Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Study: Some sharks have stereo rear vision
BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Florida Atlantic University researchers say they have determined the wide heads of hammerhead sharks give the animal exceptional stereo vision.
Ecologists sound out new solution for monitoring cryptic species
Ecologists have worked out a way of using recordings of birdsong to accurately measure the size of bird populations. This is the first time sound recordings from a microphone array...
Ecological speciation by sexual selection on good genes
Darwin suggested that the action of natural selection can produce new species, but 150 years after the publication of "On the Origin of Species" debate continues on the mechanisms of...
Knockouts in human cells point to pathogenic targets
Researchers have developed a new approach for genetics in human cells and used this technique to identify specific genes and proteins required for pathogens. With the ability to generate knockout...
Rare plant uses camouflage
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A rare woodland plant, Monotropsis odorata, uses camouflage to hide from predators in much the way some animals do, scientists in Massachusetts said.
RNA on the move
In the fruit fly Drosophila, oskar mRNA, which is involved in defining the animal's body axes, is produced in the nuclei of nurse cells neighbouring the oocyte, and must be...
First-ever blueprint of a minimal cell is more complex than expected
What are the bare essentials of life, the indispensable ingredients required to produce a cell that can survive on its own? Can we describe the molecular anatomy of a cell,...
New discovery may lead to heartier, high-yielding plants
Scientists have shown how a family of genes (1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate synthase, or ACS genes), in the weed Arabidopsis thaliana, are responsible for production of ethylene. This gas affects many aspects of...
Coma recovery case attracts doubters
(AP) -- Rom Houben's mother remembers her son's amazement when he finally started communicating again after spending 23 years locked in a paralyzed body that was misdiagnosed as vegetative.
S.Leone elephants 'wiped out' by poachers: official
Poachers "wiped out" the entire elephant herd in Sierra Leone's only wildlife park, wildlife managers said Thursday after police said they had arrested a gang of 10 poachers.
New Switchgrass Germplasm Collected in Florida
(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators have collected 46 new populations of switchgrass in Florida, adding valuable new accessions to the germplasm collection of this potential bioenergy...
BLUE BANANA PICTURE: Glowing Spots Reveal How Cells Die
Seen under ultraviolet light, a ripening banana's brown spots are each ringed by an eerie blue glow created by dying cells, offering researchers a new way to study how plants...
Whiteflies sabotage alarm system of plant in distress
(PhysOrg.com) -- When spider mites attack a bean plant, the plant responds by producing odours which attract predatory mites. These predatory mites then exterminate the spider mite population, thus acting...
Australian territory to cull 6,000 wild camels
Australian authorities plan to corral about 6,000 wild camels with helicopters and gun them down after they overran a small Outback town in search of water, trampling fences, smashing tanks...
People Hear with Their Skin, As Well As Their Ears
The act of hearing is a group effort for the human body's organs, involving the ears, the eyes and also, according to the results of a new study,...
Ian sample on Commons inquiry into homeopathy
Ian sample on Commons inquiry into homeopathyIan Sample
Discovery Allows Scientists For The First Time To Annotate Genomes Experimentally
Bioengineers have made a breakthrough development that will now allow scientists to perform full delineation of the location and use of genomic elements.
Evolution of highly toxic box jellyfish unraveled
With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been...
Ladybugs taken hostage by wasps
Are ladybugs being overtaken by wasps? An entomologist is investigating a type of wasp present in Quebec that forces ladybugs to carry their larvae. These wasps lay their eggs on...
Unique Micronail Chip Makes Electronics And Bio Cells Communicate
A unique microchip with microscopic nail structures enable close communication between the electronics and biological cells. The new chip is a mass-producible, easy-to-use tool in electrophysiology research, for example for...
Experts think toxic algae harming endangered fish
(AP) -- Scientists say they think toxins from a blue-green algae plaguing lakes and rivers around the West are harming an endangered fish in the Klamath Basin, adding another...
Brain's endocannabinoid signaling pathway kept in check by two enzymes
(PhysOrg.com) -- A research team has shown that blocking the degradation of two naturally occurring cannabinoids in the endocannabinoid signaling pathway of the brain produces marijuana-like behavioral effects in mice,...
Snails given mirror-image shells
Japanese researchers have created mirror-image snails whose shells coil in the opposite direction to what written in their genes.
New molecule implicated in diabetes-associated blindness
Scientists have demonstrated that the Wnt signaling pathway plays a role in diabetic retinopathy.
Beer Here
(PhysOrg.com) -- Drinking beer is a simple act, but making beer is not. It starts out with genetics and tens of thousands of barley varieties and ends with a clear...
Little push turns snail lefties to righties
Bumping an embryo’s cells can switch the direction of its spiral
Video: Preview: The Great Explorer
Robert Ballard discovered the Titanic, the Bismarck and the PT 109 and now 60 Minutes cameras are there for his latest discovery. Lara Logan reports, Sunday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m....
Daredevil's winged flight across Gibraltar strait fails
A Swiss daredevil attempting to fly across the Strait of Gibraltar using just a homemade, jet-powered wing fell short of his goal and was rescued from the water on Wednesday.