Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Ants can attack trees to make housing
NORWICH, England, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Plant ants generally live in harmony with their hosts, but a British-Brazilian study finds that when the ants run out of space they...
Scientists Reveal How Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Differ From Embryonic Stem Cells
The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from...
Nanoparticles Can Damage DNA Without Crossing Cellular Barrier
Metal nanoparticles use a newly observed cell signal process to wreak havoc indirectly Scientists know that nanoparticles can damage DNA in cells through direct interaction. Now, though, it appears that nanoparticles can also...
DNA 'Barcode' For Tropical Trees
In foods, soil samples or customs checks, plant fragments sometimes need to be quickly identified. The use of DNA "barcodes" to itemize plant biodiversity was proposed during the 1992 Rio...
Enzyme binds both sides of the mirror
Bacterial enzyme found to bind both enantiomers of a chiral molecule simultaneously
Coral reefs inspire rare consensus - just save them
One of the first set of studies to examine what tourists and recreation enthusiasts actually think about coral reef ecosystems suggests they are a rare exception to controversies over human...
Study reveals how plants and bacteria 'talk' to thwart disease
When it comes to plants' innate immunity, like many of the dances of life, it takes two to tango. A receptor molecule in the plant pairs up with a specific...
Early scents really do get 'etched' in the brain
Common experience tells us that particular scents of childhood can leave quite an impression, for better or for worse. Now, researchers reporting the results of a brain imaging study online...
CU-Boulder map of human bacterial diversity shows wide interpersonal differences
A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed the first atlas of bacterial diversity across the human body, charting wide variations in microbe populations that live in different regions...
Deciphering the regulatory code
Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according to...
Male sabertoothed cats were pussycats compared to macho lions
Despite their fearsome fangs, male sabertoothed cats may have been less aggressive than many of their feline cousins, says a new study of male-female size differences in extinct big cats...
Crossing the line: How aggressive cells invade the brain
In diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cells of the immune system infiltrate the brain tissue, where they cause immense damage. For many years, it was an enigma as to how...
Stanford study shows neural stem cells in mice affected by gene associated with longevity
A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurones in the adult brain, according to researchers...
Caught In The Act: Butterfly Mate Preference Shows How One Species Can Become Two
Breaking up may not be hard to do, say scientists who've found a population of tropical butterflies that may be splitting into two distinct species. The cause of this particular...
Scientists halt brain disease with new gene therapy
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have managed to halt a rare and fatal brain disease with an experimental gene therapy technique using a deactivated version of the AIDS virus, a study...
Study provides insights into the molecular basis of tumor cell behavior
A new study by a team of researchers led by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, sheds light on the molecular basis by...
Project to collect species' genetic codes
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- A biomolecular engineer at the University of California-Santa Cruz is proposing the collection of genetic codes for 10,000 vertebrae species.
Melatonin, a hormone segregated by human body, regulates sleep better than somniferous
Melatonin, a natural hormone segregated by the own human body, is an excellent sleep regulator expected to replace somniferous, which are much more aggressive, to correct the sleep/wakefulness pace when...
Stressed bacteria play it safe
Researchers have made bacteria evolve bet-hedging in the lab – they switch at random between forms that suit different conditions.
Pelicans filmed gobbling gannets
In a bizarre reaction to dwindling fish stocks, great white pelicans have turned to eating live gannet chicks.
William Belton, Self-Taught Ornithologist, Dies at 95
Mr. Belton was almost single-handedly responsible for the current body of knowledge of the bird life of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost Brazilian state.
GLOWING CORAL PHOTO: Fluorescence Found to Aid Healing
Multicolored "scabs" that glow in daylight are filled with fluorescent proteins that help broken or wounded corals heal, a new study says.
Scientists track swine flu virus for tiny changes that would cause big problems
As the H1N1 flu virus spreads at breakneck speed, a team of scientists are close behind. They are watching its evolution through a cutting-edge technology in hopes of answering the...
Opinion: Vital importance of habitat
Destruction of an organism’s habitat is one, if not the major, cause of species extinction in Australia. Protecting habitat is the key to halting Australia’s declining biodiversity, writes Don Bradshaw.
Study says dogs have larger carbon footprint than SUV
Thanks for killing the planet, dog owners. Well, that's a rough paraphrase of a New Zealand study that claims a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV.
Importance of different cell types underestimated
Choosing the right cell type is particularly important in genetic studies. This is apparent from research published on 16 October in PLoS Genetics. Dutch researcher Alice Gerrits has shown how...
Human Evolution: Our Closest Living Relatives, the Chimps
Chimpanzees offer many clues as to how we evolved our human traits.
Scientists Reveal How Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Differ from Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissue of Derivation
The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from...