Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Fungus afflicts Afghan opium poppies
A fungal disease is threatening the opium poppies in Afghanistan, says the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
NASA studies find omega-3 may help reduce bone loss
NASA-sponsored studies have found that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may play a role in mitigating bone breakdown that occurs during spaceflight and in osteoporosis. Ongoing research for...
As monarch butterflies journey north, gardeners can help protect species, researcher says
It has been a hard winter for Monarch butterflies. Low temperatures, storms and habitat destruction have all threatened the butterflies' overwintering population in Mexico.
New study helps explain how botulism-causing toxin can enter circulation
New research in the Journal of Cell Biology helps explain how the toxic protein responsible for botulism can enter circulation from the digestive system. The study appears online May 10...
Nano parfait a treat for scientists
In two new papers, Rice University researchers report using ultracentrifugation (UCF) to create highly purified samples of carbon nanotube species...
Researchers use entire islands in the Bahamas to test survival of the fittest
By using entire islands as experimental laboratories, two Dartmouth biologists have performed one of the largest manipulations of natural selection ever conducted in a wild animal population. Their results, published...
Rare Javan rhino found dead in Vietnam
A Javan rhino was found dead late last week in Cat Tien National Park in, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam, further endangering the population of one of the world's rarest large...
Weight gain linked to genes
A study has found that the relationship between overeating and weight gain is linked to an individual's genetic history.
Observatory: In Fruit Flies, Gender Is Determined at the Cellular Level
Using advanced DNA technology, scientists discovered that not every cell in the fly is marked as male or female.
Cages and emetics rescue wading birds
The number of waders (shorebirds) in Sweden is falling rapidly. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg have tested drastic new methods to protect species such as the Northern lapwing and...
Genomics goes beyond DNA sequence
A technology that simultaneously reads a DNA sequence and its crucial modifications makes its debut.
Split forests: More snakes, fewer birds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., May 10 (UPI) -- A University of Illinois researcher says he has found fragmented forests might result in more snakes but fewer birds.
Metabolic vulnerability in tuberculosis and potential drug target discovered
The cause of tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), a slow-growing aerobic bacterium that divides every 16 to 20 hours. Scientists know that carbon metabolism plays a significant role in the...
The Wistar Institute and University of the Sciences Announce McNeil Professorship to Lead Collaborative Center
The Wistar Institute and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia today named Wistar Institute principal investigator Paul M. Lieberman, Ph.D., an expert in gene expression and regulation, as the McNeil...
Oil Spill Meets Match with Hair Mats
Non-Profit Organization Collects Tons of Hair from Salons, Pet Groomers for Use as Cleanup Tools
High Mercury Levels Found in Dolphin Eaters
Residents of Japanese Village Were Portrayed in Oscar-Winning Film "The Cove" on Dolphin Hunting
Mice in pain make faces like we do
Mice grimace in pain as humans do, say Canadian researchers whose "mouse grimace scale" could lead to better pain treatments for people and less suffering for lab animals.
Vital functions monitored with wearable and implantable devices
Physiological signals can nowadays be easily monitored with measurement devices implanted inside a living body. The object - animal or human - is barely aware of the presence of the...
Patent pool starts to attract interest
A South African government agency and a US university have joined the Pool for Open Innovation against Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Potential antifouling substance can cause paler fish
The sedative medetomidine has proved effective at inhibiting fouling and is now being trialled by the EU as an ingredient for the antifouling paints of the future. Research at the...
4,000-pound rhinoceros escapes cage at zoo
Workers at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens spent about five hours trying to get a 4,000-pound rhinoceros back in his cage. Archie was out of his overnight stall when employees...
Frog rears young in dead leaves
A new species of frog is the first known to lay its egg and grow its tadpoles in dead leaves that litter the forest floor.
Next generation hard drives may store 10 terabits per sq inch: research
(PhysOrg.com) -- The majority of today's hard disks use perpendicular recording, which means their storage densities are limited to a few hundred gigabytes per square inch. Scientists have for some...
Odors classified by networks of neurons
Scientists in Switzerland are unraveling how odors are processed by the brain. As they report in a new study, odors in the olfactory brain are classified into groups represented by...
Scientists solve mystery of fragile stem cells; New findings to speed research on potential therapies
Scientists have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field...
Scientists shed light on potential treatment for Gaucher's disease
In findings that advance scientists' understanding of a whole class of inherited disorders, a research team has shed light on a mechanism that enables a potential treatment for Gaucher's disease...
Bonding With Offspring Grows New Neurons in the Mouse Brain
Extra gray matter helps dad remember and protect his kids later in life
DNA markers discourage theft
A recent trial in New Zealand cut burglaries by more than half by marking valuable goods with traceable, synthetic DNA.