Latest science news in Biology & Nature
By Manipulating Oxygen, Scientists Coax Bacteria Into Never-Before-Seen Solitary Wave
Bacteria know that they are too small to make an impact individually. So they wait, they multiply, and then they engage in behaviors that are only successful when all cells...
Researchers study 'fundamental, amazing change' in Great Lakes (w/ Video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Great Lakes are in the midst of a remarkable ecological transformation, driven largely by the blitzkrieg advance of two closely related species of non-native mussels.
Optical Chip Detects Blood Molecules
A portable 'lab on a chip' that can identify target molecules in blood samples has been created. It is being used to measure fertility hormones and detect the genes associated...
Sex found involved in plant defense
RALEIGH, N.C., July 15 (UPI) -- U.S. biologists say they've determined some sexually produced plants better withstand insect attacks than do asexually produced plants.
Study sheds light on social brain development
The capacity to figure out what others are thinking and what they mean is an ability unique to people that's central to our lives. A new study on the neural...
New Doubts About Fasting Leading To Longer Lives Based On Study In Flies
Many studies indicate that caloric restriction extends life spans in fruit flies, mice and, most recently, rhesus monkeys, apparently by slowing the aging process. But virtually all these studies have...
Bird population declines in northern Europe are explained by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency
Wild birds of several species are dying in large numbers from a paralytic disease with hitherto unknown cause in the Baltic Sea area. A research team at Stockholm University, Sweden,...
Brazil successful in fighting HIV and AIDS
PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 14 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say Brazil has been successful in its nearly 20-year effort to treat people living with the human immunodeficiency virus and...
Male penguin couple splits over widowed female
A pair of male penguins who have nested together for six years apparently broke up when a female penguin became available, say caretakers at the San Francisco Zoo.
Active genes discovered in the developing mammal brain
A study by scientists at Penn State provides new information about the genes that are involved in a mammal's early brain development, including those that contribute to neurological disorders. The...
New drugs faster from natural compounds: A UC San Diego breakthrough
Researchers have invented computational tools to decode and rapidly determine whether natural compounds collected in oceans and forests are new - or if these pharmaceutically promising compounds have already been...
Herbicide Diversity Needed To Keep Herbicide Roundup Effective
Using a diverse herbicide application strategy may increase production costs, but a five-year study shows the practice will drastically reduce weeds and seeds that are resistant to a popular herbicide.
Sex began as parasite defense
Sex is essential to the continuation of the species, but new research on suggests it evolved as part of a defense against parasites.
Interview: Talking stem cells
Blagoy Blagoev on how proteomics could be the key to understanding the unique biological properties of stem cells
DNA-damaged cells communicate with neighbors to let them know they're in trouble
When cells experiencing DNA damage fail to repair themselves, they send a signal to their neighbors letting them know they're in trouble. The discovery, which shows that a process dubbed...
Researchers Enlist DNA To Bring Carbon Nanotubes’ Promise Closer To Reality
Scientists and engineers report a new method of disentangling carbon nanotubes from a mixture and purifying them into separate species of the same electronic type. More than 20 short DNA...
Human egg cells grow to maturity in lab
CHICAGO, July 13 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists say they have grown immature human egg cells to near maturity in a laboratory.
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
U.S.-Mexico border wall may hurt wildlife … Canine genes aid human cancer discovery … Fish was major part of early human diet … Molecule detects, treats prostate cancer ... Health/Science...
Arizona researchers to sequence West African rice strain
A $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation will allow University of Arizona researchers to unlock the genetic code of West African cultivated rice - and along the way...
Canine genes aid human cancer discovery
RALEIGH, N.C., July 13 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered a gene believed to be involved in meningiomas tumors might not be as major a factor as...
Fish was major part of early human diet
ST. LOUIS, July 13 (UPI) -- A U.S.-led international team of scientists says it has produced the first direct evidence of substantial fish consumption by early modern humans...
Orangutan escapes in Australian zoo
Officials at an Australian zoo say a clever orangutan used a rope to swing out of its enclosure and enjoy a brief taste of freedom.
Insight Into Mechanism Underlying Huntington's Disease
Researchers have gained new insight into the genetic mechanisms underlying Huntington's disease and other trinucleotide repeat (TNR) disorders, identifying a novel DNA repair pathway that specifically targets TNR hairpin removal...
Cats 'exploit' humans by purring
Cats use "soliciting purrs" to manipulate their owners in order to get attention and food, researchers suggest.
Glimpsing the birth of our earliest reproductive cells
It has long been a mystery how the developing embryo designates those rare, precious cells destined to produce sperm and eggs -- enabling us to have offspring - since these...
Tiny fraction of EU budget safeguards wildlife
Europe risks a rising wave of wildlife extinctions as it continues to massively under-resource and under-enforce nature and wildlife protection, WWF said today following the release of a report by...
Technique improves bacteria identification
BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany, July 13 (UPI) -- German researchers say they have developed a method of better identifying various strains of bacteria
Happier, healthier, more productive hens on omega-3?
Most of us are aware of the potential health benefits of omega-3 found in fish oil and flax seed. Now researchers are looking at how omega-3 may help laying...