Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Introducing Virus Resistant 'Orange Bulldog' Pumpkins
Move over "Longface", "Spooktacular" and "Trickster" -- there's a new face in the pumpkin patch. Researchers recently introduced "Orange Bulldog," a new variety of the familiar fall fruit that may...
Shrimps see beyond the rainbow
A Swiss marine biologist and an Australian quantum physicist have found that a species of shrimp from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, can see a world invisible to all other...
Monarch butterflies help explain why parasites harm hosts
Altizer with monarch. It’s a paradox that has confounded evolutionary biologists since Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859: Since parasites depend on their hosts for survival,...
VIDEO: Rare Dead Sea Scroll Displayed
A small, fragile piece of a 2,000-year-old Dead Sea scroll was shown briefly to visitors at a Jerusalem conference.
Fighting Pests And Diseases Organically With Help From Wild Cocoa Trees In French Guiana
In every production zone worldwide, cocoa trees are faced with pests and diseases that can wipe out entire harvests. To protect their crops, farmers often use costly, polluting chemicals or...
Scientists Discover Small RNAs That Regulate Gene Expression And Protect The Genome
RNA is best known as a working copy of the DNA sequence of genes. In this role, it's a carrier of the genes' instructions to the cell, which manufactures proteins...
Canadian protein complex study adds data
MONTREAL, May 14 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say they have completed a massive survey of the network of protein complexes that maintain the fundamental processes of life.
Sudden stingray deaths puzzle Canada zoo
Officials at the Calgary Zoo remained baffled on Tuesday as they tried to puzzle out just why 34 of their stingrays suddenly died.
Dr. Murray E. Jarvik, 84; UCLA pharmacologist invented nicotine patch
Dr. Murray E. Jarvik, the UCLA pharmacologist who showed that nicotine was the addictive factor in tobacco and invented the nicotine patch for smokers trying to quit, died Thursday at...
First Use Of DNA Fingerprinting To Identify Viable Embryos
Fertility researchers have used DNA fingerprinting for the first time to identify which embryos have implanted after in vitro fertilization and developed successfully to result in the births of healthy...
Fecal Microorganisms Inhabit Sandy Beaches Of Florida
A study of Florida beaches has shown that wet sand and dry sand above the intertidal zone have significantly more fecal bacteria than near-shore seawater. Scientists researched whether indicator bacteria...
Wild Three-Toed Sloths Sleep 6 Hours Less Per Day Than Captive Sloths, First Electrophysical Recording Shows
In the first experiment to record the electrophysiology of sleep in a wild animal, three-toed sloths carrying miniature electroencephalogram recorders slept 9.63 hours per day -- 6 hours less than...
Research shines spotlight on a key player in the dance of chromosomes
Cell division is essential to life, but the mechanism by which emerging daughter cells organize and divvy up their genetic endowments is little understood. In a new study, researchers at...
Extinction fear for butterfly
A UK mountain-dwelling butterfly could be wiped out in Scotland because of climate change, experts say.
It Started With A Squeak: Moonlight Serenade Helps Lemurs Pick Mates Of The Right Species
Some Malagasy mouse lemurs are so similar that picking a mate of the right species, especially at night time in a tropical forest, might seem like a matter of pot...
Observatory: Steel Chompers Help Make a Mouth That’s Almost Human
What goes on in the mouth goes a long way to determining the flavor of food.
Engineering by Scientists on Embryo Stirs Criticism
Researchers in New York have created what is believed to be the first genetically engineered human embryo, which critics immediately branded as a step toward “designer babies.”
Museum Kills Live Exhibit
A “living coat” made out of mice stem cells had to be killed before it grew out of control.
Basics: A Gene Map for the Cute Side of the Family
The genetic map for a cute, yet unique, creature turned more heads than those maps for less-interesting creatures.
3-D picture of Alzheimer's peptide created
WALTHAM, Mass., May 13 (UPI) -- U.S. and German scientists say they've created a three-dimensional picture of an Alzheimer's disease peptide using electron microscopy.
Egypt approves commercialisation of first GM crop
Egypt has approved a Bt maize variety for commercialisation, the first genetically modified crop to gain approval in the country.
Research Team Part of International Effort to Thwart Viruses
UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) scientists were part of an international research team that discovered the unique way certain viruses invade healthy cells, opening the door to new therapies...
Platypus venom could relieve pain
The dangerous venom found in male platypus spurs could potentially be valuable in pain relief and antibiotic medication, according to research.
Sweet sorghum, clean miracle crop for feed and fuel
The hardy sweet sorghum plant could be the miracle crop that provides cheap animal feed and fuel without straining the world's food supply or harming the environment, said scientists working...
'Shaquille O'Neal' Of Bacteria Big Enough To See With Naked Eye
Cornell researchers are studying bacterium big enough to see -- the Shaquille O'Neal of bacteria. The secret to an unusual bacterium's massive size -- it's the size of a grain...
When following the leader can lead into the jaws of death
Follow that fish -- threespine sticklebacks that were used in the experiments. For animals that live in social groups, and that includes humans, blindly following a leader could place them...
Invasion Of The Spiny Water Fleas: Drying Anchor Lines Can Help Contain Spread
Reducing the spread of some invasive species into our lakes could be as simple as asking boaters and fishers to dry out their equipment, says one biology professor studying invasive...
Simon Hoggart's sketch: MPs tread carefully on issues of conscience
Simon Hoggart: MPs debated the human fertilisation and embryology bill. Talk about walking on eggshells