Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New Lab-on-a-chip Measures Mechanics Of Bacteria Colonies
Researchers have devised a microscale tool to help them understand the mechanical behavior of biofilms, slimy colonies of bacteria involved in most human infectious diseases.
Key To Evolutionary Fitness: Cut The Calories
Charles Darwin postulated that animals eat as much as possible while food is plentiful, and produce as many offspring as this would allow. However, new research shows that, even when...
Mangrove-dependent animals globally threatened
More than 40 percent of a sample of amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds that are restricted to mangrove ecosystems are globally threatened with extinction, according to an assessment published in...
New Fossil Primate Challenges "Missing Link" Ida
Researchers propose that it was Asian, not European or African, primates that gave rise to monkeys, apes, and humans
Should spitting worms be protected?
Fans of the giant Palouse earthworm are once again seeking federal protection for the rare, sweet-smelling species that spits at predators.
Feathers help reconstruct moa
Researchers have worked out what an extinct species of giant bird – the moa – must have looked like, using DNA from buried feathers.
Seeds to be shared with poor
A new fund has been developed that will encourage seed sharing with developing nations and help poor farmers preserve global biodiversity.
Research team maps parasite genome
SAN ANTONIO, June 30 (UPI) -- A research team in Texas has mapped the genome of the parasite that causes schistosomiasis, a debilitating disease that can impair childhood...
Bigger isn't always better
It is time to reconsider the adage that bigger is better,' according to scientists writing in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters today. Rebecca Sear from the London School of...
Innovative technology shatters the barriers of modern light microscopy
In the past, even modern technologies have failed to produce high-resolution fluorescence images from this depth because of the strong scattering of light. In the Nature Photonics journal, the Munich...
Norway helps endangered eel wriggle from fish nets
Norwegian fisheries regulators in a landmark decision have banned all fishing of the critically endangered European eel starting in 2010 and cut 2009 catch quotas by 80 percent...
Men Are More Accurate than Women When Hitting a Target with Force in the Dark
(PhysOrg.com) -- Could it be that men have evolved to be more accurate at hitting a target with a weapon in the dark than women? That`s the surprising question left...
Enzyme Doesn't Act Alone In Atrial Fibrillation
An overactive enzyme is behind a leaky calcium channel that plays a role in the development of atrial fibrillation, which is the most common cardiac arrhythmia that is responsible for...
How Cells Reconcile Mixed Messages In Decisions About Growth
The cells in our body are constantly receiving mixed messages. An epithelial cell might be exposed to one signal telling it to divide and, simultaneously, another telling it to stop...
Orange Juice Worse For Teeth Than Whitening Agents, Study Finds
Researchers have determined that the effects of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide, the common ingredient in professional and over-the-counter whitening products, are insignificant compared to acidic fruit juices. Orange juice markedly...
Anti-biotech groups obstruct forest biotechnology
The potential of forest biotechnology to help address significant social and environmental issues is being 'strangled at birth' by the rigid opposition of some groups and regulations that effectively preclude...
Tags to help solve puffin decline
Scientists hope hi-tech tags will help reveal why the puffin population at one of the UK's key colonies fell by a third last year.
Human, baboon gene alters malaria effects
DURHAM, N.C., June 30 (UPI) -- U.S. genetic scientists say they've found variation in the same gene in humans and baboons produces the same kind of resistance to...
Triangles Go Underwater and Supersonic
(PhysOrg.com) -- The seemingly effortless way dolphins and porpoises slice through the water and the unique capabilities of the supersonic Concorde airplane have more in common than one might think.
Japan approves first generic biotech drug
ZURICH (Reuters) - Japanese regulators approved a human growth hormone from Novartis AG, the first green light in Japan for a biosimilar or generic version of a biotech drug, the...
In muscle stem cells, age matters: study
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A new understanding of the genes that make muscle cells may change the way researchers think about stem cell transplants for muscular dystrophy and muscle injuries, U.S....
Researchers Survey Mid-Atlantic Ridge Looking For New Forms of Marine Life, Clues to Deep-Sea Communities
(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of researchers is surveying the Mid-Atlantic Ridge halfway between Iceland and the Azores to determine its biodiversity and perhaps discover new species and clues to...
Plants may protect themselves with metals
FORT COLLINS, Colo., June 30 (UPI) -- A U.S. biologist says the accumulation of metals in plants may be a strategy to protect the plants from predators such...
Invasive predators may promote diversity
Research suggests that invasive predators, once they've established themselves, play an important role in the food web and might actually be good for conservation.
North America faces beetle plague
An epidemic of mountain pine beetles, which has devastated forests in British Columbia, is threatening to spread.
Sneaky snake tricks fish to swim into its mouth
A small water snake has developed a sneaky trick: It startles fish into swimming right into its mouth.
The pros and cons of GM mosquitoes
A proposal for tackling dengue fever has caused controversy because it would involve releasing GM mosquitoes into the wild.
Researchers unveil whiskered robot rat
A team of scientists have developed an innovative robot rat which can seek out and identify objects using its whiskers. The SCRATCHbot robot will be demonstrated this week at an...