Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Flowers evolved best plumbing
Researchers have discovered when flowering plants gained the advantage over their rivals, with leaves that can carry more water.
New source discovered for the generation of nerve cells in the brain
The research group of Professor Magdalena Gotz of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munich (Germany) has made a significant advance in understanding regeneration processes in the brain. The researchers discovered...
Do Titan's Lakes Migrate South for the Winter?
Orbital cycles of Saturn's moon could be causing lakes to pull up stakes [Read more]
Synapses form rapidly in motor learning
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Nov. 30 (UPI) -- University of California-Santa Cruz scientists say they have found new brain cell connections begin to form almost immediately as animals learn a...
Scientists find clue to mystery of biological clock
How does our biological system know that it is supposed to operate on a 24-hour cycle? Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that a tiny molecule holds...
Wellbutrin alternative didn't help
Is there anything new on the generic version of Wellbutrin XL? My wife had done well on the brand name and then the Watson generic bupropion for several years. She...
Australian scientists aim to reduce sheep burps
Australian scientists are working to breed a sheep that belches less, as they look for ways to reduce harmful methane emissions from the country's woolly flocks, a researcher said Sunday.
Habitat loss has 'domino effect'
Clearing habitats like grasslands or forests has a follow-on effect and can damage neighbouring ecosystems, a new report has found.
New TNM staging for skin melanoma
The latest version of the AJCC TNM staging system for cutaneous melanoma has been released (based on 30,946 cases). The main changes are the following: 1) mitotic rate (added); 2)...
Measuring and modeling blood flow in malaria
When people have malaria, they are infected with Plasmodium parasites, which enter the body from the saliva of a mosquito, infect cells in the liver, and then spread to red...
'Glow-in-the-dark' red blood cells made from human stem cells
Stem cell scientists have modified a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line to glow red when the stem cells become red blood cells. The modified hESC line, ErythRED, represents a...
How HIV is assembled and released from infected cells
The HIV/AIDS virus continues to ravage populations worldwide. Using a novel combination of optical techniques, researchers visualize how virus particles assemble and are released from infected cells to find new...
Protecting the Forests, and Hoping for Payback
To the list of essential functions proclaimed for the giant evergreens of the West, add protection against climate change.
Japanese company raises safe puffer fish
YOKOHAMA, Japan, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- An aquaculture company in Japan says it raised 50,000 fogu, or puffer fish, that are non-poisonous when consumed.
Catalina Island rattlesnake may be a new subspecies
DNA studies aim to find if the venomous reptiles are distinct from the rattlers found around Southern California. ...
Control of mosquito vectors of malaria may be enhanced by a new method of biocontrol
Biopesticides containing a fungus that is pathogenic to mosquitoes may be an effective means of reducing malaria transmission, particularly if used in combination with insecticide-treated bednets, according to a modeling...
RNA network seen in live bacterial cells for first time
New technology has given scientists the first look ever at RNA in a live bacteria cell -- a sight that could offer new information about how the molecule moves and...
Fruit fly sperm makes females do housework after sex
The sperm of male fruit flies are coated with a chemical 'sex peptide' which inhibits the female's usual afternoon siesta and compels her into an intense period of foraging activity.
Science Briefing
Cellphones linked to unsafe walking / Surprising diversity in deep seas / Algae threatens Klamath fish / 'Covert' coping may hurt the heart / ECMO machine helps some flu patients...
What a grind: Bruxism at night likely a sign of stress by day
You can practically track Steve Barkley's stress by the level of activity in his temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, the hinge joint that connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone...
A forensic study of human death through the life of insects
A Cleveland entomologist is studying insects collected from the bodies found in Anthony Sowell's duplex. 'I follow where the bugs lead me. Their lives tell a story about death.' ...
How plants and bacteria 'talk' to thwart disease
Unwrapping some of the mystery from how plants and bacteria communicate to trigger an innate immune response, scientists have identified the bacterial signaling molecule that matches up with a specific...
Ser62 – Another piece of the puzzle…
The molecular functions of Folliculin (FLCN) are poorly understood, but indirect interactions between FLCN and AMPK (of the mTOR signaling network) mediated by FNIP1 and FNIP2 have been firmly established...
Golden Oldie: Key Role for Ancient Protein in Algae Photosynthesis
The discovery that an ancient light harvesting protein plays a pivotal role in the photosynthesis of green algae should help the effort to develop algae as a biofuels feedstock. Researchers...
Pregnant pipefish dads cannibalize young
Male pipefish not only carry fertilized eggs - like their relatives seahorses; they also absorb nutrients from them, essentially cannibalizing their offspring.
Uruguay to set up its first science academy
The Uruguayan government has approved the establishment of a National Academy of Sciences, and the first 15 members will be selected by other academies in the region.
Nuclear science to fight sleeping sickness
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday announced an agreement to help African nations battle the tsetse fly, the main carrier of parasites that causes sleeping sickness with its bites.
MS 'blood blockage theory' tested
US scientists are testing a radical new theory that MS is caused by blockages in the veins that drain the brain.