Latest science news in Biology & Nature
VIDEO: Pandas Sensed Quake Coming?
A tourist visiting a reserve during the massive earthquake in China says pandas seemed to sense something was wrong before the quake struck.
Fruit fly study could lead to pain control
ATHENS, Ga., May 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered why maturing fruit flies switch from voracious eating to the avoidance of food.
Fruit fly aging gene is identified
OXFORD, England, May 13 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've found a gene in fruit flies that allows a fast and effective way to investigate important aspects of...
Frog found to emit ultrasonic sounds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., May 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say female concave-eared frogs draw mates with ultrasonic calls -- an ability shared only with bats, dolphins, whales and some...
Feature: The power of plants
Every minute of every day, plants around the globe convert 50,000 tonnes of sugar they’ve produced by photosynthesis into high-energy molecules to drive their growth. Marcia Van Zeller investigates the...
Opinion: Platypus genome should have been Australia's triumph
The release of the internationally awaited platypus genome could have been a triumph of Australian science, but Professor Jenny Graves and Dr Sue Forrest question whether the country can really...
Cameron to take on Labour over controversial human embryo bill
Tory leader is to table a series of amendments to a the human fertilisation and embryology bill
Fish diet to avoid fights
People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group - and getting eaten as a result.
Genetic sleuths unmask secrets of big tomatoes
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The secret behind growing large tomatoes lies not in the fertilizer or the perfect soil conditions, but in just a few genetic changes that over time have...
How One Mutation Tips Biochemistry To Cause Alzheimer's Disease
Forms of early-onset Alzheimer's disease are known to be hereditary, caused by single point mutations. Now, using sophisticated computer simulations, a team of physical chemists have shown precisely how the...
Roy Snelling, 73; renowned entomologist was an expert on ants
Roy Snelling, an internationally renowned entomologist who turned his boyhood fascination with insects into a lifelong study of the secret world of ants, wasps and bees, has died. He was...
Mechanism of cell death uncovered
Researchers have revealed how proteins are able to puncture a cell's power supply, the mitochnodria, triggering cell death that can prevent tumour growth.
Australian pokes shark in eye during attack
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian swimmer survived a great white shark attack by poking the creature in the eyes as it dragged him through the water after badly savaging his...
Opinion: Lungfish left high and dry
When partial compliance is as bad as none: the Paradise Dam in Queensland has a fishway for the Australian Lungfish that is all but useless, writes Roger Currie.
Magnet Lab Researchers Make Observing Cell Functions Easier
Now that the genome of humans and many other organisms have been sequenced, biologists are turning their attention to discovering how the many thousands of structural and control genes --...
Gene Linked To Alcohol And Cocaine Dependence
The search for genes associated with alcohol dependence has recently been extended to the tachykinin receptor 3 gene, located within a broad region on chromosome 4q. Researchers have found that...
Ethical concerns in embryos bill divide MPs
Ministers debate fundamental questions about the sanctity of life and human embryo experimentation
Coyotes threaten endangered tortoises
BARSTOW, Calif., May 11 (UPI) -- Hundreds of tortoises protected under state and federal endangered species law are being threatened by California's coyote population, scientists say.
Scientists replicate lost tropical species
PORTSMOUTH, England, May 11 (UPI) -- The appearances of dozens of extinct species of animals that lived alongside the dodo on several Indian Ocean islands have been replicated,...
A new gene trigger for pregnancy disorder identified
The COMT gene - known already for its role in schizophrenia - has been found to play a role in preeclampsia, according to a report in today`s advance...
Slow, steady -- and under siege
Endangered tortoises airlifted from an Army base face other threats. ...
Pro-life MPs threaten access to IVF
Bill amendment could force clinics to bar women who cannot 'name father'
Endangered Species Up The Risk Of Extinction For Other Species In Ecological Community
An endangered species of flora or fauna ups the risk of the extinction of the other species in its ecological community. Trophically unique species are more vulnerable for cascading extinction,...
Weddings boost Shark's fin consumption in Singapore: report
Shark's fin consumption more than doubled in Singapore last year from 2006, with demand driven by an economic boom and an increase in wedding celebrations, a report said Saturday.
California limits salmon fishing
SACRAMENTO, May 10 (UPI) -- California officials said salmon fishing in the Central Valley will be limited this year to a small stretch of the Sacramento River.
Information on ketogenic, Atkins diets
The standard ketogenic diet, a dietary approach for managing medication-resistant epilepsy, calls for a 4-1 or 3-1 ratio of fat to protein and carbohydrates. Why this diet works in controlling...
VIDEO: Chimp Memory Beats Humans'
Watch young chimpanzees beat Japanese college students in a short-term-memory test by a wide margin—raising questions about primate intelligence and evolution.
How body size is regulated
This meta-analysis, published in the latest issue of Nature Genetics, is based on data from more than 26,000 study participants. It verifies two already known genes, but also discovered ten...