Latest science news in Biology & Nature
'Death stench' is universal warning signal
HAMILTON, Ontario, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Canadian scientists say they've discovered the smell of recent death that repels living relatives of insects is an ancient universal warning signal.
Mice Levitated for Space Research
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have managed to levitate young mice in research carried out for NASA. Levitated mice may help research on bone density loss during long exposures to low gravity,...
Worker Bees In 'Reproductive Class War' With Queen, New Research Discovers
Bee colonies are well known for high levels of cooperation, but new research demonstrates a conflict for reproduction between worker bees and their queens, leading some workers to selfishly exploit...
Chimps pack specialized tool kits, scientists say
Chimpanzees in the wild have developed specialized tool kits for foraging army ants, scientists now reveal.
Sharing the results of research critical to advancement of biological sciences
Sharing the fruits of research in the biomedical sciences is critical for the advance of knowledge, yet with the advent of large-scale data gathering following the completion of the genome...
Yeast unravels effects of chemotherapy drugs
Until now, the mode of action of nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate (N-BP) cancer drugs, used to relieve bone pain and to prevent skeletal complications in bone metastasis, has been almost entirely unknown....
Model backs green tea and lemon claim, lessens need to test animals
An animal study at Purdue University has shown that adding ascorbic acid and sugar to green tea can help the body absorb helpful compounds and also demonstrates the effectiveness of...
Getting plants to rid themselves of pesticide residues
Scientists in China are reporting the "intriguing" discovery that a natural plant hormone, applied to crops, can help plants eliminate residues of certain pesticides. The study is scheduled for the...
New research confirms potential deadly nature of emerging new monkey malaria species in humans
Researchers in Malaysia have identified key laboratory and clinical features of an emerging new form of malaria infection. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, confirms the potentially deadly nature...
Individual Cells Isolated From Biological Clock Can Keep Daily Time, But Are Unreliable
Researchers have shown that individual cells isolated from the biological clock can keep daily time all by themselves. However, by themselves, they are unreliable. The neurons get out of synch....
Complete Genomics deciphers 14 human genomes
Complete Genomics, a Mountain View, Calif., startup, has announced that it had deciphered 14 full human genomes for customers that include pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and leading medical research institutes, a...
High fruit and vegetable intake positively correlated with antioxidant status, cognitive performance
Researchers at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I of the Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany, investigated the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake, plasma antioxidant micronutrient status and cognitive...
Dwindling salmon stocks poorly managed: biologist
A B.C environmental organization says the low number of salmon returning to the province's waterways shows that not enough is being done by the government department responsible for the fish's...
Fish-Killing Toxin Could Kill Cancer Cells
A powerful fish-killing toxin could have cancer-killing properties as well, according to collaborative research led by Agricultural Research Service microbiologist Paul V. Zimba and chemist Peter Moeller of the U.S....
Potato famine pathogen packs unusual, sneaky genome
Quick-changing zones may be key to the microbe’s vexing adaptability
River flow and temperature limit trout numbers
Over a 23-year study, Javier Lobón-Cerviá has found the mechanism that controls the number of salmonids found each year in Cantabrian rivers. His method has been to monitor population numbers...
From Chicken Feathers to Flower Pots
Chicken feathers, usually an unwanted byproduct of poultry processing, may have a more valuable future as an ingredient in biodegradable flower pots, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist.
Visualizing brain processes with new techniques
(PhysOrg.com) -- The brain's magic is worked by neural circuits, where information is transmitted from one nerve cell to the next. In the heat of the summer, for example, our...
Scientists Use MicroRNAs To Track Evolutionary History For First Time
Scientists have used microRNA data to investigate the evolutionary relationships of annelids, which include earthworms, leeches and bristle worms, to show that this large animal group evolved as a single,...
FOR KIDS: Worm glue
A glue similar to the one made by sandcastle worms may one day paste together bones in the human body
Euthanized Animals Shouldn't be Fed to Addison's Dogs
One reason not to feed Addison's dogs commercial pet food: it contains euthanized animals. That's according to the FDA, who found samples of dog food contained pentobarbital, a drug...
Mobile DNA studied in British chimpanzees
LEICESTER, England, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- British scientists say they are using chimpanzees to study so-called mobile DNA that is found in the genomes of humans and other primates.
Study reveals new role of vitamin C in skin protection
Researchers at the University of Leicester and Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Portugal studied new protective properties of vitamin C in cells from the human skin, which could...
Tackling graffiti
Developers hope for renewed support for new polymer-based anti-graffiti coating that lets buildings ‘breathe’
Hybrid nano material targets antibiotic resistant bacteria
Researchers develop a light activated nano material that can target, label and kill antibiotic resistant bacteria such as E. coli
Great tits found hunting bats for food
In British gardens they are welcome visitors, stopping off to sing and snack on the caterpillars. But in a remote cave in Hungary they are exhibiting some unusual behaviour. There, great tits...
Climate complexities stoke disease controversies
Modelling how climate change might affect insect-borne disease is hugely complex — and increasingly controversial, explains Justine Davies.
Researchers aim to simplify a compound that acts on alpha-tubulin to slow down the process of cell division associated w
Research is being carried out to design and synthesise a new generation of compounds that act on the tubulin molecule, involved in cell multiplication, through a mechanism that has not...