Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Zebrafish study with human heart implications: Cellular grown-ups outperform stem cells in cardiac repair
Bony fish like the tiny zebrafish have a remarkable ability that mammals can only dream of: if you lop off a chunk of their heart they swim sluggishly for a...
Colonies of bacteria fight for resources with lethal protein
Rival colonies of bacteria can produce a lethal chemical that keeps competitors at bay, scientists report this week. By halting the growth of nearby colonies and even killing some of...
New Type of Human Discovered via Single Pinky Finger
Meet the uncanny "X-woman"—or more likely, X-child—whose pinky's DNA points to a whole new branch on the human family tree.
New oxygen producing mechanism proposed
(PhysOrg.com) -- Photosynthesis is the mechanism by which plants generate oxygen, but new research on a novel type of anaerobic bacteria supports the theory that bacteria produced their own oxygen...
Searching for genes behind a trait
A method pioneered to find the genetic basis of human diseases also holds promise for locating the genes behind important traits in plants, according to a study published online March...
NIA researchers find gene to explain mouse embryonic stem cell immortality
Researchers at the National Institute on Ageing (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, have discovered a key to embryonic stem (ES) cell rejuvenation in a gene - Zscan4...
Key enzyme discovered to be master regulator in protein-protein reactions
Protein phosphorylation is a process by which proteins are flipped from one activation state to another. It is a crucial function for most living beings, since phosphorylation controls nearly every...
Rodeo bull goes head-to-head with zoo dolphins in a study of balance
Dolphins, whales and porpoises have extraordinarily small balance organs, and scientists have long wondered why...
Great apes know they could be wrong
Great apes – orangutans, chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas – realize that they can be wrong when making choices, according to Dr. Josep Call from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary...
Pulling power points the way to world's strongest insect -- a dung beetle
Following months of grueling tests and trials, scientists now reveal the world's strongest insect to be a species of dung beetle called Onthophagus taurus.
Bees in trouble after bad winter
A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees’ pollen and hives laden with pesticides. Honey bee -...
Compound screening for drug development made simpler
The identification of compounds that could be promising candidates for drug development has become easier following research by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute's medicinal chemistry group.
Building custom materials using nature's prized secrets
The tip of a squid's beak is harder than most metals but the end closest to the animal's mouth is a fleshy 100 times softer.
Snake Olympics: Trials Judge Australian Snakes' Defense Responses
The Olympic Games are not just for humans anymore. Researchers in Australia put two species of venomous snakes through a competition that included sprint trials in a racetrack and wrapping...
Telephone pole-like fungus was tallest ever
These towering fungi lived on algae and bacteria and grew over 26 feet high some 420 million years ago. Bacteria - Fungus - Biology - Flora...
Whale birth imperils Navy plans
VILANO BEACH, Fla., March 24 (UPI) -- For only the second time, scientists in Florida videotaped the birth of an endangered whale -- in waters earmarked by the U.S....
Vernal Equinox 2010: Facts on the First Day of Spring
Will day and night really be equally long on Saturday, the vernal equinox (or spring equinox)? Get the answer—and other first-day-of-spring facts and oddities.
Flat-headed, Web-footed Swamp Cat Dying Out
The rare flat-headed cat is disappearing as more of its swampy Asian habitat becomes palm plantations for biofuel production, experts warn.
Polar Algae Forests Explored
In cold Antarctic waters, explorers comb lush seaweed forests filled with rarely seen creatures to find potential new cancer treatments. Video.
U.N.: Gorilla Extinction Accelerating
Report That Estimated that 10 Percent of Central African Gorillas would Remain in 2030 was Optimistic, Says Author
Social bees have bigger brain area for learning, memory: Smithsonian reports
Who's in charge? Who's got food? The brain region responsible for learning and memory is bigger in social bee queens who may have to address these questions than in solitary...
New cryptic gecko reveals itself
A new and extremely well camouflaged species of gecko in discovered hiding in the mountain forests of Cambodia.
Feature: Immune cells fail on video
A team of immunologists are attempting to capture T-cells at work in the human body using the latest imaging technology.
New disease threatens parrots
Scientists are warning conservationists about a new strain of disease affecting native New Zealand parrots.
Mouse work: New insights on a fundamental DNA repair mechanism
A team of researchers has demonstrated for the first time the specific activity of the protein NEIL3, one of a group responsible for maintaining the integrity of DNA in humans...
Is foraging efficiency a key parameter in aging?
The male wandering albatross, which can live more than 50 years, modifies its foraging behavior with age.
In First Successful Human Trial, Nanotech Robots Deploy Cancer-Fighting RNA
RNAi, also known as "gene silencing," is a cellular mechanism that blocks the production of proteins, and has tantalized doctors as a potential medicine for a number of years now. However, by...
Spectacular spring to 'blow away' cold UK winter
It's been the longest and coldest winter in years, but the pay-off will be a spectacular spring, say conservationists. Why?