Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Molecular Powerbrokers Involved In Cancer's Spread
Scientists have known for some time that biological molecules interact with one another in a similarly complex pattern. Now researchers have determined that hamstringing these molecular powerbrokers is a good...
Arctic Mammals Didn't Fear the Dark
Despite 6 months of blackness, the ancient north was the place to be
MR protein controls synapse development
COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., June 4 (UPI) -- U.S. neuroscientists say they have determined a signaling protein linked to mental retardation also controls synapse maturation and plasticity.
Mice created to exhibit infantile spasms
PHILADELPHIA, June 4 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have created a line of genetically engineered mice that experience seizures similar to infantile spasms so that new treatments can be...
Don't mistake an athlete for a 'toxic jock'
A rose by any other name is still a rose, but is an athlete by another name... a jock? 'The terms 'athlete' and 'jock' are sometimes used interchangeably, but they...
Pigs offer new stem cell source
Chinese scientists give cells from adult pigs the ability to turn into any human tissue, just like embryonic stem cells.
Study advances regenerative medicine
LA JOLLA, Calif., June 2 (UPI) -- U.S. and Spanish scientists say they have proven, in principle, that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination...
Temporary Infidelity May Contribute To Stability Of Ancient Relationships
Partner switching between fungus farming ants and their fungal clones during nest establishment may contribute to the stability of this long-term mutualistic relationship.
Deep brain stimulation a puzzling process
Puzzling process Surprisingly little is known about how deep brain stimulation works, in spite of the fact that tens of thousands of Parkinson's and other movement disorder...
MicroRNAs grease the cell's circadian clockwork
Most of our cells possess an internal clock, a group of genes displaying a cyclic expression pattern that reaches a peak once a day. A large number of circadian genes...
Time series identify population responses to climate change
Biologists have for several years modelled how different species are likely to respond to climate change. Most such studies ignore differences between populations within a species and the interactions between...
Scientists explain how 'death receptors' designed to kill our cells may make them stronger
It turns out that from the perspective of cell biology, Nietzsche may have been right after all: that which does not kill us does make us stronger.
Wiping out the world's mass migrations
Densely packed wildebeests flowing over the Serengeti, bison teeming across the Northern Plains?these iconic images extend from Hollywood epics to the popular imagination. But the fact is, all of the...
Project to define key stages of human ageing
Aston University in Birmingham, UK, is one of 27 partners involved in a EUR 12m project that is set to identify and establish biomarkers which recognise the key stages of...
Opinion: Genome analysis: the global bottleneck
DNA sequencing for large genomes, including the bovine genome sequencing project, is becoming easier, cheaper - and more competitive. Professor David Adelson, of the University of Adelaide, writes about what...
Root of the problem: can plants recognise themselves?
The finding raises the tantalising possibility that plants, just like animals, often prefer to help their relatives over unrelated individuals.
Cuckoo Joins List Of Threatened Birds
The latest assessment of the status of all of the UK's 246 regularly occurring birds -- Birds of Conservation Concern 3 -- shows 52 are now of the highest conservation...
Ubisoft's madcap 'Rabbids' breeding US fans
French videogame titan Ubisoft is turning E3 into a playground for "Rabbids," madcap videogame rabbits breeding fans throughout Europe and the United States.
Scientists solve poppy puzzle with new gene discovery
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have identified an elusive male gene in the field poppy that stops self - fertilisation, a mechanism that prevents inbreeding, and promotes greater genetic...
The Forest Dumbledore
An insect physiologist conjures a riot of life from what the less attuned might see as just a standard Northern woodlot.
Move to Redefine New England Fishing
After more than a decade of growing tensions with federal regulators, fishermen have backed a new system based on group quotas instead of restrictions on individuals.
Illegal Trade In Vietnam's Marine Turtles Continues Despite National Ban
Marine turtles are vanishing from Viet Nam's waters and illegal trade is largely to blame says a new study.
Genetic Profiling Reveals Genes Active In The Earliest Brain Circuit Construction
Long before the brain's neurons can facilitate life's big decisions, they have to find their own destiny in the rapidly developing embryo. In the lingo of neurobiologists, they are "fated"...
Dozens of whales beach on South African shore
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) -- Scientists decided to kill more than 30 beached whales that resisted frantic efforts to push them back out to sea...
Wikipedia blocks Scientology from altering entries
Wikipedia has blocked the Church of Scientology from editing entries at the communally-crafted online encyclopedia due to an unrelenting battle over the group's image.
Fallow Deer Become Hoarse In The Hunt For A Mate
Fallow deer become hoarse when trying to attract a mate, according to scientists.
Does Heliocare combat the sun's rays?
The pill may help protect against UV damage, but it's no substitute for sunscreen. ...
One of the most elusive big cats, the jaguar, gives up some secrets
A tracking study of the elusive jaguar has finally revealed how often females give birth in the wild