Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Last Supper helpings have grown
An unusual study looks at the food portions in artistic depictions of the Last Supper throughout history. The apostles have eaten better and better over the years, scholars say. The Christian faith holds...
Virtual driving leads psychologists to the cells that sense direction in the brain: Path cells
Psychologists have used implantable electrodes and a first-person driving game to identify the cells of the brain that indicate travel in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion, called "path cells."
Imani reaches cyclone status 'by the tail'
Just like the old song by Buck Owens, "Tiger by the Tail," NASA satellite imagery showed that Imani appears to have developed a "tail" of clouds extending southeast from its...
Scientists trying to fish out Asian carp from Great Lakes
Tools used for decades to reduce the sea lamprey population, including toxins and pheromones, will now be used as part of the defense against the invasive carp. ...
U.N. Group Rejects Shark Protections
Delegates to a U. N. conference on endangered species rejected all but one of four proposals to protect sharks, handing another victory to Japan and China.
Curing Phobias With An Injection?
Research published in Behavioral and Brain Functions suggests that scientists may one day be able to cure phobias, everything from fear of spiders to heights, with a simple injection. Researchers studied...
Practice patterns in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism vary, study suggests
The imaging tests used in the diagnosis of possible pulmonary embolism (PE) vary by physician speciality and geographic region, which suggests that some of this imaging may be inappropriate, according...
Digging for data with Chemlist and ChemSpider
Just like the rest of us, scientists today are swamped with information. As more chemical resources become freely available, text mining applications - previously focused on correctly identifying gene and...
Cracking the plant-cell membrane code
To engineer better, more productive crops and develop new drugs to combat disease, scientists look at how the sensor-laden membranes surrounding cells control nutrient and water uptake, secrete toxins, and...
Sea creatures' sex protein provides new insight into diabetes
A genetic accident in the sea more than 500 million years ago has provided new insight into diabetes, according to research from Queen Mary, University of London...
Study finds genes that keep watch on blood clotting time
Scientists have discovered three genes that could shed light on the genetic causes of blood-clotting disorders such as thrombosis and some types of stroke...
Amphibious caterpillars discovered in Hawaii (w/ Video)
Moths of the Hawaiian genus Hyposmocoma are an oddball crowd: One of the species' caterpillars attacks and eats tree snails. Now researchers have described at least a dozen different species...
Observatory: After Mating, Male Pipefish Get Choosy
A study shows that male pipefish will provide resources to or withhold them from developing embryos based on the female’s attractiveness.
Carl Wieman Chosen for White House Science Post
Physicist Carl Wieman has been picked to be associate director for science in the...
New Versatile Polymer Counters Both Chemical and Biological Threats
Because terrorists rarely announce the technical details of their nefarious intentions beforehand, the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is not only great, it's multifaceted. So a team from the McGowan Institute...
UC center chosen to study auditory brain stem implants
If a siren sounded but you were deaf, might you still be able to hear the sound?
New treatment for intestinal worms studied
SAN DIEGO, March 22 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say a combination drug treatment for parasitic intestinal roundworms shows promise in a test on a common laboratory species.
Unusual prenatal MRI detects rare, oft-missed genetic disease
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a case believed to be a United States first, Richard Barth and colleagues used prenatal magnetic resonance imaging to detect an often-misdiagnosed genetic disease.
How will tree diseases react to climate change?
ALBANY, Calif., March 19, 2010 -- Under a changing climate, patterns of forest disturbance are expected to change, but how will forest diseases respond? A summary of scientific information that...
Biologist Petitions Russia to Save Its Sacred Sea
A Russian-born evolutionary biologist at an American university has recently started a petition to...
Protein movements viewed in nanoseconds
MUNICH, Germany, March 22 (UPI) -- German scientists say they have developed a technology that allows researchers to observe the movement of proteins in nanoseconds.
Climate change targeted at San Diego Zoo
SAN DIEGO, March 22 (UPI) -- Workers at the San Diego Zoo said the site's polar bear exhibit was renovated as part of an effort to highlight the threat...
Scientists make a 3-D cell culture system
HOUSTON, March 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. research team says it has created a technique for growing 3-D cell cultures -- a technological leap from the flat petri dish...
High-Fructose Corn Syrup Worse Than Table Sugar - Study
Past studies have suggested that high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners like table sugar are nutritionally identical. But the authors of a new study in Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior...
FOR KIDS: When frog gender flips
With weed killer in the water, some males acquire female traits
Quadruple Phthalocyanines
The world's first quadruple-decker phthalocyanine sandwich complex is held together by cadmium and lutetium ions.
Rare Hawaiian monk seal brought to marine lab for study and treatment
A young Hawaiian monk seal that was removed from the wild last year for treatment and rehabilitation is providing researchers with a rare opportunity to study the physiology of this...
Environmental impact of livestock studied
STANFORD, Calif., March 22 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led international research team says growing demand for meat is likely to have a major impact on human health and the environment...