Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Giant Lizard Is Discovered in the Philippines
Researchers have concluded that a giant, golden-spotted monitor lizard discovered in the forested mountains of the Philippines six years ago is a new species.
Animals found that live without oxygen
Scientists searching the floor of the Mediterranean say they have found the first multi-cellular creatures that live their lives entirely without oxygen.
Convergent evolution in lignin biosynthesis: Tools for re-engineering biomass composition
The plant cell wall component lignin, a complex phenolic polymer, is valued for its energy content, but inhibits biomass breakdown for cellulosic ethanol. Investigators have now identified an alternative pathway...
Sea Turtles Suffer Collateral Damage From Fishing
The first global analysis of turtle fatalities identifies deadly hot spots
Zebra Finch Genome Hints that Smell is Part of Bird Communication
A large international group of researchers, including Weizmann Institute scientists, recently produced the full zebra finch genome, the report on which is significant for what it reveals about learning processes...
Toxoplasma gondii spreads in the habitat of the Iberian lynx
An international team led by researchers from the University of Cordoba (UCO) has analysed seroprevalence (antibodies to a disease) of Toxoplasma gondii, the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis in many species,...
New tool developed for DNA research
Luminescent markers are an indispensable tool for researchers working with DNA. But the markers are troublesome. Some tend to destroy the function and structure of DNA when inserted. Others emit...
Sand fly barcoding in Panama reveals Leishmania strain and its potential control
In the first survey of sand flies in Panama to use genetic barcoding, scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Gorgas Memorial Laboratories identified 20 sand fly species from...
New thick-shelled turtle species lived with world's biggest snake
The discovery of a new fossil turtle species in Colombia's Cerrejon coal mine by researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and the Florida Museum of Natural History...
Flowers bloom earlier as UK warms
British plants are flowering earlier now than at any time in the last 250 years, according to new analysis.
Fruits and Veggies Help Just a Little in Decreasing Cancer Risk
Despite decades of entreaties from the World Health Organization (WHO) and mothers alike to eat more fruits and vegetables, a new study has found that these dietary additions appear to...
Brain tumors: Tissue stem cell turning into tumor stem cell
Scientists have shown for the first time that malignant brain tumors arise directly from brain stem cells. Overproduction of the protein Tlx in mice stimulates the development of malignant brain...
PHOTOS: Ten Environmental Losses of 2009
NoneThe environment—and the environmental movement—suffered significant setbacks in 2009, experts say. Among the lowlights: Lemurs became food, a lot of ice became water, and in the Caribbean some sharks became...
Octopuses Carry Coconut Hideaways
NoneOctopuses off Indonesia make stow-and-go shelters out of empty coconut shells, a new study says. Once they stopped laughing, scientists hailed the behavior as a new form of tool use.
BONE-WORM PICTURES: Whale-Eaters Surprise Scientists
NoneDiscovered only recently, bone-eating sea worms have evolved an unlikely array of shapes, sizes, and colors, a new study says. According to one researcher: "We never expected to find this...
Photos: Ten U.S. Species Feeling Global Warming's Heat
NoneClimate change is turning up the heat on some of the U.S.'s already threatened species, including ten highlighted by a new Endangered Species Coalition report.
Genetically Enhanced "Enviropig" Excretes 65 Percent Less Phosphorous
How do you make a pig more environmentally palatable? Researchers in Canada have decided to start with the nastiest stuff and work their way up. Enviropig, approved for limited production in Canada, is...
The British gentleman who became Venezuela's Indiana Jones
Charles Brewer-Carias, 71, is an explorer, naturalist and author living in the jungles of Venezuela with no intention of retiringIt has been a good week for Charles Brewer-Carias. He caught a highly venomous...
Coral disease outbreak studied in Hawaii
HONOLULU, April 6 (UPI) -- A University of Hawaii rapid response team says it is investigating an outbreak of a coral disease called Montipora White Syndrome.
Genetic key discovered to dramatically increase yields and improve taste of hybrid tomato plants
Spectacularly increased yields and improved taste have been achieved with hybrid tomato plants by researchers at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment at the Hebrew University...
Early steps in Parkinson's pathology revealed
Although the cause of Parkinson's disease remains a mystery, scientists now have a better understanding of the earliest stages of abnormal aggregation of a key disease-associated protein. The research provides...
Evolution-Meister Carroll to Lead Science Ed Program
A biologist known for bringing evolution to life for general audiences will take charge...
MSU leads global effort to study link between people, planet
Hundreds of scientists from around the world are involved in a new initiative at Michigan State University to improve cutting-edge research on the increasingly fragile relationship between humans and the...
Eating eggs for breakfast helps reduce calorie consumption throughout the day by 18 percent
Park Ridge, Ill. (April 6, 2010) -- A new study demonstrates that eating protein-rich eggs for breakfast reduces hunger and decreases calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day.
Hold the salt: Engineers develop revolutionary new desalination membrane
(PhysOrg.com) -- The new reverse-osmosis membrane resists the clogging that typically occurs when seawater and brackish water are purified.
To starve a tumor
(PhysOrg.com) -- Since the 1920s, scientists have known that cancer cells generate energy differently than normal cells, a phenomenon dubbed the 'Warburg effect' after its discoverer, German biochemist Otto Warburg....
Heart disease genes mapped in fruit flies
LA JOLLA, Calif., April 6 (UPI) -- A U.S.-Austrian-led team of scientists says it has created a genetic map of Drosophila, fruit flies, showing how genes affect heart function...
Q&A: Biodiversity
How is biodiversity threatened and what is done to protect it?What is biodiversity?Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth at all levels: from genes to species to ecosystems. An apple variety...