Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Unlocking Genetic Diversity Of Rice
By looking at what different types of rice have in common, scientists are unlocking rice's genetic diversity to help conserve it and find valuable rice genes to help improve rice...
Human Impact on Critically Endangered Waterbird Beneficial
Human impact on one of the world's most threatened bird species can be beneficial rather than destructive -- and could even save it from extinction -- according to counterintuitive new...
TierneyLab: New Panda Preserves Suggested
Last year’s devastating earthquake in Sichuan province in China not only killed 70,000 humans. It also wiped out significant areas of panda habitat.
Nanotubes Spin As They Grow
New research showing the atom-by-atom growth of carbon nanotubes reveals they spin stepwise as they grow, much like a ticking clock. The research provides the first experimental evidence of how...
Cancer's Distinctive Pattern Of Gene Expression Could Aid Early Screening And Prevention
Distinctive patterns of genes turned off -- or left on -- in healthy versus cancerous cells could enable early screening for many common cancers and maybe help avoid them scientists...
Assisted reproductive techniques alter the expression of genes that are important for metabolism
Research to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), the foremost society for research into all aspects of eating and drinking...
Genetically altered crops grow 'in secret'
TADCASTER, England, July 27 (UPI) -- A British university has quietly resumed growing genetically modified potatoes a year after protesters ripped up the crop, prompting calls of foul play.
An 'eye catching' vision discovery
Nearly all species have some ability to detect light. At least three types of cells in the retina allow us to see images or distinguish between night and day. Now,...
Disease threat may change how frogs mate
Dr Amber Teacher, studying a post-doctorate at Royal Holloway, University of London, has discovered evidence that a disease may be causing a behavioural change in frogs. The research, published in...
Genetic Basis For Schizophrenia
Two recent publications focus on the role of Disc1 in development, particularly the migration of cells to their proper location in the brain and subsequent differentiation into their intended fate.
Human Movement Plays Critical Role In Understanding Disease Transmission
To control mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, researchers need to look at the behavior of people, not just the insect that transmits the disease, according to new research. The study exhibits...
For Horned Lizard, Horns Alone Do Not Make The Species
Counting the horns of California's horned lizard, or coast horned lizard, is one way to try to distinguish separate species, but a new study shows that to be unreliable. Biologists...
Chimps, Like Humans, Focus On Faces
A chimp's attention is captured by faces more effectively than by bananas. A series of experiments suggests that the apes are wired to respond to faces in a similar manner...
Knockout Rats The Easy Way
Zinc finger nucleases create genetic deletions in mammals with high precision.
£100m boost for government lab
The research institute at the centre of the foot-and-mouth outbreak two years ago has been given £100m to build brand new laboratories.
Teasing apart T helper cells
The cytokine IL-9 promotes a multiple sclerosis-like disease in mice, according to a new study by Nowak et al. published online on July 13th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine....
HIV uses autophagy for its own means
Not satisfied with simply thwarting its host's defensive maneuvers, HIV actually twists one to its advantage, based on new findings from Kyei et al. in the July 27, 2009 issue...
Heat may speed up evolution
Mammals living in the tropics are evolving up to 50 per cent faster than their cool-weather counterparts, research has found.
Scientists Explore "Living Lights" on the Deep Sea Floor
Bioluminescence is a fascinating phenomenon that is found only in a few species on land, but is common in all the world's oceans. If you have ever seen a firefly,...
Paradigm Shift in Cancer Research? Focusing on Tumour Stem Cells and Their Formation
A research project is currently in progress that focuses on tumour stem cells and their division. Until recently, no one had any idea of the existence of these types of...
Researchers Look To Imprinted Genes For Clues To Fetal Growth Restriction In Cloned Swine
Researchers have found that intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which results in low birth weight and long-term deleterious health effects in cloned swine, is linked to a type of gene --...
Parasitic Worms Make Sex Worthwhile
The coevolutionary struggle between a New Zealand snail and its worm parasite makes sex advantageous for the snail, whose females favor asexual reproduction in the absence of parasites, say biologists.
Active Genes Discovered In The Developing Mammal Brain
New information about the genes involved in a mammal's early brain development, including those that contribute to neurological disorders such as autism and mental retardation, has been discovered. The study...
Study links metabolic and immune diseases
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 26 (UPI) -- Researchers in Cambridge, Mass., found a link between metabolic and immunologic conditions, they said in papers published Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine.
Scientists Closer To Making Implantable Bone Material
Scientists are closer to understanding how to grow replacement bones with stem cell technology.
Researchers Rapidly Turn Bacteria Into Biotech Factories
Using a novel cell programming method that retools evolution to generate genetic diversity at an unprecedented rate, a research team turned self-serving bacteria into efficient factories for making a variety...
Dry cleaning solvent a danger in Illinois
CHICAGO, July 26 (UPI) -- Use of the dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene at certain Illinois sites has left state residents facing cancer and other ailments, scientists say.
Scientists: Firefly numbers on the decline
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 26 (UPI) -- The number of fireflies lighting up the night throughout the United States appears to be declining, scientists say.