Latest science news in Biology & Nature
The past matters to plants
It's commonly known that plants interact with each other on an everyday basis: they shade each other out or take up nutrients from the soil before neighboring plants can get...
Calorie restriction: Scientists take important step toward 'fountain of youth'
Going back for a second dessert after your holiday meal might not be the best strategy for living a long, cancer-free life say researchers. That's because they've shown exactly how...
Chicago Cancer Genome Project studies genetics of 1,000 tumors
A Chicago research team is one year into a three-year project to collect and analyze the genetic sequence and variations of every gene expressed by 1,000 tumors with a long-term...
Hatchery-raised salmon too crowded
Every year, large numbers of hatchery-raised young salmonids are released into Swedish rivers and streams to compensate for losses in natural production. Butthese fish generally survive poorly in the wild....
Cause of nonallergic itch identified
Scratching below the surface of a troublesome sensation that's equal parts tingle-tickle-prickle, sensory scientists have discovered in mice a molecular basis for nonallergic itch.
Canopy giants and miniature fungi among 250 new species discovered in Kew's 250th anniversary year
Kew botanists announce more than 250 new plant and fungi species discovered in 250th anniversary year.
Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes
Much like a tightly wound drum, red blood cells are in perpetual vibration. Those vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to...
Amino acid key to enamel growth
CHICAGO, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A simple amino acid that strengthens teeth could lead to therapies that grow healthy enamel over damaged teeth, scientists in Chicago said.
Study shows a key protein helps control blood pressure
University of Iowa researchers have shown that a protein channel helps nerve sensors in blood vessels keep blood pressure in check. Without the protein channel, known as ASIC2, the sensors...
Brain controls formation of bone, researchers find
The brain acts as a profound regulatory center, controlling myriad processes throughout the body in ways we are only just beginning to understand. In new findings, Australian scientists have shown...
Altering malignant cells' structure said to possibly slow spread of cancer
Cancer may spread throughout the human body when malignant cells travel in the blood stream. But it may be possible to slow or even stop those cells from spreading by...
U of A led team makes breakthrough demonstration of pH-regulating protein
Researchers have identified the protein mechanism that senses bicarbonate fluctuations and adjusts blood pH levels. A Canadian/U.S. research team led by University of Alberta biological sciences professor, Greg Goss and...
Got smell?
As anyone suffering through a head cold knows, food tastes wrong when the nose is clogged, an experience that leads many to conclude that the sense of taste operates normally...
Housing growth near national parks may limit conservation value
The growth of housing near national parks, national forests and wilderness areas within the United States may limit the conservation value that these protected areas were designed to create in...
New insight in nerve cell communication
New nano research gives important insights in nerve cell communication that will help the fight against nerve pain following amputation and diabetes. Researchers have studied, with nanotechnology techniques, the way...
New study finds 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 published online this week by the journal Proceedings...
Fungal footage fosters foresight into plant, animal disease
Mold and mildew may be doomed. Researchers are closer to understanding how these and other fungi grow. That's important because some 70 percent of the major disease-causing organisms are fungi....
Mexico's conch shells yield clues into effects of warming
Divers plumb the turquoise depths of ocean waters some 100 kilometers south of this vacation paradise, in search of the distinctive queen conch shell prized by vacationers and souvenir-seekers.
How a barnacle became toxic to repel its predators
One species of barnacle has extraordinarily high levels of bromine in its body, becoming toxic in a bid to repel predators.
Study shows immune system protein involved in reprogramming adult cells to express stem cell genes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a protein required to quickly and efficiently reprogram human skin cells to express embryonic stem cell genes.
Africa Analysis: A level playing field for biodiversity
To meet new biodiversity targets, African countries must plug science gaps and align goals with climate deals, says Linda Nordling.
Video: My day as a zoo keeper at Whipsnade
Rachel Holmes experiences what it is like to be an animal keeper at Whipsnade zoo: mucking out rhinos, feeding elephants and getting up close and personal with a Siberian tigerLaurence...
Remarkable Creatures: Whatever Doesn’t Kill Some Animals Can Make Them Deadly
Some species tolerate high levels of tetrodotoxin, and answers may lie in the evolution of sodium ion channels.
Forty years of farmed salmon ... and one genetic mystery
It’s known that escaped fish from Norwegian salmon farms can interbreed with wild salmon, and thus must have changed the genetic and physical makeup of the country's famed wild salmon...
Fisheries and aquaculture face multiple risks from climate change
Marine capture fisheries already facing multiple challenges due to overfishing, habitat loss and weak management are poorly positioned to cope with new problems stemming from climate change, a new study...
Swimming Bacteria Could Become Model for Micromachines
(PhysOrg.com) -- UConn researchers say Spiroplasma's propulsion style is optimal for converting energy into motion.
Foot binding and a biological approach to the study of Chinese culture
(PhysOrg.com) -- Exaptation is a familiar concept to evolutionary biologists. It's the basic idea explaining that a trait can evolve because it starts serving a different function. Think of birds:...
Observatory: Foraging Early Humans Did Not Pass Up Grains
Humans were eating sorghum grasses at least 105,000 years ago, an archaeologist reports.