Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Establishing standard definitions for genome sequences
In 1996, researchers from major genome sequencing centres around the world convened on the island of Bermuda and defined a finished genome as a gapless sequence with a nucleotide error...
Genome Sequence Published For Important Biofuels Yeast
A strain of yeast that thrives on turning sugar cane into ethanol for biofuel has had its genome completely sequenced. The findings could lead to more efficient biofuel production.
If Only The Weeds Would Keep Their Genes To Themselves
The ecological and economic impacts of gene flow between crops and their weedy relatives are significant. Weedy relatives may acquire beneficial genes from cultivated cousins, potentially increasing their invasive ability....
IBM enter race for $1000 genome
Electronics giant announces plan to build nanoscale DNA sequencer using silicon chips
Wildlife may cause livestock infections
PENICUIK, Scotland, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Scottish scientists say a bacterium possibly linked to Crohn's disease could be lurking in wild animals, supporting theories of wildlife infection reservoirs.
Albatross Search for Food
Adult black-browed albatross soar above the Southern Ocean looking for food to feed their young chicks waiting on Bird Island, South Georgia. Such seabirds feed mainly on squid, fish and...
Novel Polymer Delivers Genetic Medicine, Allows Tracking
Researchers have developed a new molecule that can travel into cells, deliver genetic cargo, and packs a beacon so scientists can follow its movements in living systems.
Ultrasound pioneer Dr. John Wild dead
EDINA, Minn., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Dr. John Wild, a leading developer of the use of ultrasound in cancer detection, died recently in Minnesota at the age of 95,...
MicroRNA drives cells' adaptation to low-oxygen living
Researchers have fresh insight into an evolutionarily ancient way that cells cope when oxygen levels decline, according to a new study in the October 7th issue of Cell Metabolism, a...
Major discovery opens door to leishmania treatment
Leishmania is a deadly parasitic disease that affects over 12 million people worldwide, with more than 2 million new cases reported every year. Until recently, scientists were unsure exactly how...
Study: Endangered AK beluga whale group declining
(AP) -- A government study found that a group of endangered beluga whales in Alaska is declining, raising concern that bolstered protection for the animals is not coming quickly...
Fewer hikers means less support for conservation, study says
Serious hikers and backpackers tend to become supporters of environmental and conservation groups while casual woodland tourists do not, a new study says -- and a recent fall-off in strenuous...
Come on in: Nuclear barrier less restrictive than expected in new cells
When it comes to the two basic types of cells, prokaryotes and eukaryotes, compartmentalisation is everything. Prokaryotes are evolutionarily ancient cells that only have a membrane surrounding their outer boundary,...
High-sensitivity bone marrow aspiration technology enhances leukaemia cell detection
Scientists have created a viable technology to improve the detection of leukaemia cells in bone marrow...
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
IBM developing nanoscale DNA sequencer … Rescue rate sets better hospitals apart … Scientists develop a 'soil dipstick' … Gene linked with infertility in mice ... Health/Science news from UPI.
How does a worm build a throat? Tackling the 'organ formation puzzle'
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mention worms to most people, and they probably think of fishing, gardening, or trips to the vet. Mention them to Susan E. Mango, and she begins telling you...
Gene linked with infertility in mice
RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have identified a gene involved with ovarian follicle development in a study that might shed light on human fertility...
Origin of Komodo dragon revealed
Scientists now find that the world’s largest living lizard species, the Komodo dragon, most likely evolved in Australia and dispersed westward to its current home in Indonesia.
Drought-hardy maize ready for field trials
South African researchers will soon begin field trials of a variety of maize capable of withstanding extreme dehydration.
Eleven Genetic Variations Linked To Type 2 Diabetes
Mathematicians have developed powerful new tools for winnowing out the genes behind some of humanity's most intractable diseases.
New Findings About Brain Proteins Suggest Possible Way To Fight Alzheimer's
The action of a small protein that is a major villain in Alzheimer's disease can be counterbalanced with another brain protein, researchers have found in an animal study.
Gene controls number of brain cells
CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they have identified the gene that determines how many neutrons end up as brain cells.
Instant insight: Making synthetic cells
Cell and organelle mimics typically perform one simple function. Frank Caruso and colleagues contemplate more complicated systems
Research Points To Potential Chink In Cancer's Armor
Scientists in the UK have successfully silenced the JNK2 gene that appears essential to cancer cell survival. The researchers used a process called RNA interference to target the JNK2 gene...
Scientists show how hematopoietic stem cell development is regulated
During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation. These...
Stags locked in 'mortal combat'
A fight to the death between two stags is witnessed by a BBC Autumnwatch crew filming on the island of Rum.
DNA sequencing in a holey new way
IBM researchers announce an effort to trap DNA molecules in tiny holes in an effort to decode their genetic instructions.
Black Rat Does Not Bother Mediterranean Seabirds
Human activities have meant invasive species have been able to populate parts of the world to which they are not native and alter biodiversity there over thousands of years. Now,...