Latest science news in Biology & Nature
To Manage A Fishery, You Must Know How The Fish Die
Fishermen know you need good fishery management to ensure healthy fish populations for future generations. And good decisions rely on understanding fish mortality -- how many fish die each year...
Mutations In Gene Linked To Ciliopathies
Researchers have discovered a connection between mutations in the INPP5E gene and ciliopathies. Their findings may lead to new therapies for these diseases.
Estrogen-dependent Switch Tempers Killing Activity Of Immune Cells
The sex hormone estrogen tempers the killing activity of a specific group of immune cells, the cytotoxic T cells, which are known to attack tumor cells and cells infected by...
Viral Mimic Induces Melanoma Cells To Digest Themselves
Recent research has uncovered an unexpected vulnerability in deadly melanoma cells that, when exploited, can cause the cancer cells to turn against themselves. The study identifies a new target for...
Potato Blight Plight Looks Promising For Food Security
Over 160 years since potato blight wreaked havoc in Ireland and other northern European countries, scientists finally have the blight-causing pathogen in their sights and are working to accelerate breeding...
Unlikely Genetic Suspect Implicated In Common Brain Defect
A genetic search using patients and mouse models has uncovered an unlikely gene critically involved in Dandy-Walker malformation, a common birth defect which causes mental retardation, motor delays and sometimes...
Researcher looking for way to minimize spread of mountain pine beetle
Like a human being who, with a compromised immune system, is vulnerable to secondary diseases, jack pine trees ravaged by budworms may be more susceptible to an invasion of mountain...
Nigeria to roll out fungus-resistant soybean crops
Soybean farmers in Central and West Africa will soon have a variety resistant to an Asian fungal rust that can devastate their crops.
STAT3 gene regulates cancer stem cells in brain cancer
In a study published online in advance of print in Stem Cells, Tufts researchers report that the STAT3 gene regulates cancer stem cells in brain cancer. Cancer stem cells have...
New class of compounds discovered for potential Alzheimer's disease drug
A new class of molecules capable of blocking the formation of specific protein clumps that are believed to contribute to Alzheimer's disease pathology has been discovered by researchers at the...
Hundreds of new species discovered in eastern Himalayas
Over 350 new species including the world's smallest deer, a 'flying frog' and a 100 million-year old gecko have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, a biological treasure trove now...
Beetle joins Colorado fight against weeds
DENVER, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A leaf-eating Chinese beetle is the newest ally in the fight to rid Colorado of an invasive weed threatening native life, a state agriculture...
Tumor suppressor pulls double shift as reprogramming watchdog
A collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies uncovered that the tumor suppressor p53, which made its name as "guardian of the genome", not only stops...
Universal DNA barcode proposed for plants
A genetic 'barcode' proposed for plants should improve knowledge of plant distribution while striking a blow against illegal loggers.
Protein need makes us obese
Monkeys overeat foods that are high in carbohydrates and fat just to get enough protein, and we may do the same, research has found.
Root rot widespread in Australia
Research has found that new varieties of a deadly plant pest are more widespread across Western Australia than thought.
Veterinarians using stem cells to treat animals
(AP) -- Lucy the Labradoodle scoots along the ground to grab a bone.
Scottish species reach new heights
Climate change is suspected of pushing increasing numbers of wildlife species north and to higher altitudes.
Invasive Species Threaten Critical Habitats, Oyster Among Victims
A study of oyster reefs in a once-pristine California coastal estuary found them devastated by invasive Atlantic Coast crabs and snails, providing new evidence of the consequences when human activities...
Potential Mechanisms To Protect Against Genetic Alterations, Diseases Discovered
Peering into the DNA of tiny yeast, researchers have pinpointed a large number of genes that can prevent a type of genetic rearrangement that may lead to cancer and other...
Is Bat White-nose Syndrome An Emerging Fungal Pathogen?
New research provides even more evidence that a previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus is associated with white-nose syndrome, a condition linked to the deaths of up to 1,000,000 cave-hibernating bats in...
New DNA And RNA Aptamers Offer Unique Therapeutic Advantages
A novel class of drugs composed of single strands of DNA or RNA, called aptamers, can bind protein targets with a high strength and specificity and are currently in clinical...
Cancer gene complexity revealed
Scientists decode the DNA of a second leukaemia patient - revealing key mutations driving cancer development.
Gene Transcribing Machine Takes Halting, Backsliding Trip Along The DNA
Cells have nanoscale protein machines that perform the first step in gene expression, gliding smoothly along the DNA and translating it into RNA. Or so scientists thought. Scientists now show...
Looking Different 'Helps Animals To Survive'
In the animal kingdom, everything is not as it seems. Individuals of the same species can look very different from each other -- what biologists term "polymorphism." Sometimes the number...
EU defends action against Intel after report leaked
The EU Commission on Saturday defended its record-busting anti-trust action against Intel, following a report that it missed evidence which could have boosted the US computer chip giant's case.
Avian Silence: Without Birds to Disperse Seeds, Guam's Forest Is Changing
The forest on Guam is silent. [More]
Males Of High Genetic Quality Are Not Very Successful At Fertilizing Eggs
Contrary to predictions, males of high genetic quality are not very successful when it comes to fertilizing eggs. A new study on seed beetles shows that when a female mates...