Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Stem Cells Not The Only Way To Fix A Broken Heart
Researchers appear to have a new way to fix a broken heart. They have devised a method to coax heart muscle cells into reentering the cell cycle, allowing the differentiated...
Protein that promotes cancer cell growth identified
Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have found that the Caspase-8 protein, long known to play a major role in promoting programmed cell death (apoptosis), helps relay signals...
AIDS discovered in wild chimpanzees
Although the AIDS virus (HIV-1) entered the human population through chimpanzees, scientists have long believed that chimpanzees don't develop AIDS. But a new study from an international team, including University...
Chimps Do Get "AIDS," Study Finds
Long thought to be harmless, SIV—the source of HIV—may lead to a lethal, AIDS-like illness in chimps, after all. Though a blow to conservationists, the discovery may hold insights for human medicine.
Chimps, like humans, focus on faces
A chimp's attention is captured by faces more effectively than by bananas. A series of experiments described in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology suggests that the apes...
Can brain scans read your mind?
Can neuroscience read people's minds? Some researchers, and some new businesses, are banking on a brain imaging technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to reveal hidden thoughts, such...
Bug brings hope for fight against Japanese knotweed
Tiny sap-sucker could stop relentless march of invasive weed It arrived quietly nearly 200 years ago and now threatens numerous British plants, allotments, gardens, pavements, buildings, railways and water courses.
High construction cost for cycads
Self-sustaining organisms like plants possess the ability to synthesize their own food using inorganic materials. Plants use water and carbon dioxide to begin this process in their green tissues. The...
Baby whale's first breath caught on camera off Australia
Australian scientists have photographed a humpback whale helping a newborn calf take what appears to be its first breath, a rare event described as the "Holy Grail" for whale-watchers.
Bangladesh leopard renews hopes for species survival
Bangladeshi conservationists said Thursday the discovery of a rare leopard captured by villagers in the southeast of the country renewed hopes for the survival of the critically endangered species.
Stop And Smell The Flowers -- The Scent Really Can Soothe Stress
Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender or other fragrant plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene...
Study Finds Chimps Die From Simian AIDS, Dispelling Widely Held Belief
The finding also suggests that an outbreak of AIDS is contributing to the declining chimpanzee population in Africa.
Chimps with HIV Offer Clues about Virus
Infection, Deadly in Humans, Is Often Harmless to Monkeys; Ailing Chimps Provide Long-Sought "Missing Link"
Corporate secrecy under the microscope after Twitter leaks
The publication of internal documents about Twitter that were filched by a hacker caused fans to express their outrage -- before they hunkered down to read them.
Stunting plants' skyward reach could lead to improved yields
In the forest's fight for survival, it's the tallest trees that prevail by reaching for sunlight and shading competition. Corn and other plants, too, divert precious energy to grow higher...
Experiments show 'artificial gravity' can prevent muscle loss in space
GALVESTON, Texas -- When the Apollo 11 crew got back from the moon, 40 years ago this week, they showed no ill effects from seven days spent in...
Multiplying like bunnies? Not this jackrabbit
(AP) -- Rabbits are certainly known for their propensity to multiply, but one species of jackrabbit is having trouble keeping up. There are an estimated 150 white-sided jackrabbits left...
Artificial brain '10 years away'
A project to build and design an artificial human brain could be completed in the next 10 years, a leading scientist says.
The value of variation: Ecologists consider the causes and consequences
Consider the case of the three-spine stickleback. These tiny fish that thrive in oceans and in fresh water might appear to be the same, yet ecologists are finding that they...
Olivia Judson: Microbes 'R' Us
The human body is home to a vast array of bacteria. So what are they up to?
New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defence against long extinct predator
Many animal species such as snakes, insects and fish have evolved camouflage defences to deter attack from their predators. However research published in New Phytologist has discovered that trees in...
An inner 'fingerprint' for personalising medical care
Fingerprints move over. Scientists are reporting evidence that people have another defining trait that may distinguish each of the 6.7 billion humans on Earth from one another almost as surely...
Genetic change could make crops thrive on salty soils
GM plants that are more salt tolerant could be good news for farmers in many regions of the world struggling with high salinity.
Light Shed On DNA Mechanisms
By manipulating individual atoms in DNA and forming unique molecules, a researcher hopes to open new avenues in research towards better understanding the mechanisms of DNA replication and transcription, and...
Vaccine blocks malaria transmission in lab experiments
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have for the first time produced a malarial protein (Pfs48/45) in the proper conformation and quantity to generate a significant immune response...
Strange! Humans Glow in Visible Light
Your body's glow may say a lot about your health.
ATMs Fight Back With Pepper Spray
ATMs from Absa bank in South Africa have gone hot with their latest means of fighting thieves.
'Lab On A Chip' To Give Growers Real-time Glimpse Into Water Stress In Plants
An embedded microsensor capable of measuring real-time water stress in living plants has been developed. In theory, the sensor will help vintners strike the precise balance between drought and overwatering...