Latest science news in Biology & Nature
UCLA researchers create 'fly paper' to capture circulating cancer cells
Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken...
Is hepatic differentiation of embryonic stem cells induced by valproic acid and cytokines?
Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for...
Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging
If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important - especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to...
Explanation for rapid maturation of neurons at birth
So a baby can detect outside signals, the brain cells use a a "pump" that drains chloride out of newborn neurons, making these highly chaotic, developing cells quiet down. Researchers...
Studies suggest males have more personality
Males have more pronounced personalities than females across a range of species -- from humans to house sparrows -- according to new research. Consistent personality traits, such as aggression and...
New on-off 'switch' triggers and reverses paralysis in animals with a beam of light
In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists in Canada are reporting development of an internal on-off 'switch' that paralyses animals when exposed...
Is 80-year-old mistake leading to first species to be fished to extinction?
A species of common skate is to become the first marine fish species to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing, due to an error of species classification 80 years...
Study paints sabertooths as relative pussycats
Though their long teeth look fearsome, male sabertooth cats may have actually been less aggressive than their feline cousins, a new study finds. Cat - Pet...
Oscar Pistorius' artificial limbs give him clear, major advantage for sprint running, new study suggests
The artificial lower limbs of double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius give him a clear and major advantage over his competition, taking 10 seconds or more off what his 400-meter race...
Protection facilitates construction of molecules
Sulfate groups are crucial building blocks for many molecules but are difficult to handle. Chemists have now discovered how sulfate groups can be protected during the construction of a molecule....
Study looks at viruses attacking bacteria
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Scientists at Texas A&M University say they are investigating how some viruses, known for attacking humans and animals, instead attack bacteria.
Sub-Saharan Africa News in brief: 4–18 November 2009
New programme to bolster Africa agriculture, malaria control method overlooked, traditional healers have key role in epilepsy, and more.
It's a boy: Zoo tortoise reveals mistaken identity
Zookeepers in Cleveland are the ones feeling slow because after more than 50 years, the tortoise they called "Mary" is actually a male. Institutions - United...
San Diego Zoo panda cub named ‘Son of Cloud’
Out of 6,300 suggestions, San Diego Zoo managers have chosen a name for a baby panda born this summer. San Diego - San Diego Zoo -...
Rare crocs found hiding in plain sight
Conservationists searching for one of the world's most endangered crocodile species say they have found dozens of the reptiles lounging in plain sight — at a wildlife rescue center in...
Killer bees aren't so smart
When it comes to learning and remembering, these invaders don’t do as well as the bees they displace
Researchers Take Protection of Organic Products to Next Level
Iowa State University Food Safety Consortium researchers have found a way to use natural ingredients to fight the potential of pathogenic contamination in organic products to make up for what...
Instant insight: Sensing the biological world
Jonathan Cooper and Manilo Tassieri explain how mechanical phenomena in biological systems can be studied at very small scales
Biomed Analysis: To control or eradicate malaria?
Some scientists worry that renewed enthusiasm for malaria eradication could distract from vital control efforts, says Priya Shetty.
Common Names For Uncommon Octopods
Some discussion over the identity of Nemo's little octopus friend Pearl has led me into a deep investigation of Grimpoteuthis (dumbo octopuses) and Opisthoteuthis (flapjack octopuses). Both are shortened on...
Pushing the brain to find new pathways
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Until recently, scientists believed that, following a stroke, a patient had about six months to regain any lost function. After that, patients would be forced to...
Orphan Army Ants Join Nearby Colonies
Colonies of army ants, whose long columns and marauding habits are the stuff of natural-history legend, are usually antagonistic to each other, attacking soldiers from rival colonies in border disputes...
When Glass Develops Into A Shell: New Findings In Diatoms
Diatoms are microalgae that are responsible for nearly a quarter of the oxygen we breathe, but how does their glass-like skeleton develop? Researchers have solved part of the mystery concerning...
Decline In Russian Tigers Renews Calls To End All Trade In Tiger Parts
A shocking decline in the Russian Federation's wild tiger population highlights the importance of eliminating trade in and demand for tiger parts, the International Tiger Coalition has said. Research shows...
Notes and queries: the origins of the bonfire; is the human body an efficient machine?
Origins of the bonfire; beware the garden rabbit menace; is the human body an efficient machine?Why is it a "bonfire" rather than "fire"?Just as some religious festivals were grafted on to existing calendar...
Magnetic Nanotags Spot Cancer in Mice Earlier Than Current Methods
(PhysOrg.com) -- Searching for biomarkers that can warn of diseases such as cancer while they are still in their earliest stage is likely to become far easier thanks to an...
Picture - Bacteria Talking - In Color
Bacteria are abundant in soil, water, and air as well as in the depths of the Earth's crust, organic matter, and live animals or plants. They are also abundantly social -- among themselves and with...
Penguin DNA evolving faster than thought
Comparing the DNA in modern birds to that in ancient generations shows molecular evolution can happen at varying rates