Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Wise Researchers Close in on Definition of Wisdom
Wisdom is hard to define. Now experts weigh in on a definition of wisdom.
Gray whale 'back from the dead'
A gray whale sighted off the coast of Israel raises the possibility that the supposedly extinct species has returned to the Atlantic Ocean.
Colossal Squid Are Just Really Big Glass Squid
Yes, I am still here! Did you miss me? You totally missed me! Maybe just a little. I emerge from my thesis-writing cave to spread the word that teuthologists Rui Rosa...
Longevity Protein Discovered
Roundworms born without the longevity protein lived a third longer than normal, a finding with implications for human longevity.
Slimming aid from the cell laboratory?
Love handles, muffin tops and stomach tires - white fat tissue forms the typical curves in the notorious problem areas to store energy. Exactly the opposite happens in brown fat...
Fatty acid to enhance anticancer drug
Chemical changes in the genetic material, known as epigenetic modifications, regulate the activity of many genes. Thus, attachment of methyl groups to DNA often inactivates important cellular growth brakes. Therefore,...
Brain's master switch is verified by Iowa State University researcher
The protein that has long been suspected by scientists of being the master switch allowing brains to function has now been verified by an Iowa State University researcher...
Gulf wildlife 'dead zone' keeps growing
Experts who assessed the Exxon Valdez disaster describe how the Gulf oil spill could affect birds, reptiles, shrimp, fish and other wildlife.
New test is more sensitive to schistosomiasis
A technique that can detect genetic material from the schistosoma parasite would reduce the risk of spreading the infection, say scientists.
Kon-Tiki, Bacteria Style
Harmful pathogens travel far and wide on islands of fish poop and other detritus
Researchers Use New Sequencing Strategies To Discover Rare Inherited Illness Rapidly
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) has demonstrated a new technical strategy that promises to rapidly determine the genetic cause for very...
Intensive fishing leads to smaller fish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Intensive fishery activities in the North Sea have resulted in evolutionary changes in fish. Fish remain smaller, grow slower and mature sexually earlier. This is postulated by Fabian...
A new gold standard: Using gold to eliminate cancerous tumors
(PhysOrg.com) -- Gold isn't exactly what comes to mind when you think of treatments for cancer. But researchers at Ohio University are exploring whether the metallic element can actually save...
As Oil Spreads, Cornell-Audubon Citizen Network Tracks Birds
As oil continues to gush into the ocean from the Deepwater Horizon well, Gulf Coast bird watchers are taking action by surveying beaches and marshes for birds. By entering their...
Mother's Day Mayhem: "Worst" Animal Moms?
Meet the animal world's "worst" mothers—and find out why their tough parenting may not be so awful after all.
Rats top invasive mammals table
Brown rats are among the most invasive mammals in Europe, according to a wide-ranging assessment.
Leaves of carnivorous plants emit flower scents to attract their prey
In South-East Asia, the leaves of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes rafflesiana mimic flowers biochemically in order to trap insects.
The brain: probing its deep mystery
(PhysOrg.com) -- We know more about the cosmos than we do about the human brain, but work by European researchers will now allow scientists to probe further into the mysteries...
Paper set to open door to new phase of evolutionary biology
(PhysOrg.com) -- Research by evolutionary biologist Professor Roger Thorpe and his world-leading team of herpetologists at Bangor University's School of Biological Sciences is contributing to a change in the way...
Fatty acid to enhance anticancer drug
Chemical changes in the genetic material, known as epigenetic modifications, regulate the activity of many genes. Thus, attachment of methyl groups to DNA often inactivates important cellular growth brakes. Therefore,...
Risk of Extinction Increases for Cod
Despite reduced catches in Canada since 1992, cod are now at such historically low levels that they may no longer be able to replace themselves in their ecosystem, increasing the...
Foreign migrants move within Spain for employment reasons
A team from the University of Cantabria (UC) has studied the contribution that internal migration by foreign people living in Spain made to the process of overall provincial convergence between...
Unmasking anthrax for immune destruction
Anthrax-causing bacteria can be engineered to shed their invisibility cloaks, making it easier for the immune system to eradicate it, according to a new study. The work could lead to...
Freshway lettuce recalled in 23 states
WASHINGTON, May 7 (UPI) -- Freshway Foods is recalling products with romaine lettuce linked to an outbreak of 19 cases of E. coli in Michigan, Ohio and New York,...
Forgetful Lab Rat Gets Alzheimer's for the Sake of Science
A new "freaky" lab rat has been created to study Alzheimer's disease
More poisoning to take place in effort to rid channel of Asian carp
A new plan of attack against the spread of Asian carp into Lake Michigan calls for a second round of chemical poisoning, this one in the Calumet-Sag Channel.
Mice can synthesize their own morphine, research shows
Traces of morphine in urine samples have been considered a clear proof of drug use or the consumption of food containing poppy in the past. Now a study by a...
Genetic switch makes old mice forgetful
Reversing chemical change restores memory-making ability