Latest science news in Biology & Nature
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 new study.
Theory of single stem cell for blood components challenged
Components of the blood or hematopoietic system derive from stem cell subtypes rather than one single stem cell that gives rise to all the different kinds of blood cells equally,...
Study Reveals Activity Of NEIL3 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...
Female dung beetles use horns to fight over manure
(PhysOrg.com) -- Dung beetles are among the few species in which the females are more impressively equipped with armor than males, and a new study explains why: the females fight...
Library helps pest control
Researchers are building a genetic library that quickly identifies pest insects - helpful for people trying to fight an outbreak.
With just one enzyme missing, mice show 'global' metabolic improvements
When researchers created mice lacking an enzyme that breaks down and releases stored triglycerides, they expected to see animals with better lipid profiles. But according to a new study, they...
France's crumbling sea walls no match for ocean
L'AIGUILLON-SUR-MER, France (AP) -- The moon was full, the wind roared, the tide was high and people died by the dozens....
Antibiotic Resistance Increasing In Soil Microbes
A new study in Environmental Science and Technology reports that soil microbes have become progressively more resistant to antibiotics over the last 60 years, despite more stringent rules on the...
Tough New Spuds Take on Double Trouble
(PhysOrg.com) -- Americans love potatoes, consuming about 130 pounds per person annually. But it's a wonder the spuds even make it to the dinner table, given the many fungal diseases...
Weapons labs to thrive as Obama trims nukes
President takes first steps towards goal of disarmament.
U.S. Navy wins environmental award
WASHINGTON, March 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized the U.S. Navy for its protection of wetlands, grasslands and sensitive species, the Navy announced.
Toxic Gas, Lifesaver (preview)
Imagine walking into a hospital emergency room, with its hand-sanitizer-adorned walls and every surface meticulously scrubbed free of contaminants, only to encounter the stench of rotten eggs....
Oviposition behaviour of pest insects keeps Bt-cotton durably resistant
The oviposition behaviour of insect pests results in an improved durability of insect resistance in so-called Bt-crops, while promoting the survival of pest insects elsewhere in nature. This is the...
Rice test could write off plants
Researchers are working on a test for cold damage in rice plants - without testing, the plants look healthy until they fail to produce.
Evolution By the Grassroots
March's Life-form of the Month is wildly successful, hugely influential and pretty much everywhere: grass.
No Implants Needed: Movement-Generating Brain Waves Detected and Decoded Outside the Head
Our bodies are wired to move, and damaged wiring is often impossible to repair. Strokes and spinal cord injuries can quickly disconnect parts of the brain that initiate...
3-D Hand Motions Inspire Portable Prosthetic Devices
Researchers have successfully reconstructed 3-D hand motions from brain signals recorded in a non-invasive way, according to a study in The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings could help improve existing...
Barnacles prefer upwelling currents, enriching food chains in the Galapagos
There's been a rich debate in marine ecological circles about what happens to a key food source along rocky coastlines dominated by upwelling. The literature is filled with studies suggesting...
Lab Rats' Pampered Lifestyles Found to Skew Research Results
Sure, the maze gets boring every so often. And yeah, there's not much variety in the food. But compared to the kill or be killed world of the wild, being a lab...
New studies reveal downstream processes of ion channel inactivation
Two studies by researchers at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reveal new details of the mechanisms of ion channel inactivation. The papers appear in the March issue of...
UCLA engineers develop faster method to detect bacterial contamination in coastal waters
Currently, beachgoers are informed about water-quality conditions based on results from the previous day's sample. Scientists must collect samples in the field, then return to a lab to culture them...
Human Genome Project is 10: Where are we now?
"It's hard to think back and remember how we worked then. We were scrabbling around in the dark," says Professor Mark McCarthy of the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and...
Elephants, Other Iconic Animals Dying in Kenya Drought
Scores of animals are dying of thirst, starvation, and disease amid the country's worst drought in over a decade, conservationists say.
Once nearly extinct, wild foxes on Catalina Island making a comeback
The population of endangered wild foxes on Santa Catalina Island soon could recover to levels not seen in a decade since canine distemper decimated them, biologists said this week.
Scientists study prey of Gulf of Mexico sperm whales
Minerals Management Service (MMS) and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service biologists have set sail to learn more about the prey of sperm whales in the northern Gulf...
Anthropologists Challenge Darwinius Masillae's Missing Link Status
the 47-million-year-old Darwinius masillae fossil that was celebrated last year as a so-called 'missing link' between humans and early primates is actually a forebearer of modern-day lemurs and lorises, according...
Sorting device for analyzing biological reactions puts the power of a lab in a researcher?s pocket
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 2, 2010 -- Fictional candy maker Willy Wonka called his whimsical device to sort good chocolate eggs from bad, an eggucator. Likewise, by determining what enzymes...
Handle your lobster like eggs, fishermen told
A group of fishermen received some lessons last weekend in how to make sure lobster survive the trip from the trap to the pot.