Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Pierino-brand frozen jumbo shells recalled
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the recall of Pierino-brand frozen jumbo shells with cheese because they contain undeclared eggs.
Study: Ponseti therapy best for clubfeet
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A study of clubfoot patients in New Zealand has compared two common treatments for the condition and found one of them is...
Scientists map the soybean genome
COLUMBIA, Mo., Feb. 2 (UPI) -- University of Missouri scientists say they've mapped the soybean genome and identified 1.1 million base pairs of DNA, including more than 90 distinct...
Enzyme that 'cleans off' cancer cells discovered
Scientists have discovered that an enzyme can rid cells of a gene believed to be responsible for a wide range of cancers.
Last ancestor humans shared with worms had sophisticated brain, microRNAs show
The last ancestor we shared with worms, which roamed the seas around 600 million years ago, may already have had a sophisticated brain. Fossils cannot give us this information, but...
Forests are growing faster, ecologists discover; Climate change appears to be driving accelerated growth
Speed is not a word typically associated with trees; they can take centuries to grow. However, a new study finds evidence that forests in the Eastern United States are growing...
Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil Sees Shadow--And Long Winter for 2010
On Groundhog Day 2010, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow—and six more weeks of winter, according to tradition. Get surprising facts behind the wacky weather prediction.
Seeing the brain hear reveals surprises about how sound is processed
New research shows our brains are a lot more chaotic than previously thought, and that this might be a good thing. Neurobiologists at the University of Maryland have discovered information...
Evolution impacts environment, challenging traditionally held view
Biologists have known for long that ecology, the interaction between organisms and their environment, plays a significant role in forming new species and in modifying living ones. The traditional view...
Dog studies reveal strong risk factors for SLE
Researchers at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have found several genes that lead to increased risk for an SLE-like autoimmune disorder in dogs. This is...
DNA suggests Moa once flew
(PhysOrg.com) -- New research indicates the moa may not always have been flightless.
Managed wolf populations could restore ecosystems
Wildlife researchers argue that advances in animal control techniques mean it should be feasible and acceptable to introduce small, managed populations of wolves into a variety of parks and other...
Dogs may provide an excellent model for understanding human complex diseases
Researchers in Sweden and Finland have found several genes that lead to increased risk for a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like autoimmune disorder in dogs. This is the first time scientists...
Marlin data confused by 'look-alike'
MIAMI, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Fish thought to be white marlin, prized but never plentiful, may be misidentified as a look-alike species called roundscale spearfish, a study says.
Rwanda's Forest of Hope to expand by 21 percent, begin corridor for endangered chimpanzees
Efforts will begin this year to expand the Gishwati National Conservation Park in Rwanda by 21 percent and begin the development of a 30-mile (50 km) forest corridor to Nyungwe...
If You Swat, Watch Out: Bees Remember Faces
Researchers determined that the insect, like humans, used a technique that pieces together the elements of a face to form a recognizable pattern.
Saving Tiny Toads Without a Home
Conservationists who have worked for years to sustain the Kihansi spray toad are unsure it can survive if it is returned to the wild.
Geoffrey Beale obituary
Scientist and founder of malaria geneticsGeoffrey Beale, who has died aged 96, will be remembered for his key work on the genetics of two microscopic organisms: paramecium, a harmless bug that lives in...
Genetically-modified mice reveal another mechanism contributing to heart failure
Scientists at the Robarts Research Institute at The University of Western Ontario, working in collaboration with researchers in Brazil, have used a unique genetically-modified mouse line to reveal a...
Cells send dirty laundry home to mom
Understanding how aged and damaged mother cells manage to form new and undamaged daughter cells is one of the toughest riddles of ageing, but scientists now know how yeast cells...
Fish caught evolving into three different species
By essentially catching one species in the process of turning into three, a new study suggests that conservation efforts might be failing a variety of species that have yet to...
Studies provide insight into key oat chemical
Studies conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are helping to increase understanding about the environmental factors that regulate production of avenanthramides (Avns), metabolites with potent antioxidant properties, in oat...
New software provides 3-D views of arteries in catheterization lab
New software allows for 3-D images of the heart's arteries during cardiac catheterization. Still in the testing phase, this technology may provide more information on the width and length of...
New insight into reprogramming of cell fate
A discovery brings new insight into how cells are reprogrammed and a greater understanding of how the environment, or factors like nutritional signals, can interact with our genes to affect...
Solving the mystery of the dying bats
Deep in a cave in Mifflin County, Pa., surrounded by icicles and tilted slabs of rock, DeeAnn Reeder shone her headlamp on a tiny bat.
French Guiana set to tackle bycatch
A new law requiring French Guianese shrimp fishers to use special devices that reduce unwanted fish catch will help better protect marine turtles and other vulnerable marine species in the...
Taiwan to use DNA to protect whales, dolphins
Taiwan plans to use DNA from whales and dolphins as evidence to convict poachers and protect the endangered marine animals, an official said Monday.
Bonobo 'cannibalises' own infant
A wild bonobo is seen cannibalising her own recently deceased infant, a behaviour never before recorded among these 'peaceful' apes.