Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Cleopatra's Eye Makeup Warded Off Infections?
Thick coats of black and green eye makeup partially made from lead may have boosted the immune systems of ancient Egyptians, a new study suggests.
Scientists push "Doomsday Clock" back a minute
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Scientists pushed back the hands on the symbolic Doomsday Clock by one minute citing hopeful developments in nuclear weapons and climate change.
How one form of natural vitamin E protects brain after stroke
Blocking the function of an enzyme in the brain with a specific kind of vitamin E can prevent nerve cells from dying after a stroke, new research suggests. In a...
Dog genetic studies reveal why Shar-Peis are wrinkled
(PhysOrg.com) -- There are over 400 genetically different dog breeds, with massive variations in size, colors, fur type, temperament, and so on, and scientists have wondered exactly what changes in...
A Yeast Contribution For The Treatment Of Parkinson’s Disease
Scientists have just identified several molecules capable of reversing the brain abnormalities of Parkinson’s disease (PD), while also uncovering new clues for its origin in a study just published in...
Worms aid understanding of stem cells
MADISON, Wis., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The study of simple roundworms is helping explain the stem cell's ability to develop into any cell type in the body, scientists in...
Strawberry genes to aid food research
BELTSVILLE, Md., Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The newly mapped genome of the alpine strawberry is to be used to improve heat tolerance in strawberries and other fruits, scientists in...
Microbe understudies await their turn in the limelight
On the marine microbial stage, there appears to be a vast, varied group of understudies only too ready to step in when "star" microbes falter. New research provides the first...
Terns' 43,000-mile migration tracked
NUUK, Greenland, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Scientists in Greenland have followed the epic 43,000-mile migration of the tiny Arctic tern by fitting them with an even tinier tracking device.
Synthetic Skin Delivers Gene Therapies Straight to Body, No Needles Necessary
The problem with needles is that nobody likes them. Aside from that, injection sites can become inflamed, and repeated injections into the same area can damage vascular tissue (see Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for...
Climate change and habitat destruction affect butterfly populations
RENO, Nev. -- Butterfly populations in California are declining and, in some cases, moving to higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada due to climate change and loss of habitat,...
New research: Sticking to diets is about more than willpower -- complexity matters
Many people think the success of dieting, seemingly a national obsession following the excesses and resolutions of the holiday season, depends mostly on how hard one tries -- on willpower...
Delivering stem cells improves repair of major bone injuries in rats, study shows
A new study shows that delivering stem cells on a polymer scaffold to treat large areas of missing bone leads to improved bone formation and better mechanical properties compared to...
Scientists decode secrets of dog breeding
A new study has laid down the first pieces of the age-old puzzle behind dog breeding by sequencing large sections of genes from nearly 300 canines belonging to 10 different...
Making Pesticides Out Of Scorpions
Scorpion venom is composed of a complex cocktail of poisonous peptides that immobilize animal prey on the spot. Some of the toxins in this cocktail, however, are only harmful to...
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
Russia explores atomic space engine ... Neanderthals wore make-up ... Ancient eyeliner guard against bacteria ... Australia's freshwater crocodiles at risk ... Health/Science news from UPI.
Outsmarting bacteria: Researchers develop faster method to generate new antibiotics
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at the University of Michigan's Life Sciences Institute have developed a new method to rapidly generate and test novel antibiotic-drug candidates. The technique could provide scientists with...
Engineering A Cell Switch
Why should we bother building mathematical models of biological systems? Scientists from other fields might wonder why one would as such a question - physicists, climate scientists, economists, engineers, and...
Hunting Fossil Viruses in Human DNA
A virus infected our monkey-like ancestors 40 million years ago, and its genes have been passed down ever since.
Pandas attempt to mate at National Zoo
Two pandas at the National Zoo attempted to mate before zoo officials determined they had not been successful and artificially inseminated the female, Mei Xiang. Smithsonian...
Dead Sea-dwelling microbes reveal roots of protein common to all higher life forms
(PhysOrg.com) -- We have more in common with Dead Sea-dwelling microbes than previously thought. University of Florida researchers have found that one of the most common proteins in complex life...
Cuphea Does Wonders for Wheat and Corn in Rotations
(PhysOrg.com) -- Growing the oilseed plant called cuphea the year before growing wheat results in better wheat seedling survival and grain that is 8 percent higher in protein, according to...
'Wet computer' project kicks off
An EU project to engineer "chemical computers" that mimic the actions of neurons in the brain has begun.
Fisheries: Catch shares improve consistency, not health, of fisheries
Catch share programs result in more consistent and predictable fisheries but do not necessarily improve ecological conditions, according to a new study.
Charles Darwin: More than the origin
Charles Darwin greatly contributed to many specific fields within biology. As the bicentennial anniversary of Darwin's birth comes to a close, the December issue of the American Journal of Botany...
Study finds H1N1 virus spreads easily by plane
Viruses love plane travel. They get to fly around the world inside a closed container while their infected carrier breathes and coughs, spreading pathogens to other passengers, either by direct...
Baffin Island caribou sightings few: Inuit
Inuit living on Baffin Island say they're worried about the caribou this winter, as the animals have not been seen at the usual hunting spots.
Locking molecular motors
Dutch scientists have designed a molecular motor that can be locked using an acid and unlocked using a base