Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field
Building on prior investigation into the biological mechanisms through which monarch butterflies are able to migrate up to 2,000 miles from eastern North America to a particular forest in Mexico...
Helpful yeast battles food-contaminating aflatoxin
Pistachios, almonds and other popular tree nuts might someday be routinely sprayed with a yeast called Pichia anomala to help protect against aflatoxin contamination, according to a plant physiologist.
Natural pest control saves coffee berry
A predator for the devastating coffee berry borer has just been discovered in Africa. Researchers have identified a previously unknown predatory thrips which feeds on the eggs and larvae of...
Cancer protein: molecule long believed to need a partner in crime can, in fact, start chain of events on its own
In a new study, a research team is challenging a prevailing belief about the behavior of a human protein linked to the formation of cancer, possibly breathing new life into...
Scientists achieve first rewire of genetic switches
Researchers have successfully carried out the first rewire of genetic switches, creating what could be a vital tool for the development of new drugs and even future gene therapies.
Studies shed new light on early transmembrane signalling
Two new studies by researchers at the University of Washington further our understanding of the molecular steps in the PLC cascade, a G protein-coupled receptor signalling mechanism that underlies a...
Rare genetic variants create 'synthetic' genome-wide signals of disease risk
Scientists at Duke University Medical Centre say they are now convinced that rare genetic variants - as opposed to more common ones - lie at the heart of the genetic...
In bats and whales, convergence in echolocation ability runs deep
Only some bats and toothed whales rely on sophisticated echolocation, in which they emit sonar pulses and process returning echoes, to detect and track down small prey. Now, two new...
'Echoes' in bat and dolphin DNA
Scientists find striking similarities in the DNA that enables some bats and dolphins to use echolocation.
Dolphin and bat sonar share DNA design
The sonar sense of dolphins and bats evolved independently in very different environments but is similar at the genetic and molecular level in both species, scientists say.
Collection Provides Supply for Taxonomical Rescues
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Agricultural Research Service maintains some of the world's largest publicly accessible collections of microbes that are used to benefit agricultural sciences. But some smaller ARS collections are...
A Sexy IPO but Will it Pop?
Penthouse Publisher And Sex Site FriendFinder Set For IPO, But Debt Load May Trouble Investors
Parasite spreads between animals, zookeepers
Study: This parasitic illness is not usually serious, but its presence at so many zoo, and among so many different species, shows the need for zoos to closely monitor the...
Sable Island may become national park
Sable Island - an ecologically sensitive island off Nova Scotia known for its wild horses, seals and shipwrecks - is set to become a national park or a national wildlife...
How arthritis thrives
The links between autoimmune diseases, infections, genetics and the environment are complex and mysterious. Why are people who live near airports more susceptible to autoimmune diseases like...
Breeding made dogs' heads incredibly diverse
To get a sense of the not-so-subtle ways humans have influenced the course evolution, one wouldn't need to look further than Fido. Evolution - Human -...
Ebola's Clever Cloak
Structural Biology: Protein that hides viral RNA prevents immune system's detection of deadly virus.
Court Ruling Favors Monsanto
Seed Traits: DuPont cannot combine its own herbicide tolerance with Monsanto's.
Madagascar government's logging policy threatens the island's natural heritage
Madagascar's government decision to allow the export of endangered rosewood may have disastrous consequences for some of the country's unique plant and animal species, and further impoverish the large island...
Study of shark virgin birth shows offspring can survive long term
Shark pups born to virgin mothers can survive over the long-term, according to new research. The study shows for the first time that some virgin births can result in viable...
Could Black-Market Botox Makers Supply Terrorists with Botulinum Toxin?
Black market labs that manufacture the beauty drug Botox could also provide terrorists with the deadly botulinum toxin, officials and security experts warn. U.S. scientists found that a biologist with a master's degree...
Breeding Has Made Dogs’ Heads Incredibly Diverse
A new study reveals that the variety of skull shapes among domestic dogs has become just as diverse as the variety between other mammal species.
American Bird Conservancy hails ruling
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The American Bird Conservancy says it's pleased with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to keep the Marbled Murrelet listed as an endangered...
Swedes accept protective hunting - but only of certain species
Research at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that Swedes generally accept protective hunting as a means of saving threatened species. But only as long as crows, minks and gulls...
Prions 'may keep nerves healthy'
Experiments on mice may give a hint as to the normal function of the protein most usually linked to vCJD.
New Rule Allows Use of Partial DNA Matches
New York has become the latest jurisdiction to permit a controversial use of DNA evidence that gives law enforcement authorities a sophisticated means to track down criminals.
Chaperonins prompt proper protein folding -- but how?
In a new study in archaea (single-celled organisms without nuclei to enclose their genetic information), researchers have discovered how the Group II chaperonins close and open folding chambers to initiate...
How organisms can tolerate mutations, yet adapt to environmental change
Biologists studying the processes of evolution appear to have resolved a longstanding conundrum: how can organisms be robust against the effects of mutations yet simultaneously adaptable when the environment changes?