Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Tree-dwelling mammals climb to the heights of longevity
The squirrels littering your lawn with acorns as they bound overhead will live to plague your yard longer than the ones that aerate it with their burrows, according to a...
Genes responsible for ability to recognize faces
The ability to recognize faces is largely determined by your genes, according to new research. Scientists found that identical twins were twice as similar to each other in terms of...
Tiny Cell Motors Move Like Seesaws
New high resolution images of kinesin, a cell motor protein, reveal a better picture of how it moves.
World-class protection boosts Australia's Great Barrier Reef
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is showing an extraordinary range of benefits from the network of protected marine reserves introduced there five years ago, according to a comprehensive new study published.
Rare Sumatra rhino expecting calf
Conservationists say a captive Sumatran rhino is due to give birth in May, raising hopes for the critically endangered species.
Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes With Disabled Wings Join Fight Against Dengue Fever
Dengue fever, a painful and potentially deadly virus that causes joint pain extreme enough to earn the nickname "bonecrusher disease", infects upwards of 100 million people every year. With no vaccine and no...
Small family farms in tropics can feed the hungry and preserve biodiversity
Conventional wisdom among many ecologists is that industrial-scale agriculture is the best way to produce lots of food while preserving biodiversity in the world's remaining tropical forests. But two University...
Brain system behind general intelligence discovered
Neuroscientists have mapped the brain structures that affect general intelligence. The study adds new insight to a highly controversial question: what is intelligence, and how can we measure it?
No wing, no prayer for female mosquitoes
First it was just swatting. Then poison. Then sterilizing males. Now it is grounding females. Is there anything people will not try in the war against mosquitoes? ...
Really?: The Claim: To Cut Calories, Eat Slowly
Can stopping to savor every bite help you lose weight?
New Evidence For 'RNA World' Hypothesis
A new RNA molecule created by University of Colorado scientists can catalyze a key reaction needed to synthesize proteins. The discovery may have significant implications, researchers say, because it further...
Short-term memory protein discovered
COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. neuroscientists say their experiments with fruit flies have led to the discovery of a protein that regulates the erasure of...
Stacking traits in algae is focus of grant to Iowa State University researcher
Genetically stacking traits in corn in order to increase production, resist insects, improve standablity and many other characteristics is so common in agriculture that producers have come to expect it.
Butterflies evolved UV-vision to help find mates
The evolution of vision in butterflies may have led to the wide range of patterns and wing colors present in nature. Evolution - Butterflies - Ultraviolet...
Endangered listing urged for sage grouse
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The American Bird Conservancy says it's urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Greater Sage-Grouse as an endangered species.
A population genetics approach identifies susceptibility variants for viral infections
Viruses have played a role in shaping human genetic variability, according to a study published February 19 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. The researchers, from the Don C. Gnocchi...
Genes responsible for stuttering identified
Studies on volunteers of Pakistan origin have helped identify three genes that cause stammering, offering hope for developing new drugs.
Gene Networks And Natural Selection
Life can be brutal for yeast in the wild. You don't know where your next meal is coming from or what form it's going to take. The key to being...
Genome-scale map of 26 cancers is created
BOSTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- U.S.-led scientists say they've created a genome-scale map of 26 cancers, revealing 100 genomic sites where DNA segments are missing or duplicated in tumors.
Genome sequencing of 3 parasitoid wasp species
An international consortium of scientists, including Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) researcher Deodoro Oliveira, have sequenced the genome of three species of parasitoid wasps of the genus Nasonia. The research...
MDC researchers link protein tether to touch perception
Humans and animals are able to perceive even the slightest vibration and touch of the skin. Mechanosensitive ion channels play a crucial role in the mediation of these sensations. Ion...
Hopkins scientists discover how protein trips up germs
If bad bacteria lurk in your system, chances are they will bump into the immune system's protective cells whose job is gobbling germs. The catch is that these do-gooders, known...
Activation Of Protein Tags
Enzymology: To prepare biological labels for attachment, E1 enzymes dramatically remodel themselves.
Giant panda genome reveals new insights into the bear's bamboo diet
A Chinese-led team including international researchers with a scientist from Cardiff University, has shed new light on some of the giant panda's unusual biological traits, including its famously restricted diet...
Study Examines How Nanoparticles Affect Marine Organisms
(PhysOrg.com) -- When nanoparticles from consumer products leach into the ocean, they may harm oysters and mussels.
It's who you know: Study shows hurdles facing black football coaches
Why are there so few black coaches in big-time college football? New research from North Carolina State University shows that it really does come down to who you know, and...
Dolphins could be ideal model to study human cervical cancer
After testing dozens of samples from marine mammals, University of Florida aquatic animal health experts say dolphins may be the ideal model for the study of cervical cancer in people...
Researchers uncover DNA genome sequence of extinct ancient cattle
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers, based in Ireland and Britain, have found the complete mitochondrial DNA genome sequence of ancient wild cattle using a sample from a 6,700 year-old bone.