Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Polyandry drives increased embryo viability
An experimental evolutionary study on house mice (Mus musculus) has found multiple mating is beneficial for both males and females.
Ants Beware! Spider Protected by Burglar-Proof Web
Orb web spiders deposit anti-ant compounds to ward off thieves
Why has synesthesia survived evolution?
In the 19th century, Francis Galton noted that certain people who were otherwise normal "saw" every number or letter tinged with a particular color, even though it was written in...
P Rex-1 protein key to melanoma metastasis
Researchers have identified a protein, called P-Rex1, that is key to the movement of cells called melanoblasts. When these cells experience uncontrolled growth, melanoma develops.
World's First Night-Blooming Orchid Discovered
This bizarre nocturnal flower lives fast and dies young.
New medical, research tool possible by probing cell mechanics
Researchers are making progress in developing a system that measures the mechanical properties of living cells, a technology that could be used to diagnose human disease and better understand biological...
Enzymatic synthesis of pyrrolysine, the mysterious 22nd amino acid
With few exceptions, all known proteins are built up from only twenty amino acids. 25 years ago scientists discovered a 21st amino acid, selenocysteine and ten years ago a 22nd,...
Poison frogs dress in hometown colors
The colorful markings of poison dart frogs vary depending on where the frogs live. Now, a new study using thousands of fake-frog decoys finds that these markings evolved hyper-locally, explaining...
Fatty Bundles Sneak siRNA Into Cells
Nanotechnology: Lipid nanoparticles offer a new way to deliver therapeutic nucleic acids
Cancer drug cisplatin found to bind like glue in cellular RNA
An anti-cancer drug used extensively in chemotherapy binds pervasively to RNA -- up to 20-fold more than it does to DNA, a surprise finding that suggests new targeting approaches might...
Observatory: Fossilized Moth’s Color Is Revealed With Microscopes and Math
Researchers used electron microscopy to analyze scale structure of a species that lived 47 million years ago and reached a conclusion: yellow-green.
Q & A: How Do Seeds Know Which Direction to Send Up Shoots?
The ability of plants to sense and alter their growth in response to gravity is known as gravitropism, and it is not fully understood.
UCD pepper-spray video inspires viral art
Photoshopped images of pepper spraying police officer at California university go viral
ScienceShot: Horse Variety Predates Domestication
More than 70% of today's horse lineages existed before humans started breeding them
Scientists genetically increase algae biomass by more than 50 percent
Research at Iowa State University has led to discovery of a genetic method that can increase biomass in algae by 50 to 80 percent.
Testing antioxidant drugs is transparent
A study using genetically modified zebrafish to visualize early events involved in development of human atherosclerosis describes an efficient model one that the researchers say offers many applications for...
Implanted Neurons, Grown in the Lab, Take Charge of Brain Circuitry
Among the many hurdles to be cleared before human embryonic stem cells can achieve their therapeutic potential is determining whether or not transplanted cells can functionally integrate into target organs...
Taking bushmeat off the menu could increase child anemia, study finds
When the dinner menu includes endangered species, human nutritional needs must contend with efforts to manage wildlife resources, according to a new study. Researchers estimate that a loss of access...
New research on body parts' sensitivity to environmental changes
Scientists have shed new light on why some body parts are more sensitive to environmental change than others, work that could someday lead to better ways of treating a variety...
Critical molecules for hearing and balance discovered
Researchers have found long-sought genes in the sensory hair cells of the inner ear that, when mutated, prevent sound waves from being converted to electric signals – a fundamental first...
A bright idea: Energy-saving apps
It's possible that Tanya Morris has become something of a pest. And she delights in it. Wherever she goes, she's likely to whip out her iPad and open her favorite...
DARPA wants nanomolecules to replace antibiotics
Defense agency wants to develop revolutionary platform to combat evolving biologic threats
A new model for understanding biodiversity
Animals like foxes and raccoons are highly adaptable. They move around and eat everything from insects to eggs. They and other 'generalist feeders' like them may also be crucial to...
VIDEO: Pandas get ready for Scottish home
Two pandas are heading to Edinburgh Zoo from China, as part of an international conservation effort.
Coffee delivers jolt deep in the brain
Caffeine strengthens electrical signals in rats’ hippocampus
Mutants with heterozygote disadvantage can prevent spread of transgenic animals
Genetically modified animals are designed to contain the spread of pathogens. One prerequisite for the release of such organisms into the environment is that the new gene variant does not...
A new model for understanding biodiversity
Biology researchers have developed a unified, spatially based understanding of biodiversity that takes into account the complex food webs of predators and prey.
Dutch keep killer whale captive
Dutch judge rejects pleas to let killer whale return to wild