Latest science news in Biology & Nature
National Briefing | West: California: Invasion of the Giant Squid!
Thousands of jumbo flying squid, aggressive 5-foot-long sea monsters with razor-sharp beaks and toothy tentacles, have invaded the shallow waters off San Diego.
Optical Chip Detects Blood Molecules
A portable 'lab on a chip' that can identify target molecules in blood samples has been created. It is being used to measure fertility hormones and detect the genes associated...
Study sheds light on social brain development
The capacity to figure out what others are thinking and what they mean is an ability unique to people that's central to our lives. A new study on the neural...
New drugs faster from natural compounds: A UC San Diego breakthrough
Researchers have invented computational tools to decode and rapidly determine whether natural compounds collected in oceans and forests are new - or if these pharmaceutically promising compounds have already been...
Herbicide Diversity Needed To Keep Herbicide Roundup Effective
Using a diverse herbicide application strategy may increase production costs, but a five-year study shows the practice will drastically reduce weeds and seeds that are resistant to a popular herbicide.
DNA-damaged cells communicate with neighbors to let them know they're in trouble
When cells experiencing DNA damage fail to repair themselves, they send a signal to their neighbors letting them know they're in trouble. The discovery, which shows that a process dubbed...
Arizona researchers to sequence West African rice strain
A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow University of Arizona researchers to unlock the genetic code of West African cultivated rice - and along the way...
Canine genes aid human cancer discovery
RALEIGH, N.C., July 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered a gene believed to be involved in meningiomas tumors might not be as major a factor as...
Fish was major part of early human diet
ST. LOUIS, July 13 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led international team of scientists says it has produced the first direct evidence of substantial fish consumption by early modern humans...
Salt sensitivity could be in genes
A gene could be responsible for the high blood pressure some people experience after eating high quantities of salt, say researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Orangutan escapes in Australian zoo
Officials at an Australian zoo say a clever orangutan used a rope to swing out of its enclosure and enjoy a brief taste of freedom.
Insight Into Mechanism Underlying Huntington's Disease
Researchers have gained new insight into the genetic mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease and other trinucleotide repeat (TNR) disorders, identifying a novel DNA repair pathway that specifically targets TNR hairpin removal...
Cats 'exploit' humans by purring
Cats use "soliciting purrs" to manipulate their owners in order to get attention and food, researchers suggest.
Mystery E. coli genes essential for survival of many species
Scientists have shown that E. coli - one of the best known and extensively studied organisms in the world - remains an enigma that may hold the key to human...
Glimpsing the birth of our earliest reproductive cells
It has long been a mystery how the developing embryo designates those rare, precious cells destined to produce sperm and eggs -- enabling us to have offspring - since these...
Tiny fraction of EU budget safeguards wildlife
Europe risks a rising wave of wildlife extinctions as it continues to massively under-resource and under-enforce nature and wildlife protection, WWF said today following the release of a report by...
Technique improves bacteria identification
BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany, July 13 (UPI) -- German researchers say they have developed a method of better identifying various strains of bacteria
Why It Is Easy To Encode New Memories But Hard To Hold Onto Them
Memories aren't made of actin filaments. But their assembly is crucial for long-term potentiation (LTP), an increase in synapse sensitivity that researchers think helps to lay down memories. Scientists reveal...
Dynamic Molecular Mechanism To Keep Brain Activity Stable
In the brain, many types of synaptic proteins are spatio-temporally regulated to maintain synaptic activity at a constant level. Here, scientists found that two types of palmitoylating enzymes finely-tune the...
Toxin Detection As Close As An Inkjet Printer
A method for printing a toxin-detecting biosensor on paper has been developed. The process involves formulating an ink like the one found in computer printer cartridges but with special additives...
Happier, healthier, more productive hens on omega-3?
Most of us are aware of the potential health benefits of omega-3 found in fish oil and flax seed. Now researchers are looking at how omega-3 may help laying...
Amphibians mate under a full moon
Around the world, frogs and toads synchronise their mating behaviour with the lunar cycle, scientists discover.
New Insights Into Formation Of The Centromere, A Key Cellular Structure In Powering And Controlling Chromosome Segregation
Scientists have described the formation of the centromere, a key cellular structure in powering and controlling chromosome segregation and accurate cell division.
Homeless vary across Aus
The rates of homelessness vary dramatically across Australia, even within each state and territory, a study has revealed.
Oxygen Key To 'Cut And Paste' Of Genes
An oxygen-sensitive enzyme has been found to play a key role in how genes create the many different proteins that make up our bodies.
Watching Whales Watching Us
In a Baja lagoon, something is going on between whales and marine biologists. Is it interspecies communication?
Key Protein Can Help Cells Or Cause Cancer
Scientist have discovered a key process in cell growth that can lead to the formation of tumors. They found that an overabundance of the polo-like kinase 1, or Plk1, molecule...