Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Stem Cells Not The Only Way To Fix A Broken Heart
Researchers appear to have a new way to fix a broken heart. They have devised a method to coax heart muscle cells into reentering the cell cycle, allowing the differentiated...
Oprah, Luke Skywalker And Maradona: New Study Investigates How Our Brains Respond To Them
New research reveals how visual and auditory information converges into the firing of single neurons.
Animals survive by changing looks
OXFORD, England, July 24 (UPI) -- Animals of the same species who look different from each other may have evolved that way to deter predators, British scientists said.
Scientists Create Mice from Reprogrammed Skin Cells
Chinese research bypasses the need for controversial embryonic stem cells Chinese scientists have created live mice from mature skin cells that had reverted to an embryonic-like state. The scientific success could further defuse...
Sticky Protein Helps Reinforce Fragile Muscle Membranes
A new study shows why muscle membranes don't rupture when healthy people exercise. The findings shed light on a mechanism that appears to protect cells from mechanical stress. The study...
Green beetle's super-shiny secret
Iridescent beetle's exoskeleton has almost exactly the same structure as hi-tech liquid crystal, say scientists.
Reprogrammed Mouse Fibroblasts Can Make A Whole Mouse
Scientists report an important advance in the characterization of reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. Researchers used established methods to reprogram mouse cells to isolate five new iPSC lines,...
Parasites keep things sexy in 'hotspots'
Evolutionarily speaking, parasites make sex a worthwhile thing to do, according to a study published online on July 23rd in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The researchers report that...
'Menacing' squids really quite timid
KINGSTON, R.I., July 23 (UPI) -- Reports about swimmers menaced by giant squids off San Diego raised the ire of marine biologist Brad Seibel who found the awesome "monsters"...
When the going gets noisy, some birds get going; others thrive
Many birds really can't stand a racket. But when the going gets noisy, a few species of birds actually thrive, according to a new report published online on 23rd July...
Chimps Do Get "AIDS," Study Finds
Long thought to be harmless, SIV—the source of HIV—may lead to a lethal, AIDS-like illness in chimps, after all. Though a blow to conservationists, the discovery may hold insights for human medicine.
Chimps, like humans, focus on faces
A chimp's attention is captured by faces more effectively than by bananas. A series of experiments described in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology suggests that the apes...
Nanotube growth caught on camera
Scientists provide proof that nanotubes rotate as they grow
Can brain scans read your mind?
Can neuroscience read people's minds? Some researchers, and some new businesses, are banking on a brain imaging technique known as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to reveal hidden thoughts, such...
Bug brings hope for fight against Japanese knotweed
Tiny sap-sucker could stop relentless march of invasive weed It arrived quietly nearly 200 years ago and now threatens numerous British plants, allotments, gardens, pavements, buildings, railways and water courses.
Could Extinct Animals Be Resurrected from Frozen Samples?
Extinct animals could be cloned from DNA found in frozen tissue samples and maybe the reconstructed genomes of ancient species.
Safer hair dyes and cosmetics to be made from Shetland seaweed
Scientists have launched a project to make hair dye out of seaweed from around the Shetland Islands.
High construction cost for cycads
Self-sustaining organisms like plants possess the ability to synthesize their own food using inorganic materials. Plants use water and carbon dioxide to begin this process in their green tissues. The...
3-D Scaffold Of Living, Beating Heart Cells May Lead To Viable Strategies Of Transplanting Cells Into Diseased Hearts
Researchers have created a new 3-D scaffold of living, beating heart cells -- a promising step forward on the quest for viable strategies of transplanting cells into diseased hearts.
Baby whale's first breath caught on camera off Australia
Australian scientists have photographed a humpback whale helping a newborn calf take what appears to be its first breath, a rare event described as the "Holy Grail" for whale-watchers.
Bangladesh leopard renews hopes for species survival
Bangladeshi conservationists said Thursday the discovery of a rare leopard captured by villagers in the southeast of the country renewed hopes for the survival of the critically endangered species.
Study Finds Chimps Die From Simian AIDS, Dispelling Widely Held Belief
The finding also suggests that an outbreak of AIDS is contributing to the declining chimpanzee population in Africa.
Chimps with HIV Offer Clues about Virus
Infection, Deadly in Humans, Is Often Harmless to Monkeys; Ailing Chimps Provide Long-Sought "Missing Link"
Corporate secrecy under the microscope after Twitter leaks
The publication of internal documents about Twitter that were filched by a hacker caused fans to express their outrage -- before they hunkered down to read them.
Stunting plants' skyward reach could lead to improved yields
In the forest's fight for survival, it's the tallest trees that prevail by reaching for sunlight and shading competition. Corn and other plants, too, divert precious energy to grow higher...
Experiments show 'artificial gravity' can prevent muscle loss in space
GALVESTON, Texas -- When the Apollo 11 crew got back from the moon, 40 years ago this week, they showed no ill effects from seven days spent in...
Multiplying like bunnies? Not this jackrabbit
(AP) -- Rabbits are certainly known for their propensity to multiply, but one species of jackrabbit is having trouble keeping up. There are an estimated 150 white-sided jackrabbits left...
Artificial brain '10 years away'
A project to build and design an artificial human brain could be completed in the next 10 years, a leading scientist says.