Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Oil spill restricts fishing in U.S. Gulf
WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) -- Commercial and recreational fishing is restricted in the Gulf of Mexico for more than a week because of an oil spill off the Louisiana...
Expanded fluorescent proteins now possible
NEW YORK, April 26 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've identified the crystal structures of two key fluorescent proteins, possibly leading to an expanded fluorescent protein palette.
Intelligence gene? Study reveals specific gene's role in Williams Syndrome patients
Although genetics is the most significant known determinant of human intelligence, how specific genes affect intelligence remains largely unknown. Researchers have now found that the brain gene STX1A plays a...
Cancer-causing viruses exploit genetic achilles heel, finds study
British scientists say it is likely some viruses turn cells into 'viral hotels' by exploiting tiny molecules in human DNAA genetic achilles heel that helps viruses invade the body and trigger cancer has...
Mathematicians offer elegant solution to evolutionary conundrum
Researchers have proffered a new mathematical model that seeks to unravel a key evolutionary riddle -- namely what factors underlie the generation of biological diversity both within and between species.
New strain of virulent airborne fungi, unique to Oregon, is set to spread
A newly discovered strain of an airborne fungus has caused several deaths in Oregon and seems poised to move into California and other adjacent areas, according to scientists at Duke...
Rainfall linked to skewed sex ratios
An increased proportion of male African buffalo are born during the rainy season. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology collected data from over 200 calves and...
Life history database aids wild primate studies
A group of scientists who have studied the life history of primates for decades got to thinking about their own life histories and decided they had better do something to...
Genomes of citrus canker pathogens decoded
An international team of scientists from Brazil and the United States have completed the draft genome sequences of two strains of the Xanthomonas bacteria that cause citrus canker. Citrus canker,...
Hamlet fish sheds light on evolution of marine species
To evolve or not to evolve? That is the question scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) are closer to answering following a groundbreaking new study into the colourful...
Chips, worms and grey matter: More similar than you think
Scientists have discovered 'striking similarities' between human brains, the nervous system of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans and computer chips...
Vatican funds adult stem-cell research
The Vatican will fund research into the potential use of adult stem cells to treat disease, a field where Canadian researchers are hard at work.
Whaling 'Peace Plan' Just Less of the Same?
A whaling "peace plan" would sanction thousands of whale deaths while, on paper, preserving a moratorium on such hunts.
Poultry vaccine could lead to new viruses
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., April 23 (UPI) -- Live vaccines that protect domestic poultry against Newcastle disease may be creating unpredictable wild virus strains, scientists in Pennsylvania said.
Beetle wins war against Galapagos pest
RIVERSIDE, Calif., April 23 (UPI) -- Releasing the ladybug beetle throughout the Galapagos Islands has nearly eliminated a devastating sap-sucking bug native to Australia, U.S. scientists said.
Whale poo could aid climate, say Aussie scientists
Australian scientists have discovered an unlikely element in the fight against climate change -- whale poo.
Automating cell culture using digital microfluidics
The first lab-on-a-chip platform for complete mammalian cell culture has been developed by scientists in Canada
Methane oxidising enzyme mystery solved
US scientists crack a long-standing mystery surrounding an enzyme which oxidises methane to methanol
Yunék Journal: In Venezuela’s Savanna, Clash of Science and Fire
The Pemón Indian tradition of burning grassland and forest to hunt and grow food is dividing scientists in Venezuela and beyond.
Colleague Defends Anthrax Suspect, Ivins
A microbiologist said it was impossible that the deadly spores had been produced undetected in the suspect’s laboratory, as the F.B.I. asserts.
To sleep, perchance to dream--and learn
Dreams might be helping your brain do more than express Freudian fixations or practice escapes from prehistoric predators. They are there, in part, to help you learn, according to a...
Catch-and-Release of Feral Cats: Humane Treatment Or Environmental Threat?
Catch-and-release is a familiar concept in fishing but is more contentious when it comes to cats. To deal humanely with feral cat populations, some advocate a trap-neuter-release approach. Wild cats...
Scientists discover key step for regulating embryonic development
HOUSTON -- Deleting a gene in mouse embryos caused cardiac defects and early death, leading researchers to identify a mechanism that turns developmental genes off and on as an...
Fundamental discovery about how gene expression functions in bacteria
Researchers have discovered and characterized a general mechanism that controls transcription elongation in bacteria. The mechanism relies on physical cooperation between a moving ribosome and RNA polymerase (RNAP) that allows...
Probing A Protein's Elusive Chromophore
p-Coumaric acid study helps unravel the processes that drive a popular bacterial photoreceptor.
Scientists Create Stem Cells from Eggs of Aging Mice
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have created stem cells from the eggs of aging mice that could be used for reproductive purposes and regenerative medicine. The study,...
Cuckoo chicks in Zebra finches
(PhysOrg.com) -- Some female zebra finches foist a part of their eggs on their neighbours. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen discovered that in every fifth...
Biosensor chip enables high-sensitivity protein analysis for disease diagnosis
In the battle against cancer and other diseases, precise analysis of specific proteins can point the way toward targeted treatments. Scientists have developed a novel biosensor chip that not only...