Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Scientists find common trigger in cancer and normal stem cell reproduction
Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered, for the first time, a common molecular pathway that is used by both normal stem cells and cancer stem cells when...
Shipwrecks Wrecking Coral Reefs? A Case Study At Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge
For the first time, researchers have definitively shown that shipwrecks and other man-made structures increase the potential for large invasions of unwanted species into coral reefs, even comparatively pristine ones....
New Strain of H.I.V. Is Discovered
The main strain of the virus is believed to have come from chimpanzees, but a new strain traces back to gorillas.
BioVault Locks Up Biometrics
A system that allows biometric data to be used to create a secret key for data encryption has been developed by researchers in South Africa.
Giant extinct snake may -- or may not -- shed light on ancient climate
(PhysOrg.com) -- Snakes coil up when they sense danger. Some snakes curl up in order to spring into action and strike. Snakes may also coil to preserve body heat, and...
Engineering Adult Stem Cells to Cure Blind Mice
Researchers at the University of Florida claim to be the first to use targeted gene manipulation to take adult stem cells and change them into another kind of cell completely. They changed...
Yeast Cancer Model For Mapping Cancer Genes
Researchers have devised a scheme for identifying genes in yeast that could lead to the identification of new cancer genes in humans.
Humans 2.0: Replacing the Mind and Body
Recent breakthroughs in bionics and artificially lab-grown body parts already help people live bearable and more productive lives.
Balance key to beating recession
Providing work and life balance and more flexibility will be crucial to Australia's recession recovery, a study has found.
Census of Marine Life maps an ocean of species
Due to be completed next year, it has already made key discoveries: thousands of new species, a shrimp long believed extinct, and manhole-sized starfish. The first comprehensive effort to identify and catalog every species...
Antibody Targeting Of Glioblastoma Shows Promise In Preclinical Tests
Cancer researchers have successfully tested a small, engineered antibody they say shuts down growth of human glioblastoma tumors in cell and animal studies. Glioblastoma is the deadliest of brain cancers;...
Radio Telemetry Used To Track Movement And Habitat Of Roadrunners
Wile E. Coyote might not have been able to catch up with the roadrunner on the Saturday morning cartoons, but one scientist has had no problems. A wildlife ecologist has...
'Ebola Cousin' Marburg Virus Isolated From African Fruit Bats
Infection with Marburg virus and the related Ebola virus can produce severe disease in people, with fever and bleeding. During outbreaks, as many as 90 percent of those infected have...
Invasive fruit flies found in Calif.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A Southeast Asian fruit fly has been detected in the Americas for the first time and threatens fruit farms in Southern California.
New chemical imaging technique could help in the fight against atherosclerosis
A new chemical imaging technique could one day help in the fight against atherosclerosis, suggests research published in the August 2009 edition of the Journal of the Royal Society Interface...
UC San Diego engineer provides insights to decades-old DNA squabble
A group of nanoengineers, biologists and physicists have used innovative approaches to deduce the internal structure of chromatin, a key player in DNA regulation, to reconcile a longstanding controversy in...
Dementia Induced And Blocked In Parkinson's Fly Model
Researchers have modeled Parkinson's-associated dementia for the first time. Scientists showed that a single night of sleep loss in genetically altered fruit flies caused long-lasting disruptions in the flies' cognitive...
New Theory On Why Male, Female Lemurs Same Size: 'Passive' Mate Guarding Influenced Evolution Of Lemur Size
Biologists are offering a new theory for the long-standing mystery of why male lemurs are no larger than females. The theory posits that male lemurs guard their mates just like...
Darwin’s grandson proved right over fishy physics
Marine animals responsible for mixing the world’s oceans, claim researchers
Structure of protective protein in the eye lens revealed
The human eye lens consists of a highly concentrated mix of several proteins. Protective proteins prevent these proteins from aggregating and clumping. If this protective function fails, the lens blurs...
Parasites ready to jump
Transposons are mobile genetic elements found in the hereditary material of humans and other organisms. They can replicate and the new copies can insert at novel sites in the genome. Because this threatens...
Opposing groups agree on fishery cures
SEATTLE, July 31 (UPI) -- Overfishing threatens many species but a combination of steps could turn that around, two groups long at odds with each other said.
Bacteria for Brains
Some math problems can only be solved by throwing exponentially more computer processors at them. Bacteria could be the answer.
Research Examines Evasive Plant Impact
An invasive shrub that is crowding out native species of plants and animals across the United States is being investigated this summer by three Valparaiso University students, whose research findings...
Tracking Alien Species With Smart Phones
New smart-phone applications may enable the public to help scientists monitor invasive species and collect data in a fraction of the time it normally takes. Video.
Vestigial Organs Not So Useless After All, Studies Find
Sure, you can live without your spleen or your appendix, but evidence is mounting that these and other "useless" vestigial organs are actually hard at work keeping you healthy.
National assessment done on potential invasive snail and slug pests in US
A collaborative team led by a University of Hawai'i at Manoa researcher has published the first-ever assessment of snail and slug species that are of potential threat to the nation's...
Honeybees warn of risky flowers
Honeybees warn each other to steer clear of dangerous flowers where predators lurk, scientists discover.