Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Beyond genomics, biologists and engineers decode the next frontier
A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and...
UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells
Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken...
Is hepatic differentiation of embryonic stem cells induced by valproic acid and cytokines?
Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for...
Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging
If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important - especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to...
Why bird flu has not caused a pandemic
Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to new research.
FIRST PICTURES: "Predator" Corals Eat Jellyfish
Using stinging tentacles and wide mouths, large coral polyps in the Red Sea have, for the first time, been discovered eating jellyfish nearly as big as they are.
We're off then: The evolution of bat migration
(PhysOrg.com) -- Not just birds, but also a few species of bats face a long journey every year. Researchers at Princeton University in the U.S. and at the Max Planck...
Brain disease 'resistance gene' evolves in Papua New Guinea community; could offer insights into CJD
A community in Papua New Guinea that suffered a major epidemic of a CJD-like fatal brain disease called kuru has developed strong genetic resistance to the disease, according to new...
How crops survive drought
Breakthrough research done earlier this year by a plant cell biologist has greatly accelerated scientists' knowledge on how plants and crops can survive difficult environmental conditions like drought. In drought...
New on-off 'switch' triggers and reverses paralysis in animals with a beam of light
In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists in Canada are reporting development of an internal on-off 'switch' that paralyses animals when exposed...
Blindness causes structural brain changes, implying brain can re-organize itself to adapt
Scientists have confirmed that blindness causes structural changes in the brain, implying that the brain may re-organize itself functionally in order to adapt to a loss in sensory inputs.
Study paints sabertooths as relative pussycats
Though their long teeth look fearsome, male sabertooth cats may have actually been less aggressive than their feline cousins, a new study finds. Cat - Pet...
Feature: Radio mice and poisonous snakes
An ANU researcher is tracking the hazardous life of endangered Australian native mice.
Austria says farewell to Fu Long the panda
A 2-year-old panda who charmed his way into the hearts of Austrians is headed to China. Fu Long has been the star attraction at Vienna's Schoenbrunn Zoo since he was...
Pearls Cultured from Conchs
Scientists have invented the first successful method for culturing pearls from the queen conch
Hospital ID's patients by vein structure
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A California hospital says it has started identifying new patients using a biometric registration system that scans their palms.
Efforts to sustain biodiversity fall short
But the issue is gaining attention as nations prepare for next year's summit.
Biodiversity: On the origin of bar codes
Genetic sequences in a cell's mitochondria can be used to accurately determine species. Could this be because they are responsible for creating what they identify? Nick Lane investigates.
Biodiversity: Biodiversity's bright spot
While species losses mount worldwide, conservationists in Brazil have made great strides towards saving the golden lion tamarin and its forest habitat from destruction. Gene Russo reports.
Plant genetics database at risk as funds run dry
National Science Foundation to cut support for resource.
Protection facilitates construction of molecules
Sulfate groups are crucial building blocks for many molecules but are difficult to handle. Chemists have now discovered how sulfate groups can be protected during the construction of a molecule....
Study looks at viruses attacking bacteria
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Scientists at Texas A&M University say they are investigating how some viruses, known for attacking humans and animals, instead attack bacteria.
Sub-Saharan Africa News in brief: 4–18 November 2009
New programme to bolster Africa agriculture, malaria control method overlooked, traditional healers have key role in epilepsy, and more.
It's a boy: Zoo tortoise reveals mistaken identity
Zookeepers in Cleveland are the ones feeling slow because after more than 50 years, the tortoise they called "Mary" is actually a male. Institutions - United...
San Diego Zoo panda cub named ‘Son of Cloud’
Out of 6,300 suggestions, San Diego Zoo managers have chosen a name for a baby panda born this summer. San Diego - San Diego Zoo -...
Killer bees aren't so smart
When it comes to learning and remembering, these invaders don’t do as well as the bees they displace
Researchers Take Protection of Organic Products to Next Level
Iowa State University Food Safety Consortium researchers have found a way to use natural ingredients to fight the potential of pathogenic contamination in organic products to make up for what...
Instant insight: Sensing the biological world
Jonathan Cooper and Manilo Tassieri explain how mechanical phenomena in biological systems can be studied at very small scales