Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Two Men Plus Two Cell Membrane Channels Plus Two Synchrotrons: One Nobel Prize
Soon the world will learn who won the 2009 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Do you remember Peter Agre and Roderick MacKinnon of the following announcement? The Nobel Prize in Chemistry...
Breeding Super-Hygienic Bees to Take the Offensive in Colony Collapse Fight
For almost two years, the honeybees that support almost all human agriculture have fought a plague right out of a sci-fi movie. Varroa mites, a deadly parasite, have hid in the labyrinthine...
New tracer for better melanoma image
The Australian research published this week in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Medicinal Chemistry describes a new radiopharmaceutical tracer that promises to give clearer pictures of melanoma and...
Light shed on the secret behind probiotic bacteria promoting health
Functional food is the food industry's fastest-growing product group, its leading products including dairy products which contain probiotics, that is, bacteria promoting health. Valio's Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG(R)) is the...
Tiger rescue highlights poaching threat in Malaysia
(PhysOrg.com) -- A five-year-old male Tiger was freed from a poacher`s snare on Sunday after it was found by WWF`s Wildlife Protection Unit (WPU) just off a highway that cuts...
Maize study may help improve crop yields
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Slovenian scientists say they compared corn kernel development to its closest wild relative, teosinte, and their findings overturn some common beliefs.
New technology detects chemical weapons in seconds
Scientists at Queen's University Belfast are developing new sensors to detect chemical agents and illegal drugs which will help in the fight against the threat of terrorist attacks.
Transgenic songbirds provide new tool to understand the brain
(PhysOrg.com) -- Over the decades, scientists have learned a lot about the basic life processes shared by many animals - including people - by manipulating the DNA of...
And the beat goes on: Scientists jump-start the heart by gene transfer
Scientists from the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota show in a research report published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) that gene therapy may be used to improve an ailing...
Animal research deserves defending, say our members
In a recent commentary, We must face the threats, in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers Dario Ringach and David Jentsch spoke out against animal rights extremism. They urged the scientific...
Scientists Use Inkjet Printer to Manipulate Genes in New Ways
(PhysOrg.com) -- With recent advances in biochemistry, researchers can control the circuitry in a developing cell, thereby influencing cells to develop into specific phenotypes. Taking a step forward in this...
More sex and grapefruit to keep you young?
A simple naturally occurring polyamine has been found to prolong the lifespan of a number of organisms
Extreme squirreling teams sought
People are being asked to take part in a project looking out for red squirrels in areas of the Highlands where few records of them exist.
Team finds a better way to watch bacteria swim
Researchers have developed a new method for studying bacterial swimming, one that allows them to trap Escherichia coli bacteria and modify the microbes' environment without hindering the way they move...
UNC study pinpoints gene controlling number of brain cells
In populating the growing brain, neural stem cells must strike a delicate balance between two key processes - proliferation, in which the cells multiply to provide plenty of starting materials...
Understanding a cell's split personality aids synthetic circuits
As scientists work toward making genetically altered bacteria create living 'circuits' to produce a myriad of useful proteins and chemicals, they have logically assumed that the single-celled organisms would always...
New type of genetic change identified in inherited cancer
Duke University Medical Centre and National Cancer Institute scientists have discovered that a novel genetic alteration - a second copy of an entire gene - is a cause of familial...
Hidden Diversity In Key Environmental Cleanup Microbes Found By Systems Biology Assessment
Researchers analyzed the gene sequences, proteins expressed and physiology of 10 strains of bioremediation microbes called Shewanella. Results showed surprising diversity not seen using traditional microbiology approaches.
Smart meters 'need live displays'
The government must insist that power companies provide clear visual displays when they install smart-meters, says a report
Creating naturally pest-free rice
An Australian researcher is fighting to protect rice in South East Asia from pests, without the use of chemicals or genetic engineering.
Boise River's cottonwoods in decline
BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The black cottonwood trees that hold the banks of the Boise River together and shade its water are in decline, officials say.
Fish-Killing Toxin Could Kill Cancer Cells
A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well. The toxin, called euglenophycin, has a molecular structure similar to that of solenopsin, an alkaloid from fire ant venom known...
Scientist Builds Imager That Identifies, Locates Individual Cancer Cells
A biomedical engineer has spent the last four years building a better imager for preclincal studies. He can now disassemble a specimen and reassemble it into a three-dimensional digital model...
Seals flocking to New England coastline
TRURO, Mass., Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A growing number of seals are visiting the New England coastline in locations like Truro, Mass., and creating new problems, an expert says.
New Study Resolves The Mysterious Origin Of Merkel Cells
A new study resolves a 130-year-old mystery over the developmental origin of specialized skin cells involved in touch sensation.
USC neuroscientists awarded $9 million to map gene expression during human brain development
Two University of Southern California (USC) neuroscientists have been awarded nearly $9 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to map how genes are expressed in different regions of...
Black-footed ferret back on prairie turf
An excited group of naturalists and wildlife scientists are in Saskatchewan's Grasslands National Park, releasing black-footed ferrets back into the wild.
Drink From the Fountain of Youth With a Grain of Salt
Two studies announced today could make you downright giddy, but you'd be wise to take them with a grain of salt.