Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Chlorophylls effective against aflatoxin
A new study has found that chlorophyll and its derivative chlorophyllin are effective in limiting the absorption of aflatoxin in humans. Aflatoxin is produced by a fungus that is a...
Scientists develop technique to determine ethnic origin of stem cell lines
Scientists have developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells. The team's analysis of a variety of human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use in...
Researchers demonstrate nanoscale X-ray imaging of bacterial cells
An ultra-high-resolution imaging technique using X-ray diffraction is a step closer to fulfilling its promise as a window on nanometer-scale structures in biological samples. Researchers report progress in applying an...
Cosmic Log: Teens turn into DNA detectives
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Student sleuths use DNA analysis to find mislabeled food products and what could be a new type of cockroach in their own homes. ...
The decade we learned the language of life
How the mapping of 6bn human genes sparked a new age of biology that is only just beginningIt was the decade that launched a new age of science, and it came as...
Chemists Discover How Cells Create Stability During Critical DNA-to-RNA Information Transfers
(PhysOrg.com) -- A pair of University of Massachusetts Amherst chemists believe they have for the first time explained how the main players in transcription -- RNA polymerase, RNA (red in...
Biologists Release First Volume Of Microbial Encyclopedia
Despite the multitudes of microbes that reside on earth, our knowledge of them is quite limited. Of the estimated nonillion (1030) that exist, scientists have or are in the process...
Minnesota joins Asian carp lawsuit
CHICAGO, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Ohio, Michigan and Minnesota have joined forces to seal Illinois waterways from the Great Lakes in a fight against an invasive carp, officials said.
Researchers Use New Acoustic Tools to Study Marine Mammals and Fish
(PhysOrg.com) -- Over the past decade, researchers have developed a variety of reliable real-time and archival instruments to study sounds made or heard by marine mammals and fish. These new...
New research could advance research field critical to personalized medicine
It's the ultimate goal in the treatment of cancer: tailoring a person's therapy based on his or her genetic makeup. While a lofty goal, scientists are steadily moving forward, rapidly...
Scientists Show How Bacteria Move Electrons Across a Membrane
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of East Anglia, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Pennsylvania State University have demonstrated for the first time the mechanism by which some bacteria can...
Urine Components May Indicate Severity of Lupus Nephritis
Lupus may involve inflammation of the kidney, called lupus nephritis, which can impair the kidney’s ability to remove waste from the body. Since normal kidney function is vital, lupus nephritis...
New Device Prints Human Tissue
A company is developing devices for human tissue repair and organ replacement.
Dr. Edwin G. Krebs dies at 91; Nobel laureate co-discovered fundamental cell processes
The University of Washington biochemist co-discovered the mechanism that causes cells to grow, change divide and die. It launched an explosion of knowledge about diseases, medicines and metabolics. Dr. Edwin G. Krebs, the...
Afib Triggered By A Cell That Resembles A Pigment-producing Skin Cell
The source and mechanisms underlying the abnormal heart beats that initiate atrial fibrillation (Afib), the most common type of abnormal heart beat, have not been well determined. Researchers have now...
Scientists isolate new antifreeze molecule in Alaska beetle
Scientists have identified a novel antifreeze molecule in a freeze-tolerant Alaska beetle able to survive temperatures below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike all previously described biological antifreezes that contain protein,...
Researchers design a tool to induce controlled suicide in human cells
Researchers in Spain have designed a new tool to study rescue signaling pathways and cell suicide in depth.
Alzheimer's Disease: Amyloid Precursor Protein -- Good, Bad Or Both?
New data about amyloid precursor protein, or APP, a protein implicated in development of Alzheimer's disease, suggests it also may have a positive role -- directly affecting learning and memory...
How calorie-restricted diets fight obesity and extend life span
Scientists searching for the secrets of how calorie-restricted diets increase longevity are reporting discovery of proteins in the fat cells of human volunteers that change as pounds drop off. The...
In New Way to Edit DNA, Hope for Treating Disease
Scientists might have a new way to alter human DNA if a technique for editing the genetic text proves safe and effective.
Scientists Start a Genomic Catalog of Earth’s Abundant Microbes
These tiny, resilient life forms, representing “the vast majority of organisms on earth,” are still largely unknown to scientists.
Africa-wide "Great Green Wall" to Halt Sahara's Spread?
A massive "wall" of trees spanning 11 countries may rise in Africa in a bid to save drought-stricken farmlands from a relentless invader: sand.
Common mechanism underlies many diseases of excitability
Inherited mutations in voltage-gated sodium channels (Navs) are associated with many different human diseases, including genetic forms of epilepsy and chronic pain. Theodore Cummins and colleagues, at Indiana University School...
Human tumor-targeting immune cells inhibited by the protein BTLA
Immune cells known as CD8+ T cells have important roles in protection against infectious diseases and cancer. Now, Daniel Speiser and colleagues, at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Switzerland,...
Why diseased heart muscle cells don't communicate properly
The heartbeat is controlled by rapid conduction of an electrical current between heart muscle cells. Central to passage of the electrical current are structures known as gap junctions, low resistance...
Cosmetics pioneer Yves Rocher dies at 79
Yves Rocher, French founder of a global chain of beauty products and a pioneering advocate of the use of plants and other natural elements in cosmetics, has died at age...
Q & A: Squirrels of White
How can the significant number of sightings of white or albino squirrels in many areas of North America be explained?
New Method Tests Severity of Key Citrus Virus
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new rapid way to test severity of the devastating citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in citrus trees has been developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Parlier,...