Latest science news in Biology & Nature
New DNA Variants Found That Can Help To Pile On The Pounds
A study of 90,000 people has uncovered new genetic variants close to a gene called MC4R that influence fat mass, weight and risk of obesity. The variants act in addition...
Drug-resistant Tuberculosis On The Increase In The UK
A changing population structure and ongoing migration have increased cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis, according to a study.
Cases: Desperate to Cry, Desperate Not To
Emphysema robbed my patient of a way to show her grief.
Stem Cell Researchers Create Heart And Blood Cells From Reprogrammed Skin Cells
Stem cell researchers were able to grow functioning cardiac cells using mouse skin cells that had been reprogrammed into cells with the same unlimited properties as embryonic stem cells. The...
Discovery has implications for heart disease
A study, led by University of Iowa researchers, reveals a new dimension for a key heart enzyme and sheds light on an important biological pathway involved in cell death in...
'Destruct' triggers may be jammed in tumor cells, UF geneticists say
Tumor cells living in the cross hairs of radiation or chemotherapy may be able to escape death because their self-destruct mechanisms are jammed, say University of Florida scientists writing in...
New Class Of Fatty Acids Discovered
Researchers have discovered a new class of fatty acids -- alpha-hydroxy polyacetylenic fatty acids -- that could be used as sensors for detecting changes in temperature and mechanical stress loads....
Zebrafish may help solve ringing in vets' ears
Ernest Moore, an audiologist and cell biologist at Northwestern University, developed tinnitus -- a chronic ringing and whooshing sound in his ears -- twenty years ago after serving in the...
Scientists sequence GM papaya genome
Scientists have produced a draft genome sequence of a genetically modified papaya that could benefit future cultivation of the fruit.
Honduras to push GM corn production
The Honduran agricultural minister has announced plans to push GM corn production, to face corn productivity crises.
Diagnostic test 'can distinguish leishmaniasis types'
Iranian scientists have found that a rapid diagnostic test for visceral leishmaniasis can discriminate between different forms of the disease.
South Asia News in brief: 16–30 April 2008
Genetic differences between Indian ethnic groups, Mongoose aids landmine detection, Bhutan to install glacial monitors, and more.
Global consortium to hunt for cancer genes
LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists from around the world are joining forces to hunt for key genetic mutations involved in cancer.
The Body in Depth
For more than 17 years, David L. Bassett was engaged in creating a painstaking and detailed set of images of the human body, inside and out. In 3-D.
New Study on Melanoma
Melanoma is much deadlier when it appears on the scalp or neck than somewhere else on the body, according to a study published Monday.
Observatory: Tiny Gardeners May Help Spread Invasive Species
New research indicates that leaf-cutter refuse piles can contribute to the spread of invasive plant species.
In the Garden: Humming Praises for the Wild Bee
The bumblebee and other native wild bees are all the more important in the garden now that the population of honeybees is in such decline.
What Darwin Saw Out Back
The New York Botanical Garden is replicating his work and experiments in a stunning, multipart exhibition called “Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure.”
Tests Confirm T. Rex Kinship With Birds
An analysis of proteins extracted from fossils has yielded the first molecular data confirming the hypothesis of a close dinosaur-bird ancestry, scientists say.
Tyson Told to End an Antibiotic Claim
Competitors objected to the ads by Tyson and said Tyson had injected its eggs with antibiotics and used antibiotic molecules in its feed.
Expressing Our Individuality, the Way E. Coli Do
Scientists have only a rough understanding of how human diversity arises.
Stem cells: The 3-billion-dollar question
Can a state do what a country cannot, and transform the way stem-cell research is funded? Erika Check Hayden reports on the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Food crisis spurs research spending
Agricultural research comes in from the cold.
International consortium to initiate cancer research, share data
An international cancer genome group was launched Tuesday, a collaborative effort on the part of nine countries to produce genomic data on different types of cancer.
Nunavut biologists pursue less intrusive wildlife monitoring
Government biologists in Nunavut say they will explore new techniques for conducting scientific tests on wildlife such as polar bears, following concerns raised by Inuit that satellite collars, tags and...
Wildlife group complained years before ducks got stuck in Alta. oilsands waste
A wildlife group says it predicted problems years before hundreds of migrating ducks were found dead and dying this week in a pond of toxic residue at a Syncrude oilsands...
Using Nanotech to Shut Down Troublesome Genes
For years scientists have been touting a disease-fighting technique called RNA interference. The idea behind it is pretty simple: By piggybacking on the body's own system for silencing genes, researchers...
Albert Hofmann, Dead at 102
Albert Hofmann, Swiss chemist and discoverer of LSD died yesterday at the age of 102. Hofmann, who succumbed to a heart attack while at his home in Switzerland, first...