Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Pandas Extinct Within Three Generations?
A WWF spokesperson says that, unless development around giant panda habitat in China is controlled, the panda could become extinct within two or three generations. Video.
Better mosquito repellents are developed
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've created new mosquito repellents that perform better than DEET, the most used chemical to repel the disease-carrying insects.
Gene Makes Water Striders Glide Across Water
Water striders, the familiar semi-aquatic bugs gliding across the lake at the cottage, have a novel body form that allows them to walk on water. Achieving the gliding ability required...
A Plant's Arsenal Of Crystalline Darts And Sand
Crystals are found in hundreds of plant families. Despite this, their purpose is not well-understood. Hypotheses include acting as a deterrent to herbivory, serving as a long-term storage depot for...
IBM uses DNA to make next-gen microchips
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp is looking to the building blocks of our bodies -- DNA -- to be the structure of next-generation microchips.
New 'biofactories' produce rare healing substances in the endangered Devil's claw plant
Deep in Africa's Kalahari Desert lies the 'Devil's claw,' a plant that may hold the key to effective treatments for arthritis, tendonitis and other illnesses that affect millions each year....
New insights into the 'smell of death' could help recover bodies in disasters and solve crimes
In an advance toward the first portable device for detecting human bodies buried in disasters and at crime scenes, scientists today report early results from a project to establish the...
Biologists Demystify Elusive War Zone Bacterium
New research has made important insights into the bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii, which causes mortality rates as high as 75 percent in the Middle East. The bacterium is a significant threat...
NIH-funded researchers sequence exomes of 12 people
In a pioneering effort that generated massive amounts of DNA sequence data from 12 people, a team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has demonstrated the feasibility and...
Researchers develop new, more-sensitive assay for detecting DNA methylation in colon cancer
A study published in this week's online issue of Nature Biotechnology, demonstrates a unique and highly sensitive method for detecting methylation-associated cancers...
Researchers propose model for disorders caused by improper transmission of chromosomes
Parents of healthy newborns often remark on the miracle of life. The joining of egg and sperm to create such delightful creatures can seem dazzlingly beautiful if the chromosome information...
Vast majority of dollar bills in US capital bear cocaine traces
The largest study of banknotes finds that 95% of dollar bills in Washington DC bear traces of the illegal drug cocaine.
Invasion of the 'island snatchers'
Half of all weeds come to dominate the ocean island habitats they invade, a new analysis reveals.
Migingo Island Journal: Ripples of Dispute Surround Tiny Island in East Africa
An island that lies along the border between Kenya and Uganda is creating a huge fuss because of the abundance there — and lack elsewhere — of fish.
Genes Tied to Gap in Treatment of Hepatitis C
A Duke University team found that coding at a single site on the DNA helped explain why the standard drugs were more effective in whites than in blacks.
Important Step In Neutralizing Toxic Cause Of Muscle Disease
Cell biologists describe a new approach to remove the toxic agent that causes the neuromuscular disease myotonic dystrophy.
Bone's Material Flaws Lead To Disease
The weak tendons and fragile bones characteristic of osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, stem from a genetic mutation that causes the incorrect substitution of a single amino acid in...
Newly found DNA catalysts cleave DNA with water molecule
Better tools for manipulating DNA in the laboratory may soon be possible with newly discovered deoxyribozymes (catalytic DNA) capable of cleaving single-stranded DNA, researchers at the University of Illinois say.
Illinois scientists discover new DNA tool
CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A new discovery may make it easier for scientists to manipulate DNA in the laboratory, a paper from the University of Illinois at...
Team Tracking Potential New Salamander Species
A team of Washington and Lee University faculty and students are investigating the Sherando salamander, which is limited in its habitat to one ridge in the Blue Ridge mountains, to...
EPA Awards UH Lead Role to Study Toxin Effects on Embryonic Development
Thanks to a three-year, $3.2 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program, a group of University of Houston researchers is taking...
Possums need protecting too
Common backyard species like possums are being overlooked in the concern for rare animals like bilbies, reports a UK expert.
Bone-cell Control Of Energy Generation Is Regulated By The Protein Atf4
Bone cells known as osteoblasts were recently shown to have a role in controlling the biochemical reactions that generate energy. Researchers have now identified Atf4 as the regulatory gene that...
Rare porpoise sightings thrill biologists
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Two recent sightings of porpoises in the Baltic Sea thrilled biologists since the marine mammals were thought extinct in the region, a Swedish...
Wild golden eagle dies at age 22
LONDON, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Britain's oldest known wild golden eagle has died on the isle of Jura at age 22, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds...
Manganese Damages Immune Response In Marine Animals, Research Finds
Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, in bottom waters is a well known environmental problem. New research in Sweden adds to the list of ill effects: hypoxia leads to increased levels...
How Pathogens Have Shaped Genes Involved In Our Immune System
A recent study on human genetics on various populations across the world has shown how pathogens can shape the patterns of genetic diversity of our immune system over time. Results...
Small move makes tighter abdominal muscles
Slim and tighten your abdominal muscles with this small yet super-effective exercise. Remember to perform these movements with slow, controlled effort. The longer you can hold the "lift," the more...