Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Ants can attack trees to make housing
NORWICH, England, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Plant ants generally live in harmony with their hosts, but a British-Brazilian study finds that when the ants run out of space they...
DNA 'Barcode' For Tropical Trees
In foods, soil samples or customs checks, plant fragments sometimes need to be quickly identified. The use of DNA "barcodes" to itemize plant biodiversity was proposed during the 1992 Rio...
Deciphering the regulatory code
Embryonic development is like a well-organised building project, with the embryo's DNA serving as the blueprint from which all construction details are derived. Cells carry out different functions according to...
Bacteria Expect The Unexpected
Organisms ensure the survival of their species by genetically adapting to the environment. If environmental conditions change too rapidly, the extinction of a species may be the consequence. A strategy...
Taking Aim at Mysterious DNA Structures in the Battle Against Cancer
Designers of anti-cancer drugs are aiming their arrows at mysterious chunks of the genetic material DNA that may play a key role in preventing the growth and spread of cancer...
Water-conserving irrigation strategies minimize overwatering, runoff
Conserving water and reducing the environmental impact of runoff are two of the most important issues confronting container nursery operations. Current regulations and laws in five states limit water consumption...
New discoveries in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
The study, entitled 'Moonlighting Proteins HAL3 and VHS3 Form a Heteromeric PPCDC with YKL088w in Yeast CoA Biosynthesis' and published in Nature Chemical Biology, was carried out by researchers of...
Stressed bacteria play it safe
Researchers have made bacteria evolve bet-hedging in the lab – they switch at random between forms that suit different conditions.
'Genome zoo' would house 10,000 species
A group of about 70 scientists from around the world is proposing a "genomic zoo," a database of DNA sequences from 10,000 species of vertebrates.
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...
Breeding better broccoli
Carotenoids - fat-soluble plant compounds found in some vegetables - are essential to the human diet and reportedly offer important health benefits to consumers. Plant carotenoids are the most important...
Organic weed control options for highbush blueberry
Research scientists at Nova Scotia Agricultural College have been working steadily to find effective organic methods to control weeds in cultivated blueberry crops. One resulting study, published in a recent...
Pelicans filmed gobbling gannets
In a bizarre reaction to dwindling fish stocks, great white pelicans have turned to eating live gannet chicks.
William Belton, Self-Taught Ornithologist, Dies at 95
Mr. Belton was almost single-handedly responsible for the current body of knowledge of the bird life of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost Brazilian state.
GLOWING CORAL PHOTO: Fluorescence Found to Aid Healing
Multicolored "scabs" that glow in daylight are filled with fluorescent proteins that help broken or wounded corals heal, a new study says.
Scientists track swine flu virus for tiny changes that would cause big problems
As the H1N1 flu virus spreads at breakneck speed, a team of scientists are close behind. They are watching its evolution through a cutting-edge technology in hopes of answering the...
Opinion: Vital importance of habitat
Destruction of an organism’s habitat is one, if not the major, cause of species extinction in Australia. Protecting habitat is the key to halting Australia’s declining biodiversity, writes Don Bradshaw.
Study says dogs have larger carbon footprint than SUV
Thanks for killing the planet, dog owners. Well, that's a rough paraphrase of a New Zealand study that claims a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV.
Singapore scientists join international study of 10,000 vertebrates' genomes
The Singapore laboratory that deciphered the DNA codes, or genomes, of the famed fugu (or pufferfish) and elephant shark, has joined The Genome 10K Project, an international effort to build...
Importance of different cell types underestimated
Choosing the right cell type is particularly important in genetic studies. This is apparent from research published on 16 October in PLoS Genetics. Dutch researcher Alice Gerrits has shown how...
Human Evolution: Our Closest Living Relatives, the Chimps
Chimpanzees offer many clues as to how we evolved our human traits.
Scientists Reveal How Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Differ from Embryonic Stem Cells and Tissue of Derivation
The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from...
Yellowstone ‘bioblitz’ uncovers hidden species
Scientists searching for Yellowstone National Park's lesser-known life forms found more than 1,200 species, including several never known before to exist in the park.
Dementia: Rare Brain Disorder Is Highly Hereditary
New research shows that frontotemporal dementia -- a rare brain disorder that causes early dementia -- is highly hereditary.
GM potato gets roasting in South Africa
South African researchers have lodged an appeal against their government's rejection of a genetically modified potato.
Single-base DNA resolution
A fluorescent probe sensitive to differences at the single-base-level of DNA has been created by researchers in Japan
Giant ants' nests given special building protection
Insects' towering structures will be safeguarded during timber removal process in Northumberland woodlandA rare British "skyscraper city" made by ants has been given the equivalent of listed building protection and a place on...
Megapixels: Thinking Cap
Tiny surface electrodes could help paralyzed people move Bundles of microelectrode wires fan out over a small area of a human brain. These electrodes were placed by neurosurgeons at the University of Utah...