Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Connecting cancer genes
A large genetic study in mice has identified hundreds of genes involved in the development of cancer by examining the DNA of more than 500 lymphomas to find the cancer...
Platypus could solve mammal mysteries
An international team of scientists have sequenced the platypus genome, which could aid conservation efforts and explain mysteries of human evolution.
Spider Named for Canadian Musician Neil Young
An East Carolina University biologist has brought his admiration of Neil Young into a class of its own. Or species, to be exact. Jason Bond, an ECU professor of biology,...
Intensive Farming Is Fine For Birds And Bees, Says Report
Eco-friendly plant and animal life have been thriving in intensively managed cereal farms alongside increasing crop yields, according to the first study of its kind. The analysis of 230 farms...
Virus Mimics Human Protein To Hijack Cell Division Machinery
Viruses are masters of deception, duping their host's cells into helping them grow and spread. A new study has found that human cytomegalovirus can mimic a common regulatory protein to...
Better Dirt Key To Solving Food Crisis
Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and old-fashioned crossbreeding. Now the problem is the dirt they are planted in.
Beekeepers Report Continued Heavy Losses From Colony Collapse Disorder
The Agricultural Research Service and the Apiary Inspectors of America have conducted a combined survey of beekeepers to get a snapshot of how well managed colonies made it through the...
Genetic 'Tag Team' Keeps Cells On Cycle
By surveying the activity of thousands of genes at several different time points, researchers have uncovered new evidence that a network of influential genes act as a kind of genetic...
Molecular Espionage Shows A Single HIV Enzyme's Many Tasks
Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme, seemingly the Swiss army knife in HIV's toolbox, differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part...
VIDEO: Orangutans Extinct in 3 Years?
The world's largest group of orangutans in Indonesia may face extinction by 2011 because of palm oil plantation expansion, which is destroying habitat, experts say.
Scientists identify key roadblock to gene expression
A team of scientists has provided, for the first time, a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the...
Model Successfully Predicts Large River System Fish Diversity
While scientists have developed methods to predict aspects of fish diversity in specific river locations, a model to understand what factors may drive a comprehensive suite of fish biodiversity patterns...
Flowers 'Wave' to Attract Insects
Flowers "wave" in the breeze on long stalks to attract passing insects, reports BBC News. read more
The platypus: A living quilt
The duck-billed oddity contains genes that are mammalian, avian and reptilian, scientists who mapped them say. ...
Genetics Confirm Oral Traditions of Druze in Israel
By using detailed comparative analysis of DNA sequence variations of residents of Druze villages in Israel, researchers have discovered a "living relic" that provides a glimpse of the Near East...
"Weird" Pygmy Whale Dissected
A six-month-old whale found dead on a New Zealand coastline is giving scientists a rare peek into the anatomy of the bizarre creature.
Does the brain control muscles or movements?
One of the major scientific questions about the brain is how it can translate the simple intent to perform an action—say, reach for a glass—into the dynamic, coordinated symphony of...
Researchers find neuroblastoma genes
BOSTON (Reuters) - An international team of researchers said they have pinpointed three variants of the genetic code that appear to set the stage for aggressive neuroblastoma, the deadliest solid...
Sexy orchids do more than embarrass wasps: study
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Orchids that mimic female wasps may not only waste the time of the male wasps they lure into spreading their pollen -- they also seduce them into...
El Salvador: Green light for GM crops
The Salvadorian parliament has approved the commercialisation of genetically modified (GM) seeds, as a measure to combat food insecurity.
You're Not Cuckoo: These Birds Look the Same
Researchers figure out why cuckoos and sparrowhawks are so easily mistaken
Researchers Tackling Unsolved Questions About Protein Structures
A University of Arizona research team is exploring the evolutionary origins of protein structures. Their findings will help people better understand how proteins evolved to carry out the instructions encoded...
New study analyzes why endangered parrot population isn't recovering
The population of wild Puerto Rican parrots, among the most endangered birds in the world, has languished for decades, with several dozen remaining birds unable to break through the bottleneck...
URI entomologist predicts early tick season, high infection rate
A University of Rhode Island tick expert believes that several ecological factors are likely to make 2008 a big year for ticks and disease, so he advises Rhode Islanders to...
Researchers study bacterium big enough to see -- the Shaquille O'Neal of bacteria
Well, perhaps not quite Shaquille O'Neal. But it is Shaq-teria. The secret to an unusual bacterium's massive size -- it's the size of a grain of salt, or a million...
HP labs director seeks more help from academia
(AP) -- Trying to boost the output of its research labs, Hewlett-Packard Co. wants to get more help from scientists in universities.
Large mammal species live harder, die out faster
Throughout Earth`s history, species have come and gone, being replaced by new ones that are better able to cope with life`s challenges. But some species last longer than others, while...
Cell biology: The cellular hullabaloo
The inner life of a cell is noisy. Helen Pearson discovers how the resulting randomness makes life more challenging #20; and richer.