Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Enzyme structure cracks HIV puzzle
AIDS researchers have solved a 20-year-old puzzle regarding a key component of HIV, a discovery that could lead to better treatments.
Gene function discovery: Guilt by association
Scientists have created a new computational model that can be used to predict gene function of uncharacterised plant genes with unprecedented speed and accuracy. The network, dubbed AraNet, has over...
Theoretical model clarifies the low-temperature phase behavior of liquid water
A theoretical study of the phase behavior of liquid water at temperatures close to -100ºC has shown that the four possible scenarios identified to date are in fact specific cases...
Gene family found to play key role in early stages of development
Scientists have identified a gene family that plays a key role in one of the earliest stages of development in which an embryo distinguishes its left side from the right...
Lopsided fish show that symmetry is only skin deep
Putting function before form, members of the Perissodinus genus of fish have developed a hugely lopsided jaw that provides a distinct feeding advantage. Researchers describe how these scale-eating fish, called...
Fat tissue may be a source of valuable blood stem cells, study says
Bone marrow is a leading source of adult stem cells, which are increasingly used for research and therapeutic interventions, but extracting the cells is an arduous and often painful process....
Researchers track evolution and spread of drug-resistant bacteria across hospitals and continents
Researchers have used high resolution genome sequencing to track a particularly virulent strain of MRSA as it traveled between South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. The findings shed light on...
First evidence that the brain’s native dendritic cells can muster an immune response
The human brain is a delicate organ, robustly defended. A thick skull shields it from any direct exposure to the outside world, and the blood-brain barrier keeps out any foreign...
Feature: $42 million bionic eye
Scientists from various Australian institutions are developing a device which will be superior to any other retinal implant.
Targeting cancer stem cells in the lab
Understanding of the particular cancer cells within a tumour that drive its growth could now advance more rapidly, thanks to new research. Scientisist now show how a crucial class of...
Exotic Hadrons: There Is The Rub!
Last Friday I was in Pisa, at the Scuola Normale Superiore (see picture), where italian members of the CMS Collaboration gathered for two days to discuss the status of their...
Space scan finds cancer
Scientists are adapting T-rays, previously used in astronomy, for detecting various cancers without the risk of ionising radiation.
New class of brain-protecting drugs emerging
The compound 7,8-dihydroxyflavone mimics BDNF, one of the brain's own growth factors, and can protect brain cells against damage in animal models of seizure, stroke and Parkinson's disease. 7,8-dihydroxyflavone is...
Scientists find survival factor for keeping nerve cells healthy
Scientists have discovered a novel survival factor whose rapid transport along nerve cells is crucial for keeping them alive. The same factor seems likely to be needed to keep our...
Coral in Florida Keys suffers lethal hit from cold
Bitter cold this month may have wiped out many of the shallow water corals in the Keys.
Fight, Fight, Fight: The History of Human Aggression
How fighting evolved from hand-to-hand combat to world war.
Scientists propose novel theory for mammalian stem cell regulation
Linheng Li, Ph.D., Investigator, together with Hans Clevers, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, Netherlands, co-authored a prospective review published today by the journal Science that proposes...
UC Davis researchers identify brain protein for synapse development
A new study from UC Davis Health System identifies for the first time a brain protein called SynDIG1 that plays a critical role in creating and sustaining synapses, the complex...
CCNY biologists identify new spiny pocket mouse species
Dr Robert P. Anderson, Associate Professor of Biology at The City College of New York, and Ph.D. student Eliecer E. Gutierrez have reported the existence of a new species of...
Marshall Nirenberg dies at 82; biochemist won Nobel for deciphering genetic code
An outsider in the science world, he and a partner made the breakthrough using a method rejected by a team of elite researchers working on the same problem. Marshall Nirenberg, the Nobel...
New paper describes important advance in imaging of cell death
For quite some time, the "Holy Grail" in medical imaging has been the development of an effective method to image cell death as a means to intervene early in diseases...
Hi-resolution Evolution: A Repeat Performance
What kinds of genetic changes are required to evolve significant changes in body shape and size? The availability of affordable, state-of-the-art DNA sequencing and array technology has made it possible...
Stony Brook University-BNL Research Team Receives DOD Grant to Develop Botulism Antidote
Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery will collaborate with Brookhaven National Laboratory on Multidisciplinary Research Project.
Dead neuron clean-up crew in peripheral nervous system found
(PhysOrg.com) -- Death is messy, especially in the developing nervous system. During embryonic development, more nerve cells (neurons) are produced than we will ever need or use. About half of...
Termite Battles May Explain Evolution of Social Insects
A study of termites reveals how "worker" insects may have emerged.
Gold nanoparticles highlight bone damage
Three-dimensional imaging of damaged bone tissue could be used to predict weak points and the risk of fractures in humans
Tigers and other farmyard animals
With China breeding more tigers than the world's entire wild population, a conservationist gives disturbing details of these "factory farms".
Virology: Some viruses use fats to penetrate a cell
SV40 viruses use an amazing means of communication, in order to be able to penetrate into a cell: fats, whose structure must fit like a key in a lock.