Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Chinese researchers find way to make pig stem cells
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Researchers have found a way to transform ordinary cells from pigs into powerful stem cells in a move that may have implications for human health.
Hitting where it hurts: Exploiting cancer cell 'addiction' may lead to new therapies
A new study uncovers a gene expression signature that reliably identifies cancer cells whose survival is dependent on a common signaling pathway, even when the cells contain multiple other genetic...
Unstated Assumptions Color Arctic Sovereignty Claims
Settling the growing debate over ownership of Arctic Ocean resources is complicated by the fact that the various countries involved have different understandings of the geography of the place, one...
Scientists Engineer Cellular Circuits That Count Events
Engineers have designed cells that can count and "remember" cellular events, using simple circuits in which a series of genes are activated in a specific order.
Why Can We Talk? 'Humanized' Mice Speak Volumes About Evolutionary Past
Mice carrying a "humanized version" of a gene believed to influence speech and language may not actually talk, but they nonetheless do have a lot to say about our evolutionary...
Healthy skin crawls with bacteria
WASHINGTON, May 30 (UPI) -- The estimated 1,000 species of bacteria inhabiting healthy human skin are likely necessary for proper body functioning, researchers said.
Blue Whale Discovered Singing In New York Coastal Waters
For the very first time in New York coastal waters, the voices of singing blue whales have been positively identified. Acoustic experts confirmed that the voice of a singing blue...
NASA satellite detects red glow to map global ocean plant health
Researchers have conducted the first global analysis of the health and productivity of ocean plants, as revealed by a unique signal detected by a NASA satellite. Ocean scientists can now...
Study finds unexpected bacterial diversity on human skin
The health of our skin - one of the body's first lines of defence against illness and injury - depends upon the delicate balance between our own cells and the...
Study May Aid Efforts To Prevent Uncontrolled Cell Division In Cancer
Researchers have uncovered a remarkable property of the contractile ring, a structure required for cell division. Understanding how the contractile ring works to divide the cell may facilitate development of...
Immunologists Identify Biochemical Signals That Help Immune Cells Remember How To Fight Infection
Immunology researchers have discovered how two biochemical signals play unique roles in promoting the development of a group of immune cells employed as tactical assassins.
Completely Different Way Of Looking For A New Antibiotic
Researchers have built a method of looking for molecules that will disturb the balance between them, offering a completely different way of looking for a new antibiotic that would be...
University of Idaho Is a Natural Selection for Evolution 2009
The University of Idaho will host 2009 Evolution, a conference featuring more than 600 presentations and 200 posters on current and previously unreleased research, eight sponsored symposia synthesizing entire research...
Researchers Find Tools Needed To Build a Cellular Shredder
(PhysOrg.com) -- Yale University researchers have discovered a set of cellular chaperones needed to assemble a proteasome, the cellular workhorse that recycles proteins and is crucial for the existence of...
Extensive toolkits give chimps a taste of honey
Central African apes use sets of as many as five modified sticks to extract snacks from hives
Cancer cells need normal, nonmutated genes to survive
Corrupt lifestyles and vices go hand in hand; each feeds the other. But even the worst miscreant needs customary societal amenities to get by. It's the same with cancer cells....
Britain adds cuckoo to endangered species
LONDON, May 28 (UPI) -- The cuckoo has joined Britain's "red list" of endangered birds, researchers said Thursday.
Rare Madagascan tortoises stolen
Four of the world's rarest tortoises have been stolen from a captive breeding programme in Madagascar.
Roommate assignments key in increasing interracial college friendships
White students generally increased their number of interracial friendships during their first year of college, while black students showed a slight decrease, according to a study at one highly selective...
For Different Species, Different Functions For Embryonic MicroRNAs
When evolution has lucked into efficient solutions for life's most fundamental problems, it adopts them as invaluable family heirlooms, passing them down as one species evolves into another. So it...
Team develops DNA compounds that could help treat lupus
A research team led by a University of Iowa investigator has generated DNA-like compounds that effectively inhibit the cells responsible for systemic lupus erythematosus - the most common and serious...
Robot fish ready to swim
Researchers have developed a robotic fish with artificial muscles, and it is nimble enough to check water quality in confined spaces.
Aphids take a walk for the cameras
Aphids and albatrosses might have more in common than meets the eye, according to scientists writing today in the journal Interface. By studying aphids' every move, British scientists have revealed...
New department reflects the evolution of human evolution
Earlier this month, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) made official what scientists worldwide have known for years: Harvard is a hotbed of research and teaching in the field...
Hippo popped up on us: BBC presenter's close encounter
A BBC presenter has had a close encounter with a dangerous wild hippo, which cornered him on a river in South Africa.
Are these the deadliest creatures on Earth?
Producers of the CBBC programme Deadly 60 suggest their "top 10" deadliest creatures on Earth.
Test Tube Babies On the Rise Worldwide
More and more individuals seem to be relying on assisted reproductive technologies.
Investigating The Development Of Mechanosensitivity
Researchers have gained crucial insight into how mechanosensitivity arises. By measuring electrical impulses in the sensory neurons of mice, neurobiologists and pain researchers were able to directly elucidate, for the...