Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Motor Molecules Use Random Walks To Make Deliveries In Living Cells
Cells rely on tiny molecular motors to deliver cargo, such as mRNA and organelles, within the cell. The critical nature of this transport system is evidenced by the fact that...
Yury Verlinsky, Expert in Embryonic Screening, Is Dead at 65
Mr. Verlinsky was one of the first scientists to develop techniques to detect genetic disorders in embryos and helped make the screening available to parents worldwide.
'Long-haired' water moulds are the most virulent
The water mould Saprolegnia can cause skin disease in salmon during its freshwater phase. The mould attacks both fish and eggs and has at times caused great economic loss for...
Cell Phones Turned Into Fluorescent Microscopes
Researchers have developed a cell phone microscope that not only takes color images of malaria parasites, but of tuberculosis bacteria labeled with fluorescent markers. The latest milestone moves a major...
Woodlands suffer large-scale biodiversity loss
Research published today (22 July 2009) shows that 21st century British woodlands are less distinctive than those of the early 20th century due to environmental change. Native woodland plants have...
Endangered wild camel is "genetically unique", say scientists
A study confirms the unique ancestry of the wild Bactrian camel, of which just a few hundred survive.
Fighting disease atom by atom
Researchers at Rice University and their international colleagues have for the first time described the atomic structure of the protein shell that carries the genetic code of hepatitis E (HEV)....
For horned lizard, horns alone do not make the species
How do you recognise a new species? A thorough study of the million-year evolution of California's horned lizards, sometimes referred to as 'horny toads,' shows that when it comes to...
Researchers find first potential pathogenic mutation for restless legs syndrome
An international team of researchers led by scientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found what they believe is the first mutated gene linked to restless legs syndrome,...
Genetic marker linked to problem behaviours in adults with developmental disabilities
A common variation of the gene involved in regulating serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain may be linked to problem behaviours in adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, new research...
Python Hunting Allowed in Florida
For the first time, Florida is allowing select hunters to kill pythons in the wild. The non-native snakes are believed to number in the tens of thousands and are killing endangered species, experts...
Neon Blue-tailed Tree Lizard Glides Like A Feather, Thanks To Light Bubbly Bones
Neon blue-tailed tree lizards are perfectly happy scurrying from branch to branch in their arboreal homes, but it wasn't clear whether they simply leaping between branches or glide. Researchers compared...
Israeli company develops bee vaccine
JERUSALEM, July 21 (UPI) -- An Israeli company says it has developed a vaccine that protects honey bees from a virus associated with the widespread collapse of bee colonies...
Nature or nurture? New epigenetic model blurs the line in the debate
A research report published in the July 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org) complicates the debate over whether nature or nurture plays the most important role in complex diseases...
U.S. zoo brings in koala from France for mating
Talk about long-distance romance: a male koala from France has arrived to mate with two females at the zoo in Cleveland.
Web decorating with garbage
Researchers propose decaying food remains in spider webs confuse would-be predators
Predators battle bugs, become pests themselves
(AP) -- Imported insects have been deployed as foot soldiers in the fight against invasive bugs and plants that cause billions of dollars in damage each year. But some...
Mutation causing one type of male infertility found
(PhysOrg.com) -- A genetic mutation that lies behind one type of male infertility has been discovered by researchers at Oxford University, Ghent University in Belgium, and the University of Massachusetts,...
Tomato find could feed millions
Australian researchers have discovered how to create better quality fruits and vegetables with higher yield and longer shelf life.
Listeriosis probe calls for better equipment, more inspections
Manufacturers should be required to design easy-to-clean meat-processing equipment that limits the spread of bacteria, says a newly released report on last summer's deadly listeriosis outbreak.
Skin-like tissue developed from human embryonic stem cells
Dental and tissue engineering researchers at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts have harnessed the pluripotency of human embryonic stem...
Research team seeks to unravel flatworm regeneration
Planarian flatworms are only a few millimetres up to a few centimetres in length, live in freshwater and are the object of intense research, because they possess the extraordinary ability...
Trout key to university's cancer studies
CORVALLIS, Ore., July 21 (UPI) -- Trout are better models for cancer research than mice or rats, a leading researcher at Oregon State University said.
New DNA Vaccine Inhibits Deadly Skin Cancer In Mice
A new DNA vaccine inhibited malignant melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, in mice by eliciting antibodies that target a gastrin-releasing peptide which is known to play a key...
Animal experiments in numbers
There are more experiments on animals in the UK than ever before. Get the full data Figures out today show the largest rise in the use of animals in medical research since modern...
Bluebirds returning to parts of Florida
TAMPA, Fla., July 21 (UPI) -- The once endangered Eastern bluebird is making a comeback of sorts in parts of Florida with nearly 100 birds nesting east of Tampa,...
Brain's Center For Perceiving 3-D Motion Is Identified
Neuroscientists have now pinpointed where and how the brain processes 3-D motion using specially developed computer displays and an fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) machine to scan the brain.
Ethiopian Government Celebrates Rinderpest Eradication
A menace to the African cattle population for more than a century, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) has declared rinderpest eradicated in Ethiopia. Ethiopia, which grappled with the...