Latest science news in Biology & Nature
When Proteins Change Partners: Competition Between Proteins Maintains Cellular Balance
Researchers have illuminated how competition between proteins enhances combinatorial diversity during ubiquitination -- the process that marks proteins for destruction.
Visual detection: new neural circuits identified in the retina
The detection of approaching objects, such as looming predators, is necessary for survival. Which neurons and nerve circuits mediate this function? A new type of nerve cell, sensitive to approaching...
Mysterious Fiji petrel sighting raises hopes
The first ever positive identification at sea of one of the world's most mysterious and endangered seabirds has raised hopes for the survival of the Fijian petrel, conservationists said Monday.
Oil And Wildlife Don't Mix In Ecuador's Eden
What harm can a simple road do in a pristine place such as Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, home to peccaries, tapirs, monkeys and myriad other wildlife species? A great deal,...
Scientists urge isolation of wheat rust
ALEPPO, Syria, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Wind-borne wheat diseases threaten food security in at least 26 countries and genetic diversity worldwide, scientists in Syria said.
Migrating birds chill to conserve energy
A new study helps explain how even small birds manage impressive migrations twice a year: When they stop to refuel, some birds drop their nighttime body temperatures to store energy.
Seeds being saved ahead of ash borer
AMES, Iowa, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Thousands of ash tree seeds must be saved before the emerald ash borer completes its destructive drive across North America, biologists said.
The first tailors? Researchers find ancient fiber
More than 30,000 years ago someone in a cave in the Caucasus Mountains twisted wild flax together and dyed it, producing the earliest known fibers made by humans, scientists report.
Safe Seed: Researchers Yielding Good Results On Food Cotton In Field
Field trials of a new cotton are verifying previous lab and greenhouse studies indicating the crop could become a source of protein for millions of malnourished people in the world....
'How-to' guide shows entrepreneurs how to protect their big ideas
Successful entrepreneurs turn big ideas into successful business opportunities, but how should they protect those ideas? A new paper from North Carolina State University offers a "how-to" guide on intellectual...
Evolution Coup: Study Reveals How Plants Protect Their Genes
Unlike animals and humans, plants can't run and hide when exposed to stressful environmental conditions. So how do plants survive? A new study has found a key mechanism that enables...
A Boy For Every Girl? Not Even Close: Scientists Trace Evolution Of Butterflies Infected With Deadly Bacteria
In a perfect world, for every boy there would of course be a girl, but a new study shows that actual sex ratios can sometimes sway very far from that...
Tweeting, more than just self expression
From CNN to Ashton Kutcher everyone is tweeting. In ads, many companies now display the logo of an animated blue bird holding a sign that says 'follow me.'...
Genome sequencing reveals genetic diversity of the bacteria that cause Buruli ulcer
A new study lays the groundwork for development of a cost-effective tool for studying the population structure and spread of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of Buruli ulcer. Researchers at...
Engineered pea seeds protect against parasites
A breed of pea seeds has been created that contains antibodies against coccidiosis, a disease caused by a parasite that attacks chickens. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC...
Protected fear memories
(PhysOrg.com) -- In the latest issue of Science, researchers from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Switzerland, show how a class of proteins surrounding nerve cells allows fear memories...
Simon Thirgood
Ecologist, biologist, field researcher and expert on mammals and birds of prey
Songbirds sing cross-species duet
Two species of songbird in Peru have evolved almost identical songs to keep each other out of their territory, say scientists.
Earlier Model of Human Brain's Energy Usage Underestimated Its Efficiency
The human brain is an incredible energy drain. Taking up only about 2 percent of the body's mass, the organ uses more than a fifth of bodily energy . Ever more accurate...
Study Reveals Unexpected Ancient Cellular Structure
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at North Carolina State University have effectively lifted the veil from the structure of an ancient and important RNA-protein complex essential for the biosynthesis and function of...
Tiny fish scores big victory for endangered species
Environmentalists say they have won an important legal victory to protect endangered species across Canada, all because of a tiny fish known as the Nooksack dace, an endangered species no...
Wilson, Watson reflect on past trials, future directions
If they could do it all over again, two of the 20th century’s greatest biologists would study the brain and the vast, unknown world of prokaryotes — the bacteria that are all...
Science-based Octopussery Management
I love it! As soon as I start whining about how humans are always exploiting resources without checking first for sustainability, along comes a story to prove me wrong. The...
Scientists get funding to help tackle one of biology's greatest challenges
Scientists at the University of Essex could help address one of biology's greatest challenges, thanks to GBP53,000 of funding from The Royal Society...
First Russian fishery certified as sustainable
Iturup Island fishery is the first in Russia to be awarded the Marine Stewardship Council label and the first salmon fishery to be certified since Alaska...
Beans' defences mean bacteria get evolutionary helping hand
Bean plants' natural defences against bacterial infections could be unwittingly driving the evolution of more highly pathogenic bacteria, according to new research published today (10 September) in Current Biology...
Scientists trace evolution of butterflies infected with deadly bacteria
LIVERPOOL, UK -- 10 September 2009: Scientists at the University of Liverpool have traced the evolution of a species of tropical butterfly, infected with a bacterium that kills males,...
DNA pioneer appeals for cuts to criminal database
British scientist Alec Jeffreys realized 25 years ago Thursday that individuals have "DNA fingerprints," unique patterns of genetic material that can be used to identify them.