Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Study shows potential for using algae to produce human therapeutic proteins
Pharmaceutical companies could substantially reduce the expense of costly treatments for cancer and other diseases produced from mammalian or bacterial cells by growing these human therapeutic proteins in algae -...
Human cells exhibit foraging behaviour like amoebae and bacteria
When cells move about in the body, they follow a complex pattern similar to that which amoebae and bacteria use when searching for food, a team of Vanderbilt researchers have...
NIH Wants to Hear About Genetic Tests
Kathy Hudson has been worrying about the quality of genetic tests for years, and...
Small Dogs Prove Susceptible to Flea Poison
Warning that the powerful poisons can endanger dogs and cats, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will require new instructions and labeling for on-spot flea products. [More]
Polar bear ban defeated at UN conservation meeting
(AP) -- A U.S.-backed proposal to ban the international trade of polar bear skins, teeth and claws was defeated Thursday at a U.N. wildlife meeting over concerns it would...
Fungi can change quickly, pass along infectious ability
Fungi have significant potential for 'horizontal' gene transfer, a new study has shown, similar to the mechanisms that allow bacteria to evolve so quickly, become resistant to antibiotics and cause...
Duke technique is turning proteins into glass
Duke University researchers have devised a method to dry and preserve proteins in a glassified form that seems to retain the molecules' properties as workhorses of biology...
Brandeis scientists sniff out the evolution of chemical nociception
Whenever you choke on acrid cigarette smoke, feel like you're burning up from a mouthful of wasabi-laced sushi, or cry while cutting raw onions and garlic, your response is being...
DNA nanotechnology breakthrough offers promising applications in medicine
A team of McGill Chemistry Department researchers led by Dr Hanadi Sleiman has achieved a major breakthrough in the development of nanotubes - tiny 'magic bullets' that could one day...
A marine Mr Mom: Male pipefish gives birth, but some are deadbeat dads
Male pipefishes and their seahorse cousins are the only males that actually become pregnant and give birth, but pipefishes likely will never win any Father of The Year awards -...
Chemists influence stem-cell development with geometry
University of Chicago scientists have successfully used geometrically patterned surfaces to influence the development of stem cells. The new approach is a departure from that of many stem-cell biologists, who...
Decoding the long calls of the orangutan
Research into the long calls of male orangutans in Borneo has given scientists new insight into how these solitary apes communicate through dense jungle. An acoustic analysis of the calls,...
Genes that aid plant functions studied
YOKOHAMA, Japan, March 18 (UPI) -- Japanese scientists investigating the biological cycle in plants say they have detailed the functions of three proteins that regulate plant development.
Dingo may be oldest dog breed
Australia's dingo may be one of the oldest dog breeds, according to an international genetic study.
Crop-killing fungi share DNA
Disease-causing Fusarium fungi can share DNA with usually harmless fungi, giving it the weapons to attack crops
Morality, with limits | Russell Blackford
We can't expect people to be either as self-denying as conservatives or as altruistic as liberals seem to wantThe question: What can Darwin teach us about morality?At least to some extent, we are...
Phylogenetic analysis of Mexican cave scorpions suggests adaptation to caves is reversible
A new study of the scorpion family Typhlochactidae, a group of nine dark-adapted species endemic to Mexico, shows that specialized traits are not necessarily an evolutionary dead end. At least...
Molecules in cell membranes move in a flowing motion rather than chaotically, new research finds
Researchers in Spain have discovered that the molecules in cell membranes move in a flowing motion rather than chaotically, as previously thought.
Brain naturally follows scientific method? Less effort to register 'predictable' images
It turns out that there is a striking similarity between how the human brain determines what is going on in the outside world and the job of scientists. Good science...
Switch mechanism for controlling traffic in cells discovered
Scientists have identified a mechanism that switches on an extremely important process for the proper functioning and survival of our body's cells. Specifically, the fast-track transportation pathway of "cargo" to...
24 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute
YouTube said Wednesday that 24 hours worth of video are being uploaded to the video-sharing site every minute.
Divide and Diminish
The human impulse to parcel nature into smaller and smaller plots is a danger to biodiversity.
Outcry Over Grisly Deaths in Lab Monkeys
Negligence: Calls for Increased Oversight of Animal Research Industry
New Finding Puts Dog Origins in Middle East
A discovery strengthens the link between the first animal to enter human society and the subsequent invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago.
Among Seahorses, Mr. Moms Play Favorites
Maternal male fish sacrifice offspring from less desirable females
Researchers develop molecular 'LEGO kit' to create nano-cubes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Glasgow have devised a molecular 'LEGO toolkit' which can be used to assemble a vast number of new and functional chemical compounds.
First parasitic nematodes reported in biofuel crops
URBANA -- Researchers at the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) at the University of Illinois have discovered widespread occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes in the first reported nematode survey...
Drug metabolism: How enzymes interact is important to toxicity and effectiveness
Researchers have found that drug metabolism depends not only upon which enzymes are present in an individual, but also how they interact, and that can be the difference in whether...