Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Afghanistan protects newly rediscovered rare bird
(AP) -- Afghanistan's fledging conservation agency moved Sunday to protect one of the world's rarest birds after the species was rediscovered in the war-ravaged country's northeast.
Newly engineered enzyme is a powerful staph antibiotic
With their best chemical antibiotics slowly failing, scientists are increasingly looking to nature for a way to control deadly staph bacteria -- the culprit behind most hospital infections. Naturally toxic...
Scientists crash test DNA’s replication machinery
Enzymes that travel along DNA to copy or transcribe it -- the crucial processes underlying cell replication and protein production -- aren't coordinated by a central dispatcher. In fact, they...
Oil droplets can navigate complex maze
Call them oil droplets with a brain or even "chemo-rats." Scientists have developed a way to make simple oil droplets "smart" enough to navigate through a complex maze almost like...
Sharks vs. Pig Carcass: Experiments Surprise Scientists
After dropping dead pigs into the sea and watching via Webcams, researchers were "very surprised" to see marine scavengers risk low-oxygen waters for a meal. Video.
At Hearing on Radiation, Calls for Better Oversight
A dozen witnesses told a House subcommittee that more needed to be done to assure that radiation continues to help, not harm, patients.
Computer simulation of protein malfunction related to Alzheimer's disease
Researchers created a computer modeling of the structural malfunctioning of the ApoE4 protein when it enters into contact with the amyloid beta molecule, the main cause of Alzheimer's disease. The...
Mystery of symmetry in vertebrates revealed
Some of our organs, such as the liver and the heart, are lateralized. As our bodies develop they mostly display bilateral symmetry across the vertebral column. A new molecular pathway,...
Let's Start Using Our (Si) Brains
Let's Start Using Our (Si) Brains scientists have sequenced the human genome -- the blueprint for all of the proteins in biology -- but how can we understand what these proteins...
Observatory: Yeast Makes Temperatures Rise, Too
Researchers in Spain found that yeast brought to the dungwort plant by pollinating bumblebees warmed the plant’s nectar and the flower itself.
3 Best Standard-Definition Camcorders with Hard Drives
Shopping for a video camera? Here is a comparison of three of best out there.
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
Caspian Sea beluga at risk of extinction ... Micro-ear would listen to cells ... Dying planet being torn apart by sun ... Louisiana restoration plans lack funding ... Health/Science news...
Micro-ear lets scientists eavesdrop on the micro-world
(PhysOrg.com) -- Acting as a microscope for sound, a new device called a micro-ear could make objects on the micro-scale audible. The device could enable scientists to listen to the...
Cross-discipline Effort Tracks Evolution of Human Uniqueness and Modern Behavior
TEMPE, Arizona--Based on our capacity for thought, social learning and cooperation, humans often hold our own species in high regard compared to all other living things. [More]
Biological Clocks
Everything from the mysterious phenomenon of "early morning" heart attacks in humans -- to how tiny nocturnal mammals evade predators -- to the blooming of plants -- is regulated by...
Scientists make important discovery in gene regulation
Scientists have a greater understanding of how our genes are controlled following a major research project. The findings of the study, which looked at how proteins work as teams to...
Researchers Rediscover the Structure of Water
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource has found the molecular structure of water to be more complex than recently thought, suggesting that molecular models...
Scientists Develop New Method for Tracking Seed Dispersal and Establishment
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Penn State biologist and his collaborators have developed a new method for tracking seed movement and germination. According to Tomás Carlo, assistant professor of biology at...
Deadline Extended for Excellence in Journalism Award
The Genetics Society of America is extending the deadline for submissions for its Excellence in Research Journalism Award from March 1, 2010 to March 8, 2010. This award is designed...
Hydrothermal vents sometimes colonized from afar
Deep-sea currents can waft larvae hundreds of kilometers
Why Does Light Make Headaches Worse?
Migraine sufferers have long complained about how their headaches worsen with bright light, and in case you ever doubted their complaints, Rami Burstein and other researchers from Harvard Medical School...
Compound might facilitate stroke recovery
Animal study finds regrowth of brain cells with natural protein fragment
Sexy Partner Can Make You Seem More Attractive
A study shows that a good-looking significant other will cause other potential mates to find you more desirable.
U.K. zoo builds "love shack" for critically endangered frogs
What does it take to encourage endangered species to breed? In the case of two frog species living at Bristol Zoo Gardens in England it takes creating a very special...
Network will bolster African fisheries research
Africa has launched a university network to strengthen its fisheries sector through improved research and increased collaboration.
Artificial arthropod hair makes for top-notch waterproofing
Engineers continue to tinker with plastics and chemical coatings for use in products designed to stay dry (or keep their wearers dry), but nature solved the problem of water resistance...
E. coli as sole indicator of water pollution questioned
New research investigating pathogen survival in soils has found that E. coli can become integrated into the indigenous microbial community in soils and survive for more than nine years, considerably...
Seals Sleep As They Sink in the Sea
Northern elephant seals spend as long as eight months at a time at sea. So when do they sleep?