Latest science news in Biology & Nature
White-throated sparrows are ditching their classic song for a new tune
Researchers are tracking a potential new dialect of bird song that has swept rapidly through sparrows throughout North America. (Scott M. Ramsay/)When ornithologist Ken Otter moved to Prince George in northern British Columbia...
Researchers study effects of cellular crowding on the cell's transport system
As many diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, have been linked to the defective functioning of motor proteins in cell transport systems, understanding the intricacies of how motor proteins...
Researchers develop software to find drug-resistant bacteria
Washington State University researchers have developed an easy-to-use software program to identify drug-resistant genes in bacteria.
Cell 'membrane on a chip' could speed up screening of drug candidates for COVID-19
Researchers have developed a human cell 'membrane on a chip' that allows continuous monitoring of how drugs and infectious agents interact with our cells, and may soon be used to...
Coconut oil may be worse than palm oil when it comes to the environment
Many scientific studies have highlighted environmental harm caused by palm oil production, but new research suggests the production of coconut oil threatens more species per liter than other vegetable oils.
European ancestry plays role in 'killer' honey bees' aggressiveness
What causes African hybrid honey bees (AHB), also known as killer bees, to be highly defensive and aggressive? York University researchers have found it was the mixing of African and...
Palm trees most abundant in American rainforests
Characteristics of palm trees differ from those of other tropical trees in many ways. In a major new study led by scientists at Uppsala University, Sweden, and University of Campinas,...
Order from noise: How randomness and collective dynamics define a stem cell
Stem cells are central to organ development and renewal. In most organs, stem cells are located in specific regions and, in some cases, can be identified through several intrinsic properties,...
Coconut confusion reveals consumer conundrum
Coconut oil production may be more damaging to the environment than palm oil, researchers say.
Did adaptive radiations shape reptile evolution?
Some of the most fundamental questions in evolution remain unanswered, such as when and how extremely diverse groups of animals—for example reptiles—first evolved. For seventy-five years, adaptive radiations—the relatively fast...
Structural insights into Fe-S protein biogenesis
The cytosolic iron sulfur assembly (CIA) pathway is required for the insertion of Fe-S clusters into proteins, including many DNA replication and repair factors. Despite its essential cellular function, this...
Location, location, location: Even gut immune response is site-specific
Researchers are using mini-organs to model the digestive tract in the laboratory. These so-called organoids provide insights into the inflammatory processes that play a role in diseases such Crohn's and...
Endangered butterfly in San Diego County is the focus of a new protection effort
Two environmental groups have filed a petition with the state asking it to provide more protection for a once-abundant butterfly that has seen its numbers fall precipitously in San Diego...
Remote learning tough for teachers working from home with many clocking extra hours, survey finds
Nearly half of the teachers in a nationwide survey conducted during the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic reported working almost an entire extra day while teaching from home, with...
Australian reptile research needs to move beyond university backyards
A team of Griffith University researchers found the strongest predictor of study sites for reptile research in Australia is proximity to universities.
Researchers construct dynamic landscape of medaka embryogenesis
Medaka, a fish, has become an important vertebrate model widely used in genetics, developmental biology, environmental sciences, and many other fields. A high-quality genome sequence and a variety of genetic...
Male fruit flies' decline in fertility with age is not only driven by changes in sperm
Infertility is one of the most striking effects of aging. The impact of aging on females' fertility is more severe and much better understood, but it also affects males. Male...
Parasite research heats up
Apicomplexan parasites infect hundreds of millions of people around the world each year. Several species of apicomplexan parasites in the Plasmodium genus cause malaria, while another apicomplexan species, Toxoplasma gondii...
Epigenetics Q&A: What the embryo can teach us about cell reprogramming
Cell reprogramming provides an outstanding opportunity for the artificial generation of stem cells for regenerative medicine approaches in the clinic. As current cell reprogramming methods are low in efficiency, researchers...
DNA helps conservation of elusive tequila bat
Scientists studying the near-threatened tequila bat, best known for its vital role in pollinating the Blue Agave plant from which the drink of the same name is made from, have...
Research team seeking public contributions to blue woodlice tracking project
A team of experts who are looking to combat viruses are to make a plea to the general public to help them in a new research project by becoming garden...
Yankees' Tanaka returns after taking 112-mph line drive to head
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was in "good spirits" when he returned to Yankee Stadium a day after he was hit in the head by...
Harmful microbes found on sewer pipe walls
Can antibiotic-resistant bacteria escape from sewers into waterways and cause a disease outbreak?
Cell 'membrane on a chip' could speed up screening of drug candidates for COVID-19
Researchers have developed a human cell 'membrane on a chip' that allows continuous monitoring of how drugs and infectious agents interact with our cells, and may soon be used to...
'Biologically relevant' levels of a fertility hormone are detected in human hair samples
The prospect of a non-invasive test of ovarian reserve is a little closer following results from a study showing that measurement of a fertility hormone can be accurately taken from...
SAG: Actors now 'free to work' on 'Songbird' film
SAG-AFTRA said it has rescinded its "Do Not Work" order for the pandemic drama, "Songbird."
Coronavirus: What's happening around the world on Sunday
Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia is under a new lockdown, with officials informing about 210,000 people in El Segria county to shelter in place, after more than 350 new cases of the...
Washington Redskins announce 'thorough review' of team name
The Washington Redskins announced Friday that the team will "undergo a thorough review" of the team's name.