Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Urged on by urchins: How sea lilies got their get-up-and-go
Nature abounds with examples of evolutionary arms races. Certain marine snails, for example, evolved thick shells and spines to avoid be eaten, but crabs and fish foiled the snails by...
Smokers Who Quit Gradually or Cold Turkey Have Similar Success
Although many smokers try to quit by selecting a 'quit day' and going cold turkey, a new Cochrane review finds that quitting gradually might work just as well.
The Cost Of Biological Entropy Management
Information processing and entropy management - that's what organisms are about, right? Information and entropy are terms that get people excited, and yet it's extremely difficult to integrate formal ideas...
Fruit flies and test tubes open new window on Alzheimer's disease
A team of scientists from Cambridge and Sweden have discovered a molecule that can prevent a toxic protein involved Alzheimer's disease from building up in the brain. They found that...
Half-Male, Half-Female Chicken Mystery Solved
It was a tough egg to crack, but scientists have discovered that half-male, half-female chickens possess a mixture of genetically male and female cells.
Study highlights forest protected areas as a critical strategy for slowing climate change
WASHINGTON, DC, March 16, 2010 -- A new study involving scientists from 13 different organizations, universities and research institutions states that forest protection offers one of the most...
Study: Grass, fungus combination affects ecology
The popular forage and turf grass called tall fescue covers a vast amount of land in the U.S. - an area that's estimated to be larger than Virginia and Maryland...
Study suggests environment may impact apes' ability to understand declarative communication
When we notice somebody pointing at something, we automatically look in the direction of the gesture. In humans, the ability to understand this type of gesturing (known as declarative communication)...
Stanford computational feat speeds finding of genes to milliseconds instead of years
Like a magician who says, 'Pick a card, any card,' Stanford University computer scientist Debashis Sahoo, PhD, seemed to be offering some kind of trick when he asked researchers at...
Human 'germ print' found
Scientists have discovered that humans leave a trail of unique - and lasting - bacteria behind them in their daily lives.
Synergy between 2 types of de-worming drugs found promising in a lab test
A new combination drug treatment for parasitic intestinal roundworms shows promise in a test on a common laboratory species...
Bt protein found effective against parasitic roundworm infections
Biologists have discovered that a protein from a soil bacterium used to kill insects naturally on organic crops is a highly effective treatment for intestinal parasitic roundworms.
Surgeons use neck muscle, surrounding tissue as lip implant
Augmenting the lips with grafts of muscle and connective tissue from the neck appears to result in improved appearance for at least two years, according to a new report.
The sexual tug-of-war -- a genomic view
The genes that are most beneficial to males are the most disadvantageous for females, and vice versa. However, this genetic conflict between the sexes is important in maintaining genetic variation...
Popular nanoparticle causes toxicity in fish, study shows
A nanoparticle growing in popularity as a bactericidal agent has been shown to be toxic to fish, according to a Purdue University study...
Development of more muscular trout could boost commercial aquaculture
A 10-year effort by a University of Rhode Island scientist to develop transgenic rainbow trout with enhanced muscle growth has yielded fish with what have been described as six-pack abs...
50 Years After Defect Tragedy, Finding Answers on How Thalidomide Caused Defects
Researchers trying to decipher the drug’s effects have discovered surprising clues to how normal limbs develop.
Measuring protein movements with nanosecond resolution
Researchers at the Department of Chemistry at the Technische Universität München (TUM) have developed a method that allows the observation of local movements in proteins on a time scale of...
Books on Science: “Insectopedia,” by Hugh Raffles
A new book is as inventive, wide ranging and full of astonishing surprises as the insect world itself.
Researchers solve a molecular mystery in muscle
Despite widespread interest in insulin-like growth factors, key details about how these potent molecules work on muscle cells have been lacking. Researchers have now cleared up a longstanding mystery about...
Roundup 3/15: The Hunt Is On Edition
Tonight's the annual Isaac Asimov debate at the Hayden Planetarium. It's summary asks, "Should... [Read more]
To catch a thief, follow his filthy hands
Unique bacterial profiles give criminals another reason to wear gloves
3-D cell culture: Making cells feel right at home, suspended in magnetic fields
New research takes aim at a biological icon: the two-dimensional petri dish. Scientists have found a simple way to suspend cells in magnetic fields so they grow into three-dimensional cell...
Common English species face extinction | George Monbiot
If a country that takes conservation so seriously can still be losing plants and animals every year, where does hope lie?The names alone should cause anyone whose heart still beats to stop...
Carbon-capture scheme could cause toxic blooms
Findings raise more concerns over proposals to boost plankton growth in the oceans.
CSI's Latest Clue—Bacteria
Unique skin microbes might allow identification of criminals [Read more]
Molecular study could push back angiosperm origins
Flowering plants may be considerably older than previously thought, says a new analysis of the plant family tree.
Researchers identify gene that may play key role in atherosclerosis, other diseases
To understand the role of inflammation in cardiovascular and other diseases, it is essential to identify and characterize genes that induce an inflammatory response in the body -- and the...