Latest science news in Biology & Nature
3-D Structure Of Human Genome: Fractal Globule Architecture Packs Two Meters Of DNA Into Each Cell
Scientists have deciphered the three-dimensional structure of the human genome, paving the way for new insights into genomic function and expanding our understanding of how cellular DNA folds at scales...
Bug splatter on your car's windshield is a treasure trove of genomic biodiversity
If you have ever taken a long road trip, the windshield of your car will inevitably be splattered with bugs by the time you arrive at your destination. Could the...
New Brunswick may join Quebec blood agency
The New Brunswick government is negotiating to join Héma-Québec and pull out of Canadian Blood Services over that agency's plan to move a blood production centre out of Saint John.
U-M discovery about biological clocks overturns long-held theory
University of Michigan mathematicians and their British colleagues say they have identified the signal that the brain sends to the rest of the body to control biological rhythms, a finding...
Jumping genes, gene loss and genome dark matter
In research published by Nature, an international team describes the finest map of changes to the structure of human genomes and a resource they have developed for researchers worldwide to...
How We Lost Our Diversity
Human ancestors survived two genetic bottlenecks as they spread out of Africa [Read more]
Trimming the Tree of Life
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a sense, Antonis Rokas is an arborist: He is a member of a small cadre to scientists who are applying the growing power of genomics to untangle...
Termites travel with fungi as take-away food
Fungi travelled to Madagascar in the intestines of termites. Fungus serves as a source of food and helps in cellulose conversion.
Eating fish has no effect on health of large intestine
It appears that eating more fish has no effect on the health of the large intestine. Neither was there any difference between eating salmon and cod. In other words, there...
How the Body Packs Two Meters of DNA Into a Six-Micron Cell Nucleus
I can't seem to manage to keep my iPod in my bag for a day without creating an awful tangle of headphones, but my body's cells can work with two meters of...
Study pinpoints key mechanism in brain development, raising question about use of antiseizure drug
STANFORD, Calif. -- Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a key molecular player in guiding the formation of synapses -- the all-important...
Circadian clockwork takes unexpected turns
One group of neurons follow a different pattern than others that guide the brain’s master clock
Royal blood disorder identified
DNA analysis reveals the identity of the "cursed blood" disorder that afflicted the British Royal Family.
Study: Monkey moms act like human ones
Rhesus macaques and their offspring interact in the first month of life in ways much like what humans often do, scientists now suggest.
ATP Is A Key To Feel Warm Temperature
A Japanese research group has found that ATP plays a key role in transmitting temperature information from skin keratinocytes to afferent sensory neurons.
Science wins fight over evolution in schools, says Case Western Reserve University author
If you want to understand how evolution has challenged the constitutionality of the separation of church and state, Mano Singham from Case Western Reserve University provides a concise and chronological...
Sony Delivers World's Lightest Notebook -- VAIO X Series
Sony today took the wraps off the world's lightest notebook -- the VAIO X Series.
Feds give sea otters habitat protection in Alaska
(AP) -- Four years after being placed on the Endangered Species List, the dwindling sea otters of southwest Alaska on Wednesday were given an important recovery tool.
Calif. citrus farmers fear tree-killing disease
(AP) -- Tom Mulholland is girding for battle against a tiny enemy that could devastate the orange grove he has spent his life cultivating. His adversary: the Asian citrus...
iPhone the body electric: New 'apps' visualize human anatomy
University of Utah researchers created new iPhone programs - known as applications or "apps" - to help scientists, students, doctors and patients study the human body, evaluate medical problems and...
Lowly females pick mediocre mates
"Low-quality" female birds prefer to mate with low-quality males, say researchers - challenging evolutionary theory.
Stem Cells Which 'Fool Immune System' May Provide Vaccination For Cancer
A new study reveals the potential for human stem cells to provide a vaccination against colon cancer. This discovery builds upon a century old theory that immunizing with embryonic materials...
There's no perfect way to back up your hard drive
If there's one thing to keep in mind about computers, it's this: Hard drives fail. I relearned that lesson recently when one of my laptop's external hard drives stopped working...
Baby Bats Imitate Dad's Songs
Vocal mimicry may give clues to evolution of language in humans [Read more]
Edge detection crucial to eyesight
(PhysOrg.com) -- In a major advance in understanding how our eyesight works, Australian scientists have shown that birds' amazing flight and landing precision relies on their ability to detect edges.
Beneficial Nocturnal Insects Help Combat Pests in Texas
(PhysOrg.com) -- Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Texas are staying up late to search for beneficial insects that feed on crops pest eggs at night.
Researcher studies monkeys in Africa to better understand virus evolution
(PhysOrg.com) -- Despite the importance of AIDS in human health, scientists still know very little about the diversity and ecology of AIDS-like viruses in nature.
Human genetics: Hit or miss?
Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genetic clues to disease. Kelly Rae Chi looks at three to see just how on-target the approach seems to be.