Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Gene For Deadly Inherited Lung Disease Identified
A rare, deadly developmental disorder of the lungs called alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACD/MPV) that usually kills the infants born with it within the first month...
Beehive Fence Deters Elephant Raiders
A fence made out of beehives wired together has been shown to significantly reduce crop raids by elephants, Oxford University scientists report.
At long last, how plants make eggs
A long-standing mystery surrounding a fundamental process in plant biology has been solved by a team of scientists at the University of California, Davis...
High population density triggers cultural explosions
Increasing population density, rather than boosts in human brain power, appears to have catalysed the emergence of modern human behaviour, according to a new study by UCL (University College London)...
Tiny protein-activator responsible for brain cell damage in Huntington disease
Johns Hopkins brain scientists have figured out why a faulty protein accumulates in cells everywhere in the bodies of people with Huntington's disease (HD), but only kills cells in the...
Sleuths follow lung stem cells for generations to shed light on healing
More than one kind of stem cell is required to support the upkeep and repair of the lungs, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell...
Birds use social learning to enhance nest defence
Reed warblers live with the threat that a cuckoo bird will infiltrate their nest, remove one of their eggs, and replace it with the cuckoo's own. This 'parasitism' enables the...
Boy or girl? In lizards, egg size matters
Whether baby lizards will turn out to be male or female is a more complicated question than scientists would have ever guessed, according to a new report published online on...
Different Genes Cause Loss Of Body Parts -- Pelvis And Body Armor -- In Similar Fish
New research shows that when two species of stickleback fish evolved and lost their pelvises and body armor, the changes were caused by different genes in each species. That surprised...
How Adrenal Cancer Forms: Dysfunctional Telomeres Can Trigger Cancer Mutations
When telomeres -- the bits of DNA at the end of chromosomes -- become dysfunctional, it can trigger cancer, researchers have found. The study was done in a mouse model...
Researchers Solve 'Bloodcurdling' Mystery: Molecular Basis For Regulation Of Blood Clotting
By applying cutting-edge techniques in single-molecule manipulation, researchers have uncovered a fundamental feedback mechanism that the body uses to regulate the clotting of blood. The finding has implications for the...
Illegal Fishing Harming Present And Future New England Groundfish Fisheries
Weak enforcement combined with fishermen facing serious economic hardships are leading to widespread violations of fisheries regulations along the Northeastern United States coast. This pattern of noncompliance threatens the success...
Huntington’s protein may have a crony
Experiments in lab dishes could explain why only some neurons in the brain are vulnerable to the disease
Reconstructing the evolution of laughter in great apes and humans
Like human infants, young apes are known to hoot and holler when you tickle them. But is it fair to say that those playful calls are really laughter? The answer...
Agricultural genetics could help ensure food security
Translating genetics research is easier in agriculture than medicine, says a Nature Genetics editorial, and existing technologies can be used.
How animals laugh
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Researchers say they can graph the evolution of a laugh by tickling babies and several species of apes — and then quantifying their giggles.
Tickling apes reveals laughter’s origins
Chimps, bonobos and others enjoy the sensation and let out sounds to prove it
Molecular Complex Essential For Vision Identified In Fungi
Researchers have identified one of the protein components of a molecular complex that allows light reception in a laboratory fungus.
Scientists develop easy ways to spot banana disease
Scientists have developed effective methods for identifying banana wilt, a disease that is destroying crops in East Africa.
Patenting human genes thwarts research, scientists say
Rapid advances in biology and genetics are raising fresh concerns about the spreading practice of patenting human genes.
Afghanistan releases its first-ever list of protected species
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today that the Afghanistan's National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA), in an effort to safeguard its natural heritage, has released the country's first-ever list of...
Forensic Anthropologists Assist in Study of Rwanda's Endangered Mountain Gorillas
Forensic anthropologists from the University of Indianapolis are among a team of U.S. scientists who are assisting the Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks in creating a repository where...
Cloning Hair to Fight Baldness
Surgical solutions for restoring lush locks have always involved a painful trade-off — transplanting hairs from the rear of your head to the top could leave you thin in the...
'Shock and kill' research gives new hope for HIV-1 eradication
Latent HIV genes can be 'smoked out' of human cells. The so-called 'shock and kill' technique, described in a preclinical study in BioMed Central's open access journal Retrovirology, might represent...
Powerful Ideas: Electronics Grown by Germs
Ancient germs that hunt bacteria are now getting recruited to assemble the electronics of the future.
Never Trust a Hungry Monkey
South American primates fake predator warning calls to steal food
Microscopic marvels: Magnifying power
New microscopes are revealing sights that have never been seen before. profiles five machines that are changing how biologists view the world.
Mouse patent sparks 'uncivil' spat
Academic institutes lock horns in legal action over mutant mice.