Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Prions show evolution without DNA: study
Infectious proteins that cause brain-wasting diseases such as BSE can evolve, even though they contain no genetic information, researchers say.
To a mosquito, matchmaking means 'singing' in perfect harmony
Researchers have new insight into the sex lives of the much-maligned mosquitoes that are responsible for the vast majority of malaria deaths, according to a new study. In finding a...
Using modern sequencing techniques to study ancient humans
DNA that is left in the remains of long-dead plants, animals or humans allows a direct look into the history of evolution.
Carbon nanotubes show promise for high-speed genetic sequencing
Scientists have demonstrated the potential of a new DNA sequencing method in which a single-stranded ribbon of DNA is threaded through a carbon nanotube.
Mystery solved: Facial cancer decimating Tasmanian devils likely began in Schwann cells
An international team of scientists led by a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) investigator has discovered that the deadly facial tumors decimating Australia's Tasmanian devil population probably originated in Schwann...
Genetic link to heart failure
New research has identified a group of 12 genetic variants in the HSPB7 gene that is associated with heart failure in humans.
Part 1 of tsunami system completed
JAKARTA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Indonesia has completed the first part of a three-part system to provide rapid early warnings against tsunamis, officials said.
Scientists visualize how a vital hepatitis C virus protein moves along its nucleic acid substrate
By taking three conformational snapshots of a hepatitis C virus motor protein in association with its substrate, researchers have provided the first structural explanation of how a representative superfamily 2...
Springtime Sheep Grazing Helps Control Leafy Spurge
Using sheep to control leafy spurge works best if it's done in the spring every year, according to a new study.
Geek Films of the Decade
Gladiator and Wall-E made it to the list. Find out the rest of the decade's best geek films.
Dutch court to hear Niger Delta case
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A court in the Netherlands said it would hear a case against supermajor Royal Dutch Shell brought by Nigerian farmers complaining of environmental...
Fight against coffee disease gathers strength
There are grounds for optimism in the battle against a lethal coffee plant fungus as Ugandan scientists roll out a disease-resistant variety.
New tool in the fight against mosquito-borne disease: A microbial 'mosquito net'
Earlier this year, researchers showed that they could cut the lives of disease-carrying mosquitoes in half by infecting them with a bacterium they took from fruit flies. Now, a new...
Weakened Plasmodium generates protective immunity
Researchers have found that weakened Plasmodium elicits a protective immune response.
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
Sea lions depart Fisherman's Wharf ... Geologists turn to unmanned aircraft ... Schizophrenic mouse developed ... Rare leopard captured in Japan ... Health/Science news from UPI.
Sharks Killed for Oil Used in Swine Flu Vaccine
Millions of doses of the H1N1/09 vaccine contain a substance called squalene, which is extracted from the livers of rare deep-sea sharks caught in the wild, conservationists say.
PICTURES: Tigers Butchered for Trade at "Zoos" in China
Many Chinese tourist attractions are secretly operating as fronts for illegal tiger farming, butchering captive tigers for the multibillion-dollar black market in wildlife parts, conservationists say.
Some Females Too Sexy for Own Good, Fly Study Says
Too much sex can be a bad thing. "Sexy" female fruit flies get so much attention—and toxic semen—that they have trouble finding food and their birthrates fall, a new study...
Rare leopard captured in Japan
TSUSHIMA CITY, Japan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- An endangered Tsushima leopard cat is recovering at a wildlife center in Japan after being captured in Tsushima City, officials said.
Biotech Advance May Yield Genetically Sterile Screwworms
(PhysOrg.com) -- Transgenic screwworms developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists could set the stage for new, improved methods of eradicating the pest based on the sterile insect technique (SIT).
Marseillevirus -- a new member of the giant viruses
After Mimivirus, Mamavirus and the virophage, the group of giant viruses now has a new member called Marseillevirus. The new virus was discovered in an amoeba by a team of...
A look back at 2009's most striking wildlife discoveries
From a new species of giant rat to ants that took over the world, 2009 was a striking year for new discoveries about wildlife.
Looks can be deceiving: Lizards acquire the same camouflaging adaptation in different ways
(PhysOrg.com) -- Does it matter if nature solves the same problem multiple ways? A NSF-supported study of lizard populations in White Sands, New Mexico has helped researcher Erica Rosenblum of...
The tracking devices that connect a UK zoo and Antarctic penguins
Penguins at a Leicestershire zoo are helping scientists with a new project to track the movements of their cousins in Antarctica.
Drought Resistance Explained: Protein Structure Reveals How Plants Respond To Water Shortages
Scientists have discovered that the key to plants' responses to drought lies in the structure of a protein called PYR1 and how it interacts with the plant hormone abscisic acid....
Learning From Insects: The Race Is On For New 'Bio-Resources'
Unseen and unheard, insects are all around us. And with more than a million different species, each one perfectly adapted to its environment, no other form of animal life comes...
Evolution experiments with flowers
Evolution uses every chance it gets to try something new. Researchers have now investigated how petunia flowers are formed and discovered that nature is even more varied than the naked...
Transcription factors guide differences in human and chimp brain function
Humans share at least 97 percent of their genes with chimpanzees, but, as a new study of transcription factors makes clear, what you have in your genome may be less...