Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Protein that promotes cancer cell growth identified
Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have found that the Caspase-8 protein, long known to play a major role in promoting programmed cell death (apoptosis), helps relay signals...
AIDS discovered in wild chimpanzees
Although the AIDS virus (HIV-1) entered the human population through chimpanzees, scientists have long believed that chimpanzees don't develop AIDS. But a new study from an international team, including University...
Stop And Smell The Flowers -- The Scent Really Can Soothe Stress
Feeling stressed? Then try savoring the scent of lemon, mango, lavender or other fragrant plants. Scientists in Japan are reporting the first scientific evidence that inhaling certain fragrances alter gene...
Yury Verlinsky, Expert in Embryonic Screening, Is Dead at 65
Mr. Verlinsky was one of the first scientists to develop techniques to detect genetic disorders in embryos and helped make the screening available to parents worldwide.
The value of variation: Ecologists consider the causes and consequences
Consider the case of the three-spine stickleback. These tiny fish that thrive in oceans and in fresh water might appear to be the same, yet ecologists are finding that they...
Olivia Judson: Microbes 'R' Us
The human body is home to a vast array of bacteria. So what are they up to?
New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defence against long extinct predator
Many animal species such as snakes, insects and fish have evolved camouflage defences to deter attack from their predators. However research published in New Phytologist has discovered that trees in...
An inner 'fingerprint' for personalising medical care
Fingerprints move over. Scientists are reporting evidence that people have another defining trait that may distinguish each of the 6.7 billion humans on Earth from one another almost as surely...
Genetic change could make crops thrive on salty soils
GM plants that are more salt tolerant could be good news for farmers in many regions of the world struggling with high salinity.
Light Shed On DNA Mechanisms
By manipulating individual atoms in DNA and forming unique molecules, a researcher hopes to open new avenues in research towards better understanding the mechanisms of DNA replication and transcription, and...
Vaccine blocks malaria transmission in lab experiments
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute have for the first time produced a malarial protein (Pfs48/45) in the proper conformation and quantity to generate a significant immune response...
Strange! Humans Glow in Visible Light
Your body's glow may say a lot about your health.
ATMs Fight Back With Pepper Spray
ATMs from Absa bank in South Africa have gone hot with their latest means of fighting thieves.
'Lab On A Chip' To Give Growers Real-time Glimpse Into Water Stress In Plants
An embedded microsensor capable of measuring real-time water stress in living plants has been developed. In theory, the sensor will help vintners strike the precise balance between drought and overwatering...
Cell Phones Turned Into Fluorescent Microscopes
Researchers have developed a cell phone microscope that not only takes color images of malaria parasites, but of tuberculosis bacteria labeled with fluorescent markers. The latest milestone moves a major...
Woodlands suffer large-scale biodiversity loss
Research published today (22 July 2009) shows that 21st century British woodlands are less distinctive than those of the early 20th century due to environmental change. Native woodland plants have...
Endangered wild camel is "genetically unique", say scientists
A study confirms the unique ancestry of the wild Bactrian camel, of which just a few hundred survive.
Fighting disease atom by atom
Researchers at Rice University and their international colleagues have for the first time described the atomic structure of the protein shell that carries the genetic code of hepatitis E (HEV)....
For horned lizard, horns alone do not make the species
How do you recognise a new species? A thorough study of the million-year evolution of California's horned lizards, sometimes referred to as 'horny toads,' shows that when it comes to...
Researchers find first potential pathogenic mutation for restless legs syndrome
An international team of researchers led by scientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found what they believe is the first mutated gene linked to restless legs syndrome,...
Python Hunting Allowed in Florida
For the first time, Florida is allowing select hunters to kill pythons in the wild. The non-native snakes are believed to number in the tens of thousands and are killing endangered species, experts...
Neon Blue-tailed Tree Lizard Glides Like A Feather, Thanks To Light Bubbly Bones
Neon blue-tailed tree lizards are perfectly happy scurrying from branch to branch in their arboreal homes, but it wasn't clear whether they simply leaping between branches or glide. Researchers compared...
Israeli company develops bee vaccine
JERUSALEM, July 21 (UPI) -- An Israeli company says it has developed a vaccine that protects honey bees from a virus associated with the widespread collapse of bee colonies...
Nature or nurture? New epigenetic model blurs the line in the debate
A research report published in the July 2009 issue of the journal GENETICS (http://www.genetics.org) complicates the debate over whether nature or nurture plays the most important role in complex diseases...
U.S. zoo brings in koala from France for mating
Talk about long-distance romance: a male koala from France has arrived to mate with two females at the zoo in Cleveland.
Web decorating with garbage
Researchers propose decaying food remains in spider webs confuse would-be predators
Predators battle bugs, become pests themselves
(AP) -- Imported insects have been deployed as foot soldiers in the fight against invasive bugs and plants that cause billions of dollars in damage each year. But some...
Mutation causing one type of male infertility found
(PhysOrg.com) -- A genetic mutation that lies behind one type of male infertility has been discovered by researchers at Oxford University, Ghent University in Belgium, and the University of Massachusetts,...