Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Penn biologists demonstrate that size matters... in snail shells
PHILADELPHIA -- A team of biologists at the University of Pennsylvania has completed a research study begun in 1915 and determined that a snail making its home in the northwest...
Nanoparticles in personal care products may have adverse environmental effects
Using aquatic microbes as their 'canary-in-a-cage,' scientists from Ohio today reported that nanoparticles now being added to cosmetics, sunscreens, and hundreds of other personal care products may be harmful to...
Drug Used To Treat Skin Conditions Is A Marine Pollutant
Clotrimazole is a common ingredient in over-the-counter skin creams. Recent results from research in Sweden now show that it is associated with major environmental risks. "The pharmaceuticals and chemicals in...
Hair Structures Of Blind Cavefish Inspire New Generation Of Sensors
The fish species Astyanax fasciatus cannot see, but their unique technique for sensing their environment and the movement of water around them with gel-covered hairs that extend from their bodies...
Glacial movement genetically affected deer
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., March 26 (UPI) -- A 10-year U.S. study of mule and black-tailed deer has found unique subspecies created by the animals' responses to climate change...
Wild Bees Can Be Effective Pollinators
A three-year study of 15 southwestern Michigan blueberry farms found 112 wild bee species which were active during the blueberry blooming period. Many of these species visit more flowers per...
New Possibilities For Hydrogen-producing Algae
Photosynthesis produces the food that we eat and the oxygen that we breathe -- could it also help satisfy our future energy needs by producing clean-burning hydrogen? Researchers studying a...
Human papillomavirus genotype distribution in New Mexico cervical cancers
DNA from human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16) and HPV type 18 (HPV18) were found in the majority of invasive cervical cancers in New Mexico in the 1980s and 1990s,...
Mutated gene in zebrafish sheds light on blindness in humans
Among zebrafish, the eyes have it. Inside them is a mosaic of light-sensitive cells whose structure and functions are nearly identical to those of humans. There, biologists at The Florida...
Thinking of turning your chemistry green? Consult GEMs
A database designed to 'build community' and reduce barriers when adopting green chemistry has doubled in size in the last two years, its creator told professional colleagues at the national...
Bushfires protect rare snake
Controlled bushfires may keep woodland from destroying the habitat of Australia's most endangered snake, research has found.
Lab-on-a-chip Homes In On How Cancer Cells Break Free
Engineers have invented a method to help figure out how cancer cells break free from neighboring tissue, an "escape" that can spread the disease to other parts of the body.
Auditory Regions Of Brain Convert To Sense Of Touch, Hearing Loss Study Finds
Researchers have discovered that adult animals with hearing loss actually re-route the sense of touch into the hearing parts of the brain.
The secret life of frogs
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Notre Dame biologist Sunny Boyd's research is a little like "Match.com" for amphibians. Say you're a female tree frog looking for a mate--how do you choose...
Hearing could hold key to unlocking schizophrenia mystery
Measuring brain waves in response to hearing a variety of tones appears to be a useful way to begin understanding the underlying genetic abnormalities associated with schizophrenia, says a study...
What does an Egyptian pharaoh smell like?
She may have ruled like a man, but Egyptian queen Hatshepsut still preferred to smell like a lady.
Genetic changes outside nuclear DNA suspected to trigger more than half of all cancers
A buildup of chemical bonds on certain cancer-promoting genes, a process known as hypermethylation, is widely known to render cells cancerous by disrupting biological brakes on runaway growth. Now,...
Deadly ancient disease knocking on Australia's door
Many Australians probably think tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of the past. They are wrong.
Whales Trucked to Safety
After beaching themselves in Australia, a group of pilot whales were saved and trucked to deeper waters. Video.
Audio "Aphrodisiac" Spurs Rare Cheetah Birth--A First
In a world first, a rare baby cheetah owes its life to a doctored recording of a recently discovered male call that triggers ovulation.
Lemur Forests Pillaged by "Gangs" as Madagascar Reels
A coup d'etat in Madagascar has prompted looters to invade protected sanctuaries, harvesting trees and threatening critically endangered lemurs and other species, conservationists say.
Recipes for Health: Barley and Mushroom Salad With English Peas
We all love barley and mushrooms in soup, so why not use this popular combination in a salad?
A new twist on actuator architecture
Spiral opals change colour and shape in response to their chemical environment
Gene Decides Whether Coral Relative Will Fuse Or Fight
When coral colonies meet one another on the reef, they have two options: merge into a single colony or reject each other and aggressively compete for space. Marine scientists have...
In Horse Play, Adult-to-young Ratio Is Key
Adults of many animal species play a crucial role in the social development of youngsters. A new study reveals that the ratio of adults to young plays a much more...
Predicting mosquito outbreaks for disease control
University of Adelaide researchers have shown they can predict the biggest population peaks of disease-carrying mosquitoes up to two months ahead.
Portuguese wave-power snake dead in the water
Opened in September as a world "first" in producing electricity from waves, a pioneering installation here is dead in the water having functioned for only a few weeks in a...