Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Brother sperm train together
Mouse sperm cells team up with their kin in the race to fertilize eggs.
Researchers identify a new gene involved in autophagy, the cellular recycling program
All cells are equipped with a recycling programme to collect and remove unnecessary cellular components. Autophagy sequesters and digests aged organelles, damaged proteins and other components, which, if not disintegrated...
Mountain plants unable to withstand invasion
An international research team has studied the distribution of plant species in mountainous environments. The study shows that mountain plant communities are not particularly resistant to invasion by exotic species....
Scientists create blood vessel cells from stem cells
New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF)-Druckenmiller Fellow, Daylon James, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medial College, is lead author on a study defining conditions for generating a plentiful supply of endothelial...
Nobel-winning scientist Nirenberg dies at 82
Marshall Nirenberg, a scientist whose groundbreaking work untangling fundamental genetic processes earned him a Nobel Prize, has died. He was 82. Nobel Prize - Chemistry -...
Little pill means big news in the treatment of MS
A new drug for multiple sclerosis promises to change the lives of the 100,000 people in the UK who have the condition, say researchers at Queen Mary, University of London...
Communication problems in the brain
For brain cells to communicate, the contacts to each other must function. The protein molecule neuroligin-1 plays an important role in this as it stimulates the necessary maturation processes at...
Biologists explain how organisms can tolerate mutations, yet adapt to environmental change
Biologists at the University of Pennsylvania studying the processes of evolution appear to have resolved a longstanding conundrum: How can organisms be robust against the effects of mutations yet simultaneously...
Human brain uses a grid to represent space
"Grid cells" that act like a spatial map in the brain have been identified for the first time in humans, which may help to explain how we create internal maps...
UC San Diego researchers synchronise blinking 'genetic clocks'
Researchers at UC San Diego who last year genetically engineered bacteria to keep track of time by turning on and off fluorescent proteins within their cells have taken another step...
Gene essential for neuron development and contextual memory
New research demonstrates the essential function of the gene PC3/Tis21/BTG2 in the maturation of the neuron, and how this plays an important role in the integration of the neuron into...
Mammals "Rafted" to Madagascar, Climate Model Suggests
The ancestors of lemurs, fossa, and other Madagascar mammals got to the island aboard natural rafts, according to a new model of the ocean currents and prevailing winds that existed...
Coconut palms bring ecological change to tropics, researchers say
(PhysOrg.com) -- Those graceful coconut palms swaying in tropical breezes are lowering nutrient levels in the soils and the plants around them, thereby altering the eating habits of animals. Researchers...
Healthy roos breed males
A recent study has found that the healthier a female kangaroos is, the more likely she is to produce male offspring.
King-sized fast food for fur seal
Antarctic fur seals have been filmed catching and eating king penguins in the open ocean, behaviour not seen before.
Llama proteins could play a vital role in the war on terror
Scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) have for the first time developed a highly sensitive means of detecting the seven types of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) simultaneously.
Wales in crawfish plea to divers
Divers are asked for help recording crawfish numbers in Welsh waters after it is named a conservation target.
Cancer detection by electrical signature
Separating live and dead leukaemia cells could provide an automated system for early cancer detection
Shorebirds shape up and ship out
Some Canadian shorebirds have had to get fit or die trying. Research published in the open access journal BMC Ecology has found that the average Pacific dunlin has lost weight...
Busy Bees Need a Balanced Diet
Bees fed just one type of pollen are less able to protect hive from disease [Read more]
GlaxoSmithKline Opens Chemical Database to Researchers Hunting Malaria Drugs
Open sourcing has revolutionized everything from software architecture to agriculture to the way we archive knowledge, so why can't it find a cure for malaria? That seems to be the reasoning behind pharmaceutical...
Chaperonins Prompt Proper Protein Folding, And Scientists May Know How
Biologists know that Chaperonins ensure proteins are folded properly to carry out their assigned roles in cells, and according to a new letter published in Nature, they may also know...
Conservationists oppose proposed polar bear trade ban
The World Wildlife Fund and another international conservation group are opposing a U.S. proposal to ban the trade of polar bear products from countries like Canada.
Wildlife photo stripped of award
The winner of a major wildlife photography award is disqualified because the wolf featured in his photograph was likely a "model".
Defying Climate Change, Ensuring Maize Stability
Crop genetics play key role in understanding the impact of environmental stress.
Pay-by-phone glitch causing parking tickets
A glitch in the pay-by-phone system for parking meters in Vancouver has resulted unexpected parking tickets for some drivers.
Triffid seed threatens flax industry
Canadian flax seed has been shut out of its largest market after traces of Triffid - a genetically modified form of the crop ordered destroyed 10 years ago - was...
Fish Are Remarkable Architects
Red groupers create remarkable structures that attract other creatures, including dinner.