functional magnetic resonance imaging signals.
A molecular search for happier skin
Leeds scientists are using the most sophisticated techniques to tackle a question almost as old as mankind itself - what makes skin feel good, and why?