Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Discovery reported in fight against TB
AMES, Iowa, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- A team of U.S. scientists has identified a way of possibly neutralizing an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural...
Special Brain Wave Boost Slows Motion
Researchers have found that they can make people move in slow motion by boosting one type of brain wave. The findings offer some of the first proof that brain waves...
Using synthetic evolution to study the brain: Researchers model key part of neurones
The human brain has evolved over millions of years to become a vast network of billions of neurones and synaptic connections. Understanding it is one of humankind's greatest pursuits...
Protein That Enhances Long-term Memory By Controlling Rest Intervals Identified
Repeated learning sessions produce long-lasting memory when they are spaced out between rest intervals. Neuroscientists have discovered that this so-called "spacing effect" is controlled in the brain by a molecular...
Facebook Chat About "Ardi" With Science Correspondents
Earlier today, Science staff discussed the significance of the newly unveiled human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus [Read more]
Top predator loss causes major disruption
CORVALLIS, Ore., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- The global decline of apex predators, such as wolves, lions and sharks, has led to a destructive surge in smaller mesopredators, scientists in...
Researchers identify gene with possible link to infertility in mice
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have identified the role of a gene in regulating molecular signals involved with ovarian follicle development, which may one day help shed light on some of...
Could stressed out sharks save more fish? (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Marine biology graduate student Austin Gallagher has studied the dwindling shark population around the world -from the waters of the South Pacific to those off Southern California.
Ardi's Secret: Did Early Humans Start Walking for Sex?
Why don't women know when they're ovulating? Why don't men have clacker-sized testicles? The world's oldest known "human" skeleton—"Ardi," after her species, Ardipithecus ramidus—may hold clues.
Cord cells alternative to embryonic cells
LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Blood cells from umbilical cords could be banked worldwide to serve as an alternative to embryonic stem cells, scientists in California said.
Monarch butterflies' migration at risk
SACRAMENTO, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Excessive logging in central Mexico is threatening the annual migration of butterflies from Canada to Mexico, environmental officials say.
Ornamentals to Brighten the Fall Garden Palette
(PhysOrg.com) -- With `trick-or-treaters` coming soon, imagine two spirited new pepper varieties making an appearance in your neighborhood as well. The new pepper cultivars have been released by the Agricultural...
New Plywood Glue Made With Corn
After the oil is extracted from corn germ meal, the corn germ is typically fed to poultry and other livestock animals. But a new, value-added use could be on tap...
Food 'Tattoos' An Alternative To Labels For Identifying Fruit
Those small and sometimes inconvenient sticky labels on produce may eventually be replaced by laser "tattoo" technology.
Pathways Of Movement Of Sudden Oak Death Pathogen Described
The pathogen that causes sudden oak death disease in California has a different genetic fingerprint than fungal strains found in nurseries in Oregon and Washington, according to scientists. This discovery...
Scientists Decipher Missing Piece Of First-responder DNA Repair Machine
Scientists have uncovered the role played by the least-understood part of a first-responder molecule that rushes in to bind and repair breaks in DNA strands, a process that helps people...
Killer Bees May Increase Food Supplies For Native Bees
A long-term study of Africanized bee invasion of Mexico's Yucatan shows that "killer bees" may actually increase food resources for native bees.
'Anti-Atkins' Low Protein Diet Extends Lifespan In Flies
A new study provides details of a causal relationship between diet and mitochondrial function. It also provides the first genome-wide study of how proteins are translated under dietary restriction in...
Retinal Rescue: Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Reverse Retinal Degeneration
A new study reports that transplanted pigment-containing visual cells derived from human embryonic stem cells successfully preserved structure and function of the specialized light-sensitive lining of the eye (known as...
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,...
East African cichlid fish offer new understanding of genetic basis of sex determination
Biologists have genetically mapped the sex chromosomes of several species of cichlid fish from Lake Malawi, East Africa, and identified a mechanism by which new sex chromosomes may evolve...
Polar bear cub hitches a ride
A young cub is seen hitching a ride on its mother's back in the Arctic Ocean, a rarely sighted adaptive behaviour that may help it keep warm.
Gene Behind Malaria-resistant Mosquitoes Identified
Scientists have discovered that variations in a single gene affect mosquitoes' ability to resist infection by the malaria parasite
Mahlon Hoagland, tRNA Expert, Dies at 87
Mr. Hoagland helped discover transfer RNA, which aided in unlocking the mystery of how DNA is translated into the proteins that carry out its genetic instructions.
Lamp Runs on Human Blood
A lamp that uses blood to create light is meant to make people rethink how they use energy
Fluorescent co-enzyme is an early indicator for breast cancer
(PhysOrg.com) -- Think back to high-school biology and you may recall some basics about cellular respiration: how organelles called mitochondria function like little power stations, converting nutrients from food into...
Most Manitobans living longer
Life expectancy for many Manitobans has increased but not for those who are poor or living in remote northern regions, according to a new study.
Humpback whales make West Coast comeback
A threatened species of whale that was nearly hunted to extinction seems to be making a comeback off Canada's West Coast, but observers are concerned that could mean humpbacks could...