Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Fish can recognize a face based on UV pattern alone
Two species of damselfish may look identical -- not to mention drab -- to the human eye. But that's because, in comparison to the fish, all of us are essentially...
Another journal refuses tobacco-sponsored research
The online, open-access journal PLoS Medicine said this week that it will no longer accept for publication reports of research sponsored by tobacco companies. The journal joins two of its...
Gene-based stem cell therapy specifically removes cell receptor that attracts HIV
Researchers have successfully removed CCR5 -- a cell receptor to which HIV-1 binds for infection but which the human body does not need -- from human cells. Individuals who naturally...
Imaging studies reveal order in programmed cell death
Every day, about 10 billion cells in a human body commit suicide. Cells infected by virus, that are transformed or otherwise dysfunctional altruistically sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Now,...
Scientists unlock key enzyme using newly created 'cool' method
Scientists -- using a new cooling method they created -- have uncovered the inner workings of a key iron-containing enzyme, a discovery that could help researchers develop new medicines or...
Genes for baby-teeth timing found
The development of baby teeth depends on several newly identified genes.
Leukemia Cells Hijack Normal Protein To Grow
University of Pennsylvania scientists have found that mixed lineage leukemia (MLL), has an unusual way to keep the molecular motors running. The cancer cells rely on the normal version of...
Caspian Sea beluga at risk of extinction
ATYRAU, Kazakhstan, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Conservation strategies for beluga sturgeon should focus on reducing the overfishing of adults, a team of U.S. and Kazakh scientists said.
The pig and its pancreas: A unique model for a common disease
The incidence of diabetes is rising worldwide. Using genetic engineering techniques in pigs, scientists at in Germany have created a new model of this metabolic disorder, which recapitulates many features...
Northern Climate Keeps Purple Loosestrife In Check
The flowering plant purple loosestrife - Lythrum salicaria - has been heading north since it was first introduced to the eastern seaboard from Europe 150 years ago. This exotic invader...
Offering hope for tissue regeneration
Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have discovered how cells communicate with each other during times of cellular injury. The findings shed new light on how the body repairs itself when...
Stickleback genomes shining bright light on evolution (w/ Video)
Twenty billion pieces of DNA in 100 small fish have opened the eyes of biologists studying evolution. After combining new technologies, researchers now know many of the genomic regions that...
Multiple sclerosis, Italian researchers discover a possible onset mechanism for the disease
A non-pathogenic bacterium is capable to trigger an autoimmune disease similar to the multiple sclerosis in the mouse, the model animal which helps to explain how human diseases work.
Does promiscuity prevent extinction?
Promiscuous females may be the key to a species' survival, according to new research. The study could solve the mystery of why females of most species have multiple mates, despite...
Can a single layer of cells control a leaf's size?
Ever looked carefully at the leaves on a plant and noticed their various sizes and shapes? Why are they different? What controls the size and shape of each individual leaf?...
Cosmic Log: Inside the mind of a ‘killer whale’
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Dolphins — including "killer whales," which are more properly called orcas — rank among the most intelligent species on the planet. So what was that...
Is the great white shark slowly slipping into extinction?
It's not exactly easy to study the great white shark ( Carcharodon carcharia s) in the wild, but new evidence suggests that while we've been worrying about tigers, gorillas and...
Forest Tree Species Diversity Depends on Individual Variation
(PhysOrg.com) -- It's a paradox that's puzzled scientists for a half-century. Models clearly show that the coexistence of competing species depends on those species responding differently to the availability of...
UQ researcher exposes something fishy
(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Queensland research has found being a copycat works out pretty well for a certain reef fish.
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
New fuel cell technology is introduced … Hospitalization linked to cognitive drop … Genome of the pea aphid is sequenced … Modified immune cells found to fight HIV ... Health/Science...
Countries urged to reject U.S. ban on polar bear trade
A U.S. proposal to ban the international trade of polar bear products should be rejected, according to the secretariat of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species.
How Has Human Sprawl Affected Bird Migration--And the Spread of Avian Diseases?
Dear EarthTalk : How does growing human population, and its resultant landscape changes, affect the flight paths of migratory birds that might carry diseases? --Ronnie Washines, Toppenish, Wash.
Forget X-ray vision, these fish have UV vision
Ever wish you had a secret code that you could use to communicate with a select few? Researchers have found that one little breed of fish actually has one.
MeCP2 goes global -- redefining the function of the Rett syndrome protein
A paper published online today in Molecular Cell proposes that Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) impacts the entire genome in neurons, rather than acting as a regulator of specific...
Australian elephant blessed by Buddhist monks
Mali the baby elephant played with a red rubber ball as three Buddhist monks splashed her face with water Thursday in blessing ceremony for the Melbourne Zoo's newest star. ...
Study Confirms Red Queen Hypothesis, Biologists Say
Researchers who observed viruses as they evolved to infect bacteria say they have confirmed the Red Queen Hypothesis, the idea that competing species drive molecular evolution through natural selection for...
New basis for drug development: Structure determination of biomolecules in their natural environment
Scientists in Germany have developed a new strategy allowing them to determine the spatial structure of biomolecules in solution. The method is flexible and generally applicable to obtaining structural information...
Campaign to end sale of electronic mosquito repellents
A campaign to stop the sale of electronic mosquito repellents by major airlines is beginning to bear fruit with the immediate withdrawal of the products from KLM flights. The issue,...