Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Bacterial genes that improve plant growth by 40% identified
To find out what makes microbe-plant interactions "tick," scientists decoded the genome of a plant-dwelling microbe they'd shown could increase plant growth by 40 percent. The work could move the...
'Votes' of sub-cellular variables control cell fate
Members of a population of identical cells often "choose" different fates, even though they exist in identical conditions. The difference may rest with the "hidden variables" within the cells, say...
Spitting cobras track first, predict later
Spitting cobras spray venom in the eyes of their victims with remarkable accuracy, but how do they achieve this accuracy when they cannot steer the jet of venom? Researchers have...
Tibetans developed genes to help them adapt to life at high elevations
Researchers have long wondered why the people of the Tibetan Highlands can live at elevations that cause some humans to become life-threateningly ill -- and a new study answers that...
Setting time limits for hunting and fishing may help maintain wildlife populations
Hunting and fishing quotas limit the number of game animals or fish an individual may take based on harvests from the previous year. But according to a new study, this...
Can Brain Scans Detect Lying? Exclusive New Details From Court Hearing
After nearly 12 hours of testimony yesterday by scientists, a hearing on whether lie...
Scientists Listen to Faint Sounds Inside Insects
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Clarkson University scientists led by Prof. Igor Sokolov are using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to record sounds emanating from inside living insects like flies, mosquitoes...
Climate change killing lizards worldwide
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., May 14 (UPI) -- Twenty percent of all lizard species could be extinct by 2080 because of rising temperatures involved in climate change, a California researcher...
A warm sensor maintains skin barrier
Japanese research group led by Prof. Makoto Tominaga and Dr. Takaaki Sokabe (National Institute for Physiological Sciences: NIPS) found that TRPV4 ion channel in skin keratinocytes is important for formation...
Invasive organism found in Oregon waters
COOS BAY, Ore., May 14 (UPI) -- An invasive organism native to Japan has been discovered in two Oregon bays and could cause serious economic and environmental damage, scientists...
Feathers of earliest birds too weak to fly
MANCHESTER, England, May 14 (UPI) -- The first species of birds likely did little more than glide because their feathers were too feeble to support long flight, British scientists...
Scripps Research scientists find chemical signal from predators that sparks fear in mice
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have found a specific chemical compound secreted by many predators that makes mice behave fearfully. The research helps scientists better understand animal behaviour, and...
Wine-making yeast shows promise for bioethanol production
Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a gene in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that might be important for ethanol production from plant material, providing insights into...
DksA polices the intersection of replication and transcription
Dr Jue D. (Jade) Wang, assistant professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, focuses her attention on replication - the process by which a strand of...
Study raises new concerns about radiation and breast cancer
It is well established that exposure to ionising radiation can result in mutations or other genetic damage that cause cells to turn cancerous. Now a new study led by researchers...
A recipe for hearing: Sensory hair cells made from stem cells
After ten years of effort, researchers reporting in the May 14th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, say they have found a way to coax embryonic stem...
How do organisms make dietary choices?
When given a choice, organisms will choose a diet that maintains a nutritional balance in tune with their needs. That choice, studied in fruit flies for the first time, is...
Why a whiff of cats or rats is scary (if you're a mouse, that is)
If you were a mouse, a mere whiff of a cat, rat or snake would be enough to send you into a fearful state. Your stress hormone levels would go...
Indian zoo to stuff dead animals
An Indian zoo plans to stuff its animals after their deaths.
Folk medicine threat to wild dogs
Half of all wild dog species such as jackals, foxes and wolves are harvested for traditional folk medicines, scientists warn.
Gene discovery may lead to new varieties of soybean plants
Just months after the soybean genome was sequenced, a scientist has discovered a long-sought gene that controls the plant's main stem growth and could lead to the creation of new...
Quiet border towns don't live up to their notoriety
Southern cities from Texas to California are fairly secure from border violence, despite the ongoing drug war in Mexico. ...
Group decries Zimbabwe gift of baby elephants
Two baby elephants intended as a gift to North Korea are unlikely to survive the journey by air, Zimbabwean conservationists said Thursday.
Emergence of fungal plant diseases linked to ecological speciation
A new commentary on the nature of pathogens is raising startling new questions about the role that fundamental science research on evolution plays in the understanding of emerging disease.
Pest munches up China fields after GM crop sprays halt
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A once minor pest has ravaged fruit orchards and cotton fields in China after farmers stopped spraying insecticide in crops of a genetically-modified type of cotton...
U.S. Clears Test of Gene-Altered Trees in South
The controversial test is meant to see if the eucalyptus trees can become a new source of wood, as well as material for biofuels.
The Proof Is in the Proteins: Test Supports Universal Common Ancestor for All Life
Earth's first life-form, floating in the proverbial froth of the primordial seas that eventually gave rise to trees, bees and humans, is not just a popular Darwinian conceit but also...
Protected Corals Increase Fishing Profits
The Wildlife Conservation Society today announced findings from a study showing that closures and gear restrictions implemented in fishing areas can increase fishery revenue and net profits.