Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Causative gene of a rare disorder discovered by sequencing only protein-coding regions of genome
For the first time, scientists have successfully used a method called exome sequencing to quickly discover a previously unknown gene responsible for a mendelian disorder...
Amaizing: Corn genome decoded
In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to...
First reconstitution of an epidermis from human embryonic stem cells
Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM Institute (France), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009....
Solving the 50-year-old puzzle of thalidomide
Resurgence of thalidomide use in Africa and South America raises the urgent need to isolate the negative side effects by identifying the drug's "common mechanism."
On your last nerve: Researchers advance understanding of stem cells
Researchers have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the...
Cosmic Log: Big pictures of tiny wonders
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Who would have thought that water fleas, diseased neurons and poisoned algae could look so beautiful? It's just a matter of perspective. ...
Bees can learn differences in food's temperature, study finds
Biologists have discovered that honeybees can discriminate between food at different temperatures, an ability that may assist bees in locating the warm, sugar-rich nectar or high-protein pollen produced by many...
Alternative animal feed part of global fisheries crisis fix: UBC study
Finding alternative feed sources for chickens, pigs and other farm animals will significantly reduce pressure on the world's dwindling fisheries while contributing positively to climate change, according to University of...
Ladybugs taken hostage by wasps
Are ladybugs being overtaken by wasps? A Universite de Montreal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) to carry their...
Cross-country runabouts - immune cells on the move
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now deciphered the mechanism that illustrates how these mobile cells move on diverse surfaces. 'Similar...
Night beat, overtime and a disrupted sleep pattern can harm officers' health
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good...
Sharks under threat as environmental change bites hard
(PhysOrg.com) -- Their size and fearsome appearance have made them the stuff of nightmares, but new research just published suggests that sharks may not be as tough as they appear.
Imaging study shows HIV particles assembling around its genome
(PhysOrg.com) -- The genesis of one the planet's most lethal viruses, HIV, has been caught on tape. New imaging experiments show individual HIV genomes -- strands of RNA -...
Strange worms discovered eating dead whales
Some strange creatures can be found on the ocean seafloor, and boneworms are among the most bizarre — they have no eyes or mouth and feast on the bones of...
Petascale computing tools could provide deeper insight into genomic evolution
Technological advances in high-throughput DNA sequencing have opened up the possibility of determining how living things are related by analyzing the ways in which their genes have been rearranged on...
In Amazon, a frustrated search for cancer cures
SAO SEBASTIAO DE CUIEIRAS, Brazil (Reuters) - The task of harvesting the secrets of Brazil's vast Amazon rain forest that could help in the battle against cancer largely falls to...
Research describes connections between Circadian and metabolic systems
(PhysOrg.com) -- A paper by University of Notre Dame biologist Giles Duffield and a team of researchers offers new insights into a gene that plays a key role in modulating...
Fish Kill: Nanosilver Mutates Fish Embryos
Smaller than a virus and used in more than 200 consumer products, silver nanoparticles can kill and mutate fish embryos, new research shows.Tiny particles of silver – potent...
Dog fleas implicated in leishmaniasis spread
Fleas may transmit leishmaniasis to dogs, maintaining a reservoir of disease that could then infect humans.
Today's Top Athletes: Human or Android?
Athletes are becoming more android-like through physical, biological and chemical enhancements.
Video: Newly born prehistoric fish caught on video for first time
Japanese and Indonesian researchers have filmed for the first time a newly born baby coelacanth, which experts say is a 'missing link' between fish and amphibians
New view of blood vessel inhibition ID'd
UPPSALA, Sweden, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- A team of Swedish-led scientists says it has identified a new mechanism by which a specific protein in the body inhibits formation of...
Australian marsupial soaks up sun like a lizard
A small Australian marsupial is taking a lesson from the reptile world and basking in the sun to conserve energy and improve its chances of survival, a researcher has found.
Seamount diary: In Pictures
The diversity of animals already sighted by the IUCN expedition to study seamounts rising from the floor of the Indian Ocean.
Squid, Wolves, And Global Warming
The Associated Press, that bastion of scientific knowledge, shares with us a list of "pests that are benefiting or could benefit from global warming", starting with: _Ticks that transmit Lyme disease...
Observatory: Digging Into the Science of That Old-Book Smell
Is the smell of old books — musty, slightly acidic, even grassy — quantifiable or useful?
Observatory: When Mountain Lions Hunt, They Prey on the Weak
Mountain lions seem to actively seek out mule deer infected with chronic wasting disease.
Researcher wants to tip the scales for northern lizard
Armed with eyelash glue, a walking stick and a faithful horse, University of Alberta researcher Krista Fink is hoping to help Canada's most northern lizard get off the species-at-risk list.