Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Not One, But Two Kinds Of Males Found In Invasive Round Goby Fish
Scientists have found the existence of two types of males of a fiercely invasive fish spreading through the Great Lakes, which may provide answers as to how they rapidly reproduce.
Mean new microRNA data analysis method gives sharper results
Our understanding of the importance of microRNAs in regulating gene expression is expanding, and with it our requirement for robust methods to measure their expression levels. Now a new method...
The downside of microtubule stability
Stalled microtubules might be responsible for some cases of the neurological disorder Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, Tanabe and Takei report in the 15 June issue of the Journal of Cell Biology...
Aussie and Kiwi researchers make double MS genetic discovery
Australian and New Zealand researchers have accelerated research into Multiple Sclerosis by discovering two new locations of genes which will help to unravel the causes of MS and other autoimmune...
Protein regulates movement of mitochondria in brain cells
Scientists have identified a protein in the brain that plays a key role in the function of mitochondria - the part of the cell that supplies energy, supports cellular activity,...
Gene evolution process discovered
One of the mechanisms governing how our physical features and behavioural traits have evolved over centuries has been discovered by researchers at the University of Leeds...
A tiny frozen microbe may hold clues to extraterrestrial life
A novel bacterium that has been trapped more than three kilometres under glacial ice in Greenland for over 120 000 years, may hold clues as to what life forms might...
An effective target of biological therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma
It has been shown that constitutively activated STAT3 is detected in many HCC cell lines and tissues. This suggests that STAT3 is a promising molecular target for HCC gene therapy....
Basis for potato blight control becomes visible
Potato blight, false mildew, sudden oak death and a disease in salmon are all caused by a group of miniscule, yet destructive, organisms called Oomycetes. Because of their changeability and...
Advance in understanding cellulose synthesis
Cellulose is a fibrous molecule that makes up plant cell walls, gives plants shape and form and is a target of renewable, plant-based biofuels research. But how it forms, and...
Dairy farms use less land, feed and water
ITHACA, N.Y., June 15 (UPI) -- A U.S. study finds dairy genetics, nutrition, herd management and animal welfare improvements have resulted in a streamlined milk production system.
A second chance for dangerous T-cells
The immune system's T-cells react to foreign protein fragments and therefore are crucial to combating viruses and bacteria. Errant cells that attack the body's own material are in most cases...
Herbal tea gives hope to diabetics
Could a tea made from bitter oranges and the leaves of an African tree help curb diabetes?
Two Signals -- From Within And Out Of Cell -- Specify Motor Neuron Differentiation
Two signals -- an external one from retinoic acid and an internal one from the transcription factor Neurogenin2 -- cooperate to activate chromatin (the basic material of chromosomes), and help...
Good news and bad for dad this Father's Day
It was long believed that conception does not involve a meeting of equals. The egg is a relatively large, impressive biological factory compared with the tiny sperm, which delivers to...
Novel discovery in dendritic cell signalling pathways pave the way for new therapeutic targets
Scientists from A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) and the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, have discovered another signaling pathway for the activation and apoptosis, or programmed cell death, of dendritic cells....
Protein Linked To Alzheimer's Disease Doesn't Act Alone
Neuroscientists are steadily uncovering the role that amyloid precursor protein (APP) -- the protein implicated in development of Alzheimer's disease -- plays in normal brain function. They have discovered that...
New test tells eggs apart
A new test can tell the difference between eggs from caged hens and those from free-range and organic hen by using isotope analysis.
Ginkgo biloba works as pesticide
Ginkgo biloba, a memory-enhancing supplement, has the potential to work as an organic and natural pest control method, research has found.
The cephalopods can hear you
The discovery that octopi and squid can hear raises interesting questions about the behaviour of these intelligent creatures.
Queen goes green with Buckingham Palace vegetables
The Queen is the proud owner of an allotment. The royal sustainable vegetable patch has been dug inside the 40-acre grounds of Buckingham Palace.
Closing The Gaps In The Human Genome
Sequence gaps in human chromosome 15 have been closed by the application of 454 technology. Researchers have described a simple and scalable method for finishing nonstructural gaps in genome assemblies.
Fungus Species Traced Using The Internet
Studying the ecology and distribution of plants does not take place solely in the forest. A new way of searching in scientific databases has enabled researchers to discover kinship between...
Evolution Can Occur In Less Than 10 Years, Guppy Study Finds
How fast can evolution take place? In just a few years, according to a new study on guppies. Researchers found that guppies introduced to a low-predation environment adapted to their...
HIV-1's 'Hijacking Mechanism' Pinpointed
Researchers may have found a chink in the armor of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), the microorganism which causes AIDS.
New UPLB corn variety named after DA Secretary
In simple rites held at the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB), UP Los Baños yesterday June 10, Dr. Artemio Salazar, together with UPLB officials led by Chancellor Luis Rey I....
Sick sea critters aided by Marine Mammal Center
(AP) -- A recent surge in weakened and malnourished sea lions found along the Northern California coast is mystifying scientists and keeping workers hopping at the newly expanded Marine...
New era of gene-based 'personalized medicine' dawning
Six years ago, scientists announced the completion of the Human Genome Project, a historic effort to decipher each of the 3 billion letters in the genetic instruction book for our...