Latest science news in Biology & Nature
How the daisy got its spot: Insect mimicry
Dark spots on flower petals are common across many angiosperm plant families and occur on flowers such as some lilies, orchids, and daisies. Much research has been done on the...
Web glue key among 'green' adhesives
LARAMIE, Wyo., Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A sticky compound in spider webs could lead to the development of a new generation of non-petroleum adhesives and glues, scientists in Wyoming...
UCSB scientists discover how the brain encodes memories at a cellular level
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have made a major discovery in how the brain encodes memories. The finding, published in the December 24 issue of the journal Neuron, could eventually...
Turtles' Christmas journey tracked by scientists
The journeys of two marine turtles around the world's oceans will be available to view online this Christmas, thanks to a new research project launched by the University of Exeter...
Whiskers hold secrets of invasive minks
Details of the lifestyle of mink, which escaped from fur farms and now live wild in the UK, have been revealed through analysis of their whiskers. Research led by the...
EU eyes 2010 for binding climate treaty
BRUSSELS, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- The EU is looking for new allies in the fight against climate change after a failed Copenhagen summit.
Compound controls fungal infections
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Scientists in New York say they're seeking a patent for a compound that could control fungal infections afflicting nearly 25,000 U.S. residents a...
Female ducks able to thwart forced sex
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Female ducks likely developed vaginas with clockwise spirals to prevent fertilization from aggressive males, scientists in Connecticut said.
Silicone-treated wool shrinks less
BEIJING, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Wool fibers coated with silica nano particles resist wrinkling and shrinking, researchers at China's Academy of Science have learned.
It's Not the Heat, It's the Mutivity
Researchers are investigating whether viruses that have adapted to higher temperatures - similar to increases due to global warming - can jump species more easily. Their results could shed light...
Phragmites partners with microbes to plot native plants' demise
Researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants.
Self-healing networks mimic nature
Organic inks draw a positive picture for the future of tissue engineering
Motility mechanism of malaria pathogens explained
How do one-celled parasites move from the salivary gland of a mosquito through a person's skin into red blood cells? What molecular mechanisms form the basis for this very important...
New human reproductive hormone could lead to novel contraceptives
Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to...
Protein link may be key to new treatment for aggressive brain tumour
Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumours in adults...
Mystery solved: Scientists now know how smallpox kills
A team of researchers working in a high containment laboratory at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA, have solved a fundamental mystery about smallpox that has...
Birds Provide Clues in How Humans Learn Speech
Researchs on communication in animals helps understand of how language develops in humans and how they use it. Language is a phenomenon of evolutionary biology.
Student-Made 'Sustain-a-Bear' Puts Green Spin on Timeless Toy
Most teddy bears, regretfully, face a lonesome retirement once their owners grow up or move on.
Wildlife trade threatens southeast Asia's rare species
Nations need to improve monitoring of effects on populations.
Microbes, micobes, microbes
For those of you interested in the world of microbes. There is an excellent website that allows the viewer to gain further understanding of the microbial cosmos. www.microbes.info
Rare Gorillas Spied Feasting on Figs
See what could be the first professional footage of elusive Cross River gorillas, the most endangered subspecies of gorilla, filmed recently in Cameroon. Video.
Seeing how evolutionary mechanisms yield biological diversity
An international team of scientists has discovered how changes in both gene expression and gene sequence led to the diversity of visual systems in African cichlid fish.
Adjusting acidity with impunity
(PhysOrg.com) -- How do individual cells or proteins react to changing pH levels? Researchers at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente, The Netherlands, have developed a...
Elpida Begins Mass Production of 40nm 2-Gigabit DDR3 SDRAM
Elpida Memory, Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced that its Hiroshima Plant has begun volume production of 40nm process 2-gigabit DDR3 SDRAMs. Since completing...
Fish fatty acids don`t make you cleverer or happier
(PhysOrg.com) -- A diet rich in fish fatty acids has no effect on cognitive functions such as memory and concentration in the elderly. Nor does it affect their level of...
Microscopic flower petal ridges flash to attract pollinating insects; scientists now know how ridges form
Microscopic ridges contouring the surface of flower petals might play a role in flashing that come-hither look pollinating insects can't resist. Scientists now have figured out how those form. The...
Adding a genetic supertool
To identify the hemophilia mutation that affected Queen Victoria and her European relatives, scientific detectives used a cutting-edge "deep sequencing tool." Able to trace rare genetic disease mutations, the...
Anti-Hunger Smells Could Battle Obesity
Molecules that make up a food's aroma can also activate areas of the brain that trigger the feeling of fullness.