Latest science news in Biology & Nature

Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field

13 years ago from Science Daily

Building on prior investigation into the biological mechanisms through which monarch butterflies are able to migrate up to 2,000 miles from eastern North America to a particular forest in Mexico...

Helpful yeast battles food-contaminating aflatoxin

13 years ago from Science Daily

Pistachios, almonds and other popular tree nuts might someday be routinely sprayed with a yeast called Pichia anomala to help protect against aflatoxin contamination, according to a plant physiologist.

Natural pest control saves coffee berry

13 years ago from Science Daily

A predator for the devastating coffee berry borer has just been discovered in Africa. Researchers have identified a previously unknown predatory thrips which feeds on the eggs and larvae of...

Cancer protein: molecule long believed to need a partner in crime can, in fact, start chain of events on its own

13 years ago from Science Daily

In a new study, a research team is challenging a prevailing belief about the behavior of a human protein linked to the formation of cancer, possibly breathing new life into...

Studies shed new light on early transmembrane signalling

13 years ago from

Two new studies by researchers at the University of Washington further our understanding of the molecular steps in the PLC cascade, a G protein-coupled receptor signalling mechanism that underlies a...

Rare genetic variants create 'synthetic' genome-wide signals of disease risk

13 years ago from

Scientists at Duke University Medical Centre say they are now convinced that rare genetic variants - as opposed to more common ones - lie at the heart of the genetic...

Study of shark virgin birth shows offspring can survive long term

13 years ago from Science Daily

Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term, according to new research. The study shows for the first time that some virgin births can result in viable...

Could Black-Market Botox Makers Supply Terrorists with Botulinum Toxin?

13 years ago from PopSci

Black market labs that manufacture the beauty drug Botox could also provide terrorists with the deadly botulinum toxin, officials and security experts warn. U.S. scientists found that a biologist with a master's degree...

Breeding Has Made Dogs’ Heads Incredibly Diverse

13 years ago from Live Science

A new study reveals that the variety of skull shapes among domestic dogs has become just as diverse as the variety between other mammal species.

American Bird Conservancy hails ruling

13 years ago from UPI

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The American Bird Conservancy says it's pleased with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to keep the Marbled Murrelet listed as an endangered...

Swedes accept protective hunting - but only of certain species

13 years ago from

Research at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that Swedes generally accept protective hunting as a means of saving threatened species. But only as long as crows, minks and gulls...

Living the high life is risky business for toads under threat from fungus

13 years ago from

Midwife toads that live in the mountains are highly likely to die from a serious fungal infection, called chytridiomycosis, whereas their infected relatives in the lowlands are not, according to...

Prions 'may keep nerves healthy'

13 years ago from BBC News: Science & Nature

Experiments on mice may give a hint as to the normal function of the protein most usually linked to vCJD.

New Rule Allows Use of Partial DNA Matches

13 years ago from NY Times Science

New York has become the latest jurisdiction to permit a controversial use of DNA evidence that gives law enforcement authorities a sophisticated means to track down criminals.

Bat echolocation: 3-D imaging differentiates how various bats generate biosonar signals

13 years ago from Science Daily

Researchers, using micro-computed tomography systems, have shed new light on the way bats echolocate. With echolocation, animals emit sounds and then listen to the reflected echoes of those sounds to...

Chaperonins prompt proper protein folding -- but how?

13 years ago from Science Daily

In a new study in archaea (single-celled organisms without nuclei to enclose their genetic information), researchers have discovered how the Group II chaperonins close and open folding chambers to initiate...

How organisms can tolerate mutations, yet adapt to environmental change

13 years ago from Science Daily

Biologists studying the processes of evolution appear to have resolved a longstanding conundrum: how can organisms be robust against the effects of mutations yet simultaneously adaptable when the environment changes?

Potential new class of drugs to combat hepatitis C identified

13 years ago from Science Daily

Scientists have discovered a novel class of compounds that, in experiments in vitro, inhibit replication of the virus responsible for hepatitis C.

Tree Shrew Offers Small-Animal Model of Hepatitis C Virus Infection

13 years ago from Science Daily

Researchers from Japan suggest that the tree shrew may be a practical small-animal model for studying the progression of human hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This discovery would replace the...

Feature: The science of sand

13 years ago from Science Alert

The varied colours and textures of our beaches is a testament to up to thousands of years of sand formation.

Researchers trace effects of genetic defect in myotonic muscular dystrophy

13 years ago from Science Daily

Research on the genetic defect that causes myotonic muscular dystrophy has revealed that the mutation disrupts an array of metabolic pathways in muscle cells through its effects on two key...

Illuminating protein networks in one step

13 years ago from Science Daily

A newly developed assay is capable of examining hundreds of proteins at once and enabling new experiments that could dramatically change our understanding of cancer and other diseases. The new...

Experts stunned by swan 'divorce'

13 years ago from BBC News: Science & Nature

A rare "divorce" between a pair of swans is recorded at a Gloucestershire wildfowl sanctuary, experts say.

Scientists create model of monster 'Frankenstorm'

13 years ago from Physorg

(AP) -- Think the recent wild weather that hammered California was bad? Experts are imagining far worse.

All things bright and beautiful: What photographer found in one cubic foot

13 years ago from The Guardian - Science

Just how much life can you find in an ecosystem of one cubic foot? That is the question photographer David L­iittschwager set out to answer when he took a 12-inch metal frame...

Video: The Cold War

13 years ago from CBSNews - Science

CBS News' Bill Geist travels to Embarrass, Minnesota, where residents there continuously strive to compete over the region's extremely frigid area.

World view: Wild goose chase

13 years ago from News @ Nature

Quantitative research assessment is a bad idea whose time has come, argues Colin Macilwain.

Five hard truths for synthetic biology

13 years ago from News @ Nature

Can engineering approaches tame the complexity of living systems? Roberta Kwok explores five challenges for the field and how they might be resolved.