Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Loss of world's seagrass beds seen accelerating
MIAMI (Reuters) - The world's seagrass meadows, a critical habitat for marine life and profit-maker for the fishing industry, are in decline due to coastal development and the losses are...
Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer
Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumours, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of...
Scientific System Accurately Predicts Spread Of H1N1
A new scientific system designed to rapidly evaluate the world's air traffic patterns, accurately predicted how the H1N1 virus would spread around the world.
Little-known Marine Decomposers Attract The Attention Of Genome Sequencers
Scientists will sequence the genomes of four species of labyrinthulomycetes. These little-known marine species were selected for sequencing as the result of a proposal submitted to the competitive JGI Community...
Straighten Up and Fly Right: Moths Benefit More from Flexible Wings than Rigid
New research using high-speed digital imaging shows that, at least for some insects, wings that flex and deform, something like what happens to a heavy beach towel when you snap...
Toxic chemicals affect steroid hormones differently in humans and invertebrates
In a study with important consequences for studies on the effects of chemicals on steroid responses in humans, a team of French and American scientists, including Michael E. Baker, PhD,...
Study Of Flower Color Shows Evolution In Action
Scientists at UC Santa Barbara have zeroed in on the genes responsible for changing flower color, an area of research that began with Gregor Mendel's studies of the garden pea...
Flies avoid a plant's poison using a newly identified taste mechanism
Many plants protect themselves from hungry animals by producing toxic chemicals. In turn, animals rely on detecting the presence of these harmful chemicals to avoid consuming dangerous plant material. A...
Water should be a human right
In this months PLoS Medicine Editorial, the editors argue that - despite recent international objections - access to clean water should be recognised as a human right...
Gene map aims to combat blood flukes
The first microsatellite-based genetic linkage map has been published for Schistosoma mansoni, a blood fluke that is known to infect over 90 million people in Africa, the Middle East and...
Birds with a nose for a difference
Avoidance of inbreeding is evident amongst humans, and has been demonstrated in some shorebirds, mice and sand lizards. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology now report...
Scientists Tackle Viral Mysteries
A recent study focuses on the intersection of these two scientific puzzles, resulting in new discoveries about how one herpes virus known to cause cancer may reactivate when the infected...
Dark side of the sun
As a specialist in skin disorders and cancers, Dr. Janellen Smith sees firsthand what too much sun can do. Sunburns and accelerated skin aging are common results, but excessive sun...
Ladybird 'risk to 1,000 species'
The invasive Harlequin ladybird is putting over 1,000 species in the UK in peril, according to scientists.
Hybrid "Superpredator" Invading California Ponds
Mating between a native salamander and an introduced species has created a monster—at least for animals that dwell in the ponds of California's Salinas River Valley.
Desert Dust Alters Ecology of Colorado Alpine Meadows
(PhysOrg.com) -- Accelerated snowmelt--precipitated by desert dust blowing into the mountains--changes how alpine plants respond to seasonal climate cues that regulate their life cycles, according to results of a new...
Saving (Just the Popular) Species
Saving species has become a popularity contest that favors "the furry, the feathered, the famous and the edible."
Extending the shelf life of antibody drugs
Antibody treatments are the most rapidly growing class of drugs, but their relatively short shelf life can be a problem. A computer model developed at MIT aims to help scientists...
NEW SPECIES PHOTO: Thumb-Size Bat Found in Lava Tunnel
Pictured during a steamy moment, two apparently mating African bats are each no bigger than a human thumb, scientists report.
Research Finds Bodybuilders With Similar Body Image Concerns, Whether or Not They Use Steroids
When it comes to characteristics associated with muscle dysmorphia, there is no difference between bodybuilders who use steroids and those who do not, a University of Arkansas researcher found.
Safer stem cells for therapy
(PhysOrg.com) -- When stem cell researchers in Japan and the United States announced in 2007 that they had developed long-sought methods to return fully developed adult human cells to an...
Reintroducing Bonobo Apes Into The Wild: Researchers To Monitor Progress
American researchers who have been studying the rare and threatened bonobo ape will lead monitoring efforts after a group of orphan bonobos are returned to the wild in the Congo...
Microtubules Might Be Responsible For Some Cases Of The Neurological Disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Stalled microtubules might be responsible for some cases of the neurological disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. A mutant protein makes the microtubules too stable to perform their jobs, the researchers find.
New York to pay stem-cell egg donors
ROCHESTER, N.Y., June 29 (UPI) -- Beginning next year, scientists in New York state can use taxpayer funds to pay women who donate their eggs for stem cell...
Oscar Pistorius: Previously confidential study results released on amputee sprinter
Dallas, TX (June 29, 2009) -- A team of experts in biomechanics and physiology that conducted experiments on Oscar Pistorius, the South African bilateral amputee track athlete, have just published...
New biomarker method could increase the number of diagnostic tests for cancer
A team of researchers, including several from UCSF, has demonstrated that a new method for detecting and quantifying protein biomarkers in body fluids may ultimately make it possible to screen...
Ebola infection blocked in cell experiment
GALVESTON, Texas, June 29 (UPI) -- University of Texas scientists say they have blocked Ebola infections in cell culture experiments, an achievement that may lead to a therapy...
Peptic Ulcer Bacterium Alters The Body's Defense System
Helicobacter pylori survives in the body by manipulating important immune system cells. The discovery may lead to new treatments against the common peptic ulcer bacterium.