Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Evolutionary Fate Of 'Useless' Traits: Why Some Traits Break Down Quickly While Others Persist Over Time
What happens when traits no longer give creatures a competitive edge? In a recent review, researchers teamed up to take a closer look at the evolutionary fate of useless traits.
Female insects control their sperm storage
EXETER, England, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- British scientists say they've found some female insects can control the amount of sperm they store in an effort to select the best...
Necessary Process In Forming Long-term Memory Identified
A new study has identified another component in the chain of actions that take place in the neurons in the process of forming memories. This discovery joins a line of...
Study: Fish farm boom strains wild stock
Aquaculture now accounts for 50 percent of the fish consumed globally, a fact that's putting tremendous strain on wild fish, a study found.
New biosensor can detect bacteria instantaneously
A research group from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) in Tarragona has developed a biosensor that can immediately detect very low levels of Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes...
Cell discovery opens new chapter in drug development
British scientists have uncovered new details about how the cells in our bodies communicate with each other and their environment: findings that are of fundamental importance to human biology...
Arctic oil: A boon for nest predators
A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other groups reveals how oil development in the Arctic is impacting some bird populations by providing...
Using Insects To Test For Drug Safety
Insects, such as some moths and fruit flies, react to microbial infection in the same way as mammals and so can be used to test the efficiency of new drugs,...
Liposuction Fat Turned Into Stem Cells, Study Says
Using "leftovers" from liposuction patients, scientists have turned human fat into stem cells, a new study says—an efficient and apparently uncontroversial new method.
Function of a neglected structure in neurons revealed after 50 years
(PhysOrg.com) -- Fifty years after it was originally discovered, scientists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Switzerland, have elucidated the function of a microscopic network of tubules found...
Better immune defense against anthrax
Scientists discover a gene in anthrax-causing bacteria may help defend against this form of bio-warfare. Spread of the deadly disease anthrax by spores of the bacterium Bacillus anthracis is a known...
Monolaurin May Be A Weapon Against Food Bacteria
Monolaurin, an extract from coconut oil could be used as a microbial agent in foods, according to a new study.
First DNA Barcodes Of Commonly Traded Bushmeat: New Tool For Tracking Global Trade In Wildlife
Researchers have published the DNA barcodes of commonly traded bushmeat from Central Africa and South America. DNA barcodes -- short genetic sequences that can be readily obtained and pinpoint the...
New genomic model defines microbes by diet - provides tool for tracking environmental change
In line with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) interest in characterising the biotic factors involved in global carbon cycling, the DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) characterises a diverse array...
Using microbes for the quick clean up of dirty oil
Microbiologists from the University of Essex, UK have used microbes to break down and remove toxic compounds from crude oil and tar sands. These acidic compounds persist in the environment,...
Small molecule inhibits pathology associated with myotonic dystrophy type 1
Researchers at the University of Illinois have designed a small molecule that blocks an aberrant pathway associated with myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common form of muscular dystrophy...
Designing probiotics that ambush gut pathogens
Researchers in Australia are developing diversionary tactics to fool disease-causing bacteria in the gut. Many bacteria, including those responsible for major gut infections, such as cholera, produce toxins that damage...
Genes reveal bacteria’s home
A recent study was able to tell what kind of environment bacteria lived in by sampling a few genes, due to their different life strategies.
Study of huge numbers of genetic mutations point to oxidative stress as underlying cause
A study that tracked genetic mutations through the human equivalent of about 5,000 years has demonstrated for the first time that oxidative DNA damage is a primary cause of the...
Enzyme inhibitor takes an unexpected approach toward blocking cancer-promoting protein
Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Centre have discovered a unique method of attack that may be used to inhibit signalling enzymes called kinases, which often have a role in sustaining...
Bats Without Borders: World's Largest Bats Need International Protection
Scientists warn that the world's largest species of fruit bat, known as the "large flying fox," could be driven to extinction in Peninsular Malaysia at the current hunting rate allowed...
Fatal Fungus Killing Bats at Alarming Rate
Biologist Explains How a Dying Bat Population Results in Damage to Forests and Farms
Video: Declining Bat Population
The U.S. bat population is declining at a frightening rate due to a fungus called white nose syndrome. As Daniel Sieberg reports, researchers are struggling to solve this devastating mystery.
Scientists pinpoint critical molecule to celiac disease, possibly other autoimmune disorders
It was nine years ago that University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers discovered that a mysterious human protein called zonulin played a critical role in celiac disease and other...
Narrow-band Imaging Increases Specificity Of Early Lung Cancer Detection
Researchers have found that narrow-band imaging bronchoscopy increases the specificity of bronchoscopic early lung cancer detection and can serve as an alternative detection device.
Nobelist's brain institute wins reprieve
Court prevents host from pulling the plug on cash-strapped Italian research lab.
Boron-based compounds trick a biomedical protein
(PhysOrg.com) -- Chemists and biologists have successfully demonstrated that specially synthesized boron compounds are readily accepted in biologically active enzymes, a move that, they say, is a proof of concept...
Why being big like an elephant puts a spring in your step
(PhysOrg.com) -- Large, lumbering animals such as elephants move much more efficiently than small, agile ones such as mice, University of Manchester scientists have shown.