Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Stopping MRSA before it becomes dangerous is possible
Most scientists believe that staph infections are caused by many bacterial cells that signal each other to emit toxins. The signaling process is called quorum sensing because many bacteria must...
Biodiversity loss can increase infectious diseases in humans
Biodiversity loss can increase infectious diseases in humans, scientists show in a first-of-its-kind global study.
Bird feeding, migration could be splitting a species
German birds that spend cold months at U.K. birdfeeders now look slightly different from neighbors that migrate to Spain
Why some monkeys don't get AIDS
Two new studies provide a significant advance in understanding how some species of monkeys such as sooty mangabeys and African green monkeys avoid AIDS when infected with SIV, the simian...
Birds alert friends, warn enemies
DAVIS, Calif., Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Birds signal each other with alarm calls when threatened, but they also may be putting the predator on notice, scientists in California said.
Orphaned gorilla babies return home
RUMANGABO, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Two young mountain gorillas rescued as babies have been moved to a 2.5-acre forest refuge in the Democratic Republic...
Mice holding back muscular dystrophy research
Humans and mice have previously unknown and potentially critical differences in one of the genes responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology...
Poisonous Poisson
In contrast to the exhaustive research into venom produced by snakes and spiders, venomous fish have been neglected and remain something of a mystery. Now, a study of 158 catfish...
U of M researchers discover how a brain hormone controls insect metamorphosis
A team of University of Minnesota researchers have discovered how PTTH, a hormone produced by the brain, controls the metamorphosis of juvenile insects into adults...
Gladstone scientists identify strategies to protect new brain cells against Alzheimer's disease
Stimulating the growth of new neurones to replace those lost in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an intriguing therapeutic possibility. But will the factors that cause AD allow the new neurones...
Grooving down the helix
A team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, Harvard University, and the Indian Institute of Science has made a major step in understanding how...
Understanding DNA repair and cancer
A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers...
2 heads better than 1 in new antibiotic method
An antibiotic that binds to a well-established target in a novel and unexpected way could be the inspiration for designing new, more potent antibacterial drugs...
By feeding the birds, you could change their evolutionary fate
Feeding birds in winter is a most innocent human activity, but it can nonetheless have profound effects on the evolutionary future of a species, and those changes can be seen...
Feature: Conservation auctions assist private biodiversity protection
How can landholders be encouraged to protect biodiversity and conserve wildlife habitat corridors on their properties? Wendy Pyper investigates.
RNA Silencer Shows Promise for Hepatitis C
Strategy targets a molecule produced by the host, not the virus [Read more]
Scientists use virus to kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells intact
(PhysOrg.com) -- A virus that in nature infects only rabbits could become a cancer-fighting tool for humans. Myxoma virus kills cancerous blood-precursor cells in human bone marrow while sparing normal...
Common weed killer gives male frogs a sex change
A popular weed killer sprayed on cornfields across North America turns male frogs into females even at low levels, Ottawa biologists have found.
Study Unravels Detail of 'Most Important' Cellular Signal
(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study provides crucial details that promise to help researchers better understand, and perhaps fine-tune with drugs, one of the most important signaling mechanisms in human cells,...
BONE-WORM PICTURES: Whale-Eaters Surprise Scientists
Discovered only recently, bone-eating sea worms have evolved an unlikely array of shapes, sizes, and colors, a new study says. According to one researcher: "We never expected to find this...
BirdsEye -- a new iPhone app -- resolves your rapture for raptors or finding a finch
Looking for larks? Searching for surfbirds? Checking for chickadees? There's an app for that.
Lifelong memories linked to stable nerve connections
Our ability to learn new information and adapt to changes in our daily environment, as well as to retain lifelong memories, appears to lie in the minute junctions where nerve...
Green tea chemical combined with another may hold promise for treatment of brain disorders
Scientists at Boston Biomedical Research Institute (BBRI) and the University of Pennsylvania have found that combining two chemicals, one of which is the green tea component EGCG, can prevent...
Researchers Build Artificial Immune System to Solve Computational Problems
(PhysOrg.com) -- By mimicking the way that a living body acquires immunity to disease through vaccination, researchers have designed an artificial immune system to solve optimization problems more effectively than...
Researchers find long awaited key to creating drought resistant crops
Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) researchers have determined precisely how the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) works at the molecular level to help plants respond to environmental stresses such as...
Scientist: Blue whale voices getting lower
LA JOLLA, Calif., Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Researchers in California say the voices of male blue whales have gotten lower by 31 percent since the 1960s, although the reasons...
Prairie-chicken wiped out in Canada
The Greater Prairie-Chicken, a bird that once numbered in the millions on the grasslands, is now considered wiped out in Canada, scientists from the Committee on the Status of Endangered...
Are Large Dams Altering Extreme Weather Patterns?
Dams can radically alter irrigation patterns in the surrounding land and impact climate patterns.