Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Video: Even Jaws Fears an Oil Spill
The recent British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico poses a severe threat to several species of sharks in the region. Wildlife expert and CBS News special correspondent...
Study suggests fish virus spread by fish, not boats
(PhysOrg.com) -- Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus could be in a lake without killing fish, according to a new study on the deadly virus that threatens New York's billion dollar sport-fishing...
Mosquito repellent no longer repels mosquitoes
Mosquitoes can develop a resistance to substances used to repel them. The yellow fever mosquito has developed a resistance to the mosquito repellent DEET.
Chimpanzees use sex tools
(PhysOrg.com) -- Many animals are known to use tools, but chimpanzees (our closest living relatives) show the most varied and complex use of tools, and the males in one group...
Wetland bird numbers fall
The decrease in Australian wetland and river areas is causing native birds to be replaced by farmland varieties.
Aboriginal hunting and burning increase Australia's desert biodiversity, researchers find
In Australia, Martu hunter-gatherers light fires to expose the hiding places of their prey: monitor lizards called goanna that can grow up to 6 feet long. These generations-old hunting practices,...
Natural Selection for Moderate Testosterone Surprises Scientists
A field study of the relationship between testosterone and natural selection in an American songbird, the dark-eyed junco, has defied some expectations and confirmed others. Scientists report in the June...
Scientists alter developing brain to resemble that of another species
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have found that by applying chemicals to manipulate genes in a developing embryo, they've been able to change the brain of one type...
Bugging out: NC State researchers help track wayward pests through mapping
Tracking invasive pests around the world sounds like it would make for an interesting show on the Discovery Channel.
Polygala balansae, a new bush to Europe, at risk of extinction in Spain
Researchers have studied the natural history and conservation status in Spain of the only known population of Polygala balansae in Europe, a thorny bush that can grow up to 1.5...
New biological explanation for sadness in early postpartum
Greater levels of a brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) may explain why postpartum blues and clinical depression are so common after childbirth, according to a new study.
Why is late-life depression harder to treat?
Scientists have found an important clue in the quest to understand why people who suffer from depression in later life are harder to treat and keep well in the long...
Rapid analysis of DNA damage now possible
Our DNA is under constant siege from a variety of damaging agents. Damage to DNA and the ability of cells to repair that damage has broad health implications, from aging...
Ethanol co-product boosts nutrition in Asian flatbread
(PhysOrg.com) -- South Dakota State University research shows a traditional Asian flatbread called chapathi, or chapati, gets a big boost in protein and fiber when fortified with food-grade distillers grains.
Study finds key protein controls T-cell proliferation
New research has identified that a key protein called PEA-15 stops T-cell proliferation by blocking the cell's ability to reproduce. The control of T-cell proliferation is essential in preventing certain...
Exotic birds colonised NZ
New research is challenging the idea that New Zealand bird life has evolved in isolation – some species came from Australia or elsewhere.
Sloths' bizarre 'toilet habit'
Two-toed sloths are seen descending from the trees to feed out of a human toilet, an extraordinary behaviour that has stumped biologists.
Strategy to Quantify, Purify Surface Proteins Also Shows Effects on Protein Translocation
(PhysOrg.com) -- It's always good when you can get two discoveries for the price of one. A strategy developed by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to quantify and purify...
Extinction risk rises for cod, other species
Atlantic cod, a type of bumble bee and a pair of fish should be added to Canada's list of endangered species, according to a federal committee that tracks hundreds of...
'Different forms of flowers' continues to fascinate: Darwin's influential study inspires research on breeding system called heterostyly
Research on the subject of heterostyly is often traced back to 1877 when Charles Darwin published "The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species." Throughout the 20th...
Scientists solve protein structure revealing secrets of cell membranes
Scientists have discovered the structure of a protein that pinches off tiny pouches from cells' outer membranes. Cells use these pouches, or vesicles, to carry nutrients and other essential substances,...
How the immune system's T cells seem to improve learning
The immune system's cells work hard to fight off infections. But new research is uncovering their important role in cognition, and a study published online May 3 in The Journal...
Mammoth Hemoglobin Offers More Clues to Its Arctic Evolution
The research raises the possibility that much of the physiology of extinct animals may one day be recoverable from DNA.
Plumage-color traits more extreme over time
Ever since Darwin, researchers have tried to explain the enormous diversity of plumage colour traits in birds. Now researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, are adding something new to...
Basics: Of Compost, Molecules and Insects, Art Is Born
A growing number of artists are rummaging through the life sciences for materials and ideas.
iPad Will Force Netbook, E-reader Makers to Evolve or Die
Netbooks will start shifting to touch screens like the iPad next year.
May's Cold Spring Harbor Protocols features plant gene expression methods, Xenopus imaging
COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. (Mon., May 3, 2010) -- The generation of transgenic plants can be a lengthy and difficult process. Transient expression assays have been developed as faster and...
Numberplay: The Puzzles of Pickover
Today we have a veritable puzzle-fest, as we explore the kaleidoscopic work of a fascinating modern polymath, Clifford Pickover.