Latest science news in Biology & Nature
The Pitch of Blue Whale Songs is Declining Around the World
Researchers' theory: An increase in population size may mean sounds used in mate competition need not travel as far as before; acoustic information extracted from songs could be useful population...
Hemagglutinin 'Hook' Could Be H1N1's Unexpected Weakness
Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) have found an unexpected weakness in H1N1's method for evading detection by the immune system. They say the virus has...
China banks on seeds to protect biodiversity
China's first national seed bank hopes not only to protect biodiversity but also to boost research into the nation's genetic resources.
Superior offspring without genetic modification?
We don't always turn out like our parents. Sometimes we become even better. How this happens is the subject of a new research project by scientists in Sweden.
Stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV, scientists show
Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells -- a process that potentially could...
UCSB scientists show that female fruit flies can be 'too attractive' to males
Females can be too attractive to the opposite sex - too attractive for their own good - say biologists at UC Santa Barbara. They found that, among fruit flies, too...
Parasite evades death by promoting host cell survival
The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (or T. cruzi), which causes Chagas' disease, will go to great lengths to evade death once it has infected human host cells, researchers have discovered. In...
Researchers finds hidden sensory system in the skin
The human sensory experience is far more complex and nuanced than previously thought, according to a groundbreaking new study published in the December 15 issue of the journal Pain (http://www.painjournalonline.com/article/S0304-3959%2809%2900526-0/abstract)....
Precision breeding creates super potato
The skin is light brown, the meat luscious and yellow: from the outside alone, this new potato looks like any other. But on the inside, it is different. Its cells...
The thalamus, middleman of the brain, becomes a sensory conductor
Two new studies show that the thalamus -- the small central brain structure often characterized as a mere pit-stop for sensory information on its way to the cortex -- is...
New molecule identified in DNA damage response
(PhysOrg.com) -- Evolution places the highest premium on reproduction, natural selection`s only standard for biological success. In the case of replicating cells, life spares no expense to ensure that the...
Study: Ninety proteins govern human genes
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led team of scientists says it's discovered genetic differences between humans and chimpanzees are governed by about 90 transcription factors.
New relationship between gene duplication and alternative splicing in plants discovered
Scientists looking to understand the genetic mechanisms of plant defense and growth have found for the first time in plants an inverse relationship between gene duplication and alternative splicing. The...
Science body confirms review
The UK's Royal Institution has confirmed that it is reviewing the post of its director - currently held by Baroness Susan Greenfield.
The utility of EUS and CEH-EUS in the diagnosis of small pancreatic tumors
Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a highly sensitive diagnostic method for the detection of small pancreatic carcinomas. Recently, there have been some reports describing the utility of contrast-enhanced harmonic EUS (CEH-EUS)...
Brooding fishes take up nutrients from their own children
In the pipefish, the male cares for the offspring. Apart from the ones he sucks the life out of. The discovery of filial cannibalism in the pipefish is now creating...
Fed help desk to aid food safety
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service says it has created a help desk to assist operators of small meat, poultry and processed egg...
Missing DNA link found in 'very hungry' kids
Obese children whose overeating is nearly uncontrollable may be missing portions of DNA, a British study suggests.
Top New Species of 2009: Nat Geo News's Most Viewed
Strange beasts—including a giant rat, a lungless worm, and a vegetarian spider—dominated National Geographic News's most popular new-species coverage of 2009.
Cholera bacteria show adaptability to changing environments
(PhysOrg.com) -- The deadly bacterium behind cholera epidemics spends only a fraction of its life infecting humans. Most of the time, Vibrio cholerae lurks in estuaries and other semisalty aquatic...
Fungus-on-Fungus Fight Could Benefit Chickpeas
(PhysOrg.com) -- The fungus Ascochyta rabiei threatens chickpea crops the world over. But now this blight-causing pathogen could meet its match in Aureobasidium pullulans, a rival fungus that Agricultural Research...
New technology could boost disease detection tests' speed and sensitivity
A team led by Yale University scientists has developed a way to rapidly manipulate and sort different cells in the blood using magnetisable liquids. The findings, which will be published...
In cancer-ridden rats, loneliness can kill
Socially isolated female rats develop more tumours - and tumours of a more deadly type - than rats living in a social group, according to researchers at Yale University and...
Elusive protein points to mechanism behind hearing loss
(PhysOrg.com) -- A serendipitous discovery of deaf zebra fish larvae has helped narrow down the function of an elusive protein necessary for hearing and balance. The work, led by Rockefeller...
Observatory: Clues to What Birds Do on a Trans-Sahara Trip
Using small satellite tags, scientists in Sweden have tracked 90 trans-Sahara flights, and found evidence of odd behavior.
Gene Hijacked By HIV Ancestor Suggests New Way to Block Viral Reproduction
(PhysOrg.com) -- An ancestor of the AIDS virus hijacked an entire gene, perhaps from some prehistoric cat it had infected, a gene that makes it much better able to infect...
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. In the Proceedings of the National...
Lobsters to be Supersized by Climate Change?
More acidic oceans may produce jumbo-size lobsters, crabs, and shrimp, according to a new study. But seafood lovers shouldn't start celebrating just yet.