Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Stay or leave? A tale of two virus strategies revealed by math
By modeling experimentally measured characteristics of cells infected with hepatitis C in the lab, researchers found that one virus strain was roughly three times more likely to use copied genetic...
Rams offensive lineman opts out; two go on COVID reserve list
Rams offensive lineman Chandler Brewer has opted out of the 2020 NFL season, and rookie linebacker Terrell Lewis and defensive lineman Michael Hoecht were placed on the COVID/IR list.
US: Snake River dams will not be removed to save salmon
The U.S. government announced Friday that four huge dams on the Snake River in Washington state will not be removed to help endangered salmon migrate to the ocean.
New and unique class of carbohydrate receptors
Researchers have determineD the crystal structure of an exopolysaccharide receptor. The results give insight into how plants and microbes communicate, and this knowledge can hopefully be used for more sustainable...
First gene knockout in a cephalopod achieved
Biologists have achieved the first gene knockout in a cephalopod using the squid Doryteuthis pealeii, an exceptionally important research organism in biology for nearly a century. The team used CRISPR-Cas9...
Tinkering with roundworm proteins offers hope for anti-aging drugs
Researchers have been able to dial up and down creatures' lifespans by altering the activity of proteins found in roundworm cells that tell them to convert sugar into energy when...
Look: Alligator removed from suburban Chicago lake
Firefighters in a Chicago suburb said a 3 1/2-foot alligator was captured after being spotted swimming in a local lake.
South Africa cuts rhino poaching by half: minister
The number of South African rhinos killed by poachers fell by half in the first six months of the year, but 166 were slaughtered nonetheless, the environment minister said Friday.
How human sperm really swim: New research challenges centuries-old assumption
A breakthrough in fertility science by researchers from Bristol and Mexico has shattered the universally accepted view of how sperm 'swim'.
Human sperm don’t swim the way that anyone had thought
Sperm have long fooled scientists. Instead of swimming straight by twirling their tails like propellers, human sperm flick their tails lopsidedly and roll to balance out the off-center strokes. Over 300 years ago,...
Watch: Billie Eilish releases 'My Future' single, animated video
Billie Eilish reflects on self-love and self-growth in the "personal" new song "My Future."
New set of channels connecting malaria parasite and blood cells
Researchers have discovered another set of pore-like holes, or channels, traversing the membrane-bound sac that encloses the deadliest malaria parasite as it infects red blood cells. The channels enable the...
Inflammation induced blood-brain barrier dysfunction studied in organoids
For this study, the 3D brain organoid was used to model the effects of oxygen deprivation and inflammation on blood brain barrier function to better understand what is happening in...
Tiny dryland plants help protect dwindling water supplies
New research suggests biocrusts -- an amalgamation of mosses, lichens, cyanobacteria and other kinds of microscopic organisms, including bacteria and fungi -- have a significant influence on the water cycle.
New drug targets for lethal brain cancer discovered
More than 200 genes with novel and known roles in glioblastoma - the most aggressive type of brain cancer - offer promising new drug targets. Researchers engineered a new mouse...
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera records first multi-homer game since 2016
Miguel Cabrera turned back the clock with his first game with multiple home runs since 2016 with two long balls in a Detroit Tigers loss to the Kansas City Royals...
10 things we do that puzzle and scare horses
Horses, like our dogs and cats, are familiar to many of us, be they racehorses, police horses, or much-loved pony club mounts. So it might surprise you that horses, in...
Detective work in the cell: Scientists uncover a new RNA-modifying enzyme
Scientists led by Javier Martinez from the Max Perutz Labs, a joint venture of the Medical University of Vienna and the University of Vienna, have identified a unique chemical reaction...
Mice need kinetochores rich in a microtubule crosslinker to achieve error-free oocyte division
The error-free division of mouse oocytes—the precursors of eggs—needs kinetochores that are rich in a specific microtubule crosslinker, RIKEN researchers have discovered. This finding could explain why the division of...
Research reveals why it's hard to get the smell out of polyester
Why does that favourite shirt, the one you've been wearing around the house since COVID-19 started, still stink, even after regular washing?
Sharks are thriving at the Kermadec Islands, but not the rest of New Zealand, amid global decline
A recent global assessment of shark populations at 371 coral reefs in 58 countries found no sharks at almost 20% of reefs and alarmingly low numbers at many others.
3-D nanometer-thin membrane borrows from biology
Mimicking the structure of the kidney, a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) have created a three-dimensional nanometer (nm)-thin...
Beat the heat with a walrus retreat
Much of western Europe was sweltering in a heatwave on Friday, but visitors to one Belgian safari park could at least seek shelter in an igloo with a cool view.
Do Animals Really Anticipate Earthquakes? Sensors Hint They Do
Cows, sheep and dogs increased their activity before tremors, seemingly reacting in part to one another -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
This parasitic plant consists of just flashy flowers and creepy suckers
Doorknobs in skirts. Microphones in tutus. There are lots of ways to describe Langsdorffia flowers, but parasitic-plant specialist Chris Thorogood says they “absolutely look to me like deep-sea creatures.” Whatever you compare them...
Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Image: The many colourful curves and folds of the Flinders Ranges in South Australia are featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
Blue crab invasion spells doom for Albanian fishermen
The blue crab may be pretty but it is a menace along Albania's coast.
New understanding of CRISPR-Cas9 tool could improve gene editing
Of the CRISPR-Cas9 tools created to date, base editors have gotten lots of attention because of their seemingly simple editing: they neatly replace one nucleic acid with another, in many...