Latest science news in Biology & Nature
In The Turf War Against Seaweed, Coral Reefs More Resilient Than Expected
There's little doubt that coral reefs the world over face threats on many fronts: pollution, diseases, destructive fishing practices and warming oceans. But reefs appear to be more resistant to...
Saved By Junk DNA: Vital Role In The Evolution Of Human Genome
Stretches of DNA previously believed to be useless 'junk' DNA play a vital role in the evolution of our genome, researchers have now shown. They found that unstable pieces of...
Dying To Play Video Games, Except Not Really
Carbon monoxide poisoning and video games don't mix.
Discoveries Upend Traditional Thinking About How Plants Make Certain Compounds
Plant scientists have identified two new genes and two new enzymes in tomato plants. Those findings led them to discover that the plants were making monoterpenes, compounds that help give...
In Rare Disease, A Familiar Protein Disrupts Gene Function
Scientists studying a rare genetic disease discovered that a bundle of proteins with the long-established function of keeping chromosomes together also plays an important role in regulating genes in humans....
New Giant Lemur Species Discovered
A third species of the extinct giant lemurs has been discovered in northwest Madagascar, the first addition to the group in more than 100 years.
Capturing the birth of a synapse
Researchers have identified the locking mechanism that allows some neurons to form synapses to pass along essential information. Mutations of genes that produce a critical cell-adhesion molecule involved in the...
Green Tea Extract Shows Promise In Leukemia Trials
Researchers are reporting positive results in early leukemia clinical trials using the chemical epigallocatechin gallate, an active ingredient in green tea.
'Disordered' amino acids may have an unexpected biological role
Sections of proteins previously thought to be disordered may in fact have an unexpected biological role - providing certain proteins room to move - according to a study published by...
Viruses are sneakier than we thought
Viruses are molecular marauders, plundering cells for the resources they need to multiply. Of central importance for viruses is the ability to commandeer cellular gene expression machinery. Several human herpesviruses...
Caffeic acid inhibits colitis in a mouse model - is a drug-metabolising gene crucial?
Researchers at Iowa State University have found that increased expression of a form of cytochrome P-450 (CYP4B1) is a key marker of inhibition of colitis in mice by caffeic acid,...
Climate change threatens endangered honeycreepers
As climate change causes temperatures to increase in Hawaii's mountains, deadly non-native bird diseases will likely also creep up the mountains, invading most of the last disease-free refuges for honeycreepers...
Researchers gain ground in efforts to fight parasite infection
New findings by researchers UT Southwestern Medical Centre are accelerating efforts to eradicate worm infections that afflict a third of the world's population...
Alexander G. Bearn, Pioneer in Genetic Disease, Dies at 86
Dr. Bearn was a physician and scientist whose research on a rare liver disease in the 1950s helped lay the groundwork for the field of human biochemical genetics.
Organic Acids, Plant Extracts and Irradiation Combine to Beat the Bacteria
A mixture of some organic acids and some extracts from plants turns out to be enough to greatly reduce pathogenic bacteria on chicken breast meat.
Plant Min Protein Sits Tight And Rescues E. Coli
A protein vital for correct chloroplast division in plants is able to take on a similar role in bacterial cells, according to new research. The Arabidopsis thaliana Min protein (AtMinD)...
Shellfish face an uncertain future in a high CO2 world
Overfishing and disease have decimated shellfish populations in many of the world's temperate estuarine and coastal ecosystems.
PHOTO: Glowing Sea Animal Mystery Solved?
Green fluorescent proteins in some primitive sea creatures may act as antioxidants that protect animals in times of illness or stress, a new study says.
Right Whales Return to Former Killing Ground
The distinctive calls of North Atlantic right whales have been detected off Greenland, a hopeful sign for the recovery of the rare species.
New Needle So Tiny It "Injects" Meds Into Cell Organs
A thousand times thinner than a human hair, the new gold-plated nanoneedle can deliver molecules directly to organs smaller than cells, a new study says.
Mountain lion killed after escape at Kansas zoo
Officials at a Kansas zoo are trying to figure out how a 150-pound mountain lion escaped from its enclosure.
Franklin's bumble bee may be extinct
(PhysOrg.com) -- Native pollinator specialist Robbin Thorp, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of California, Davis, just returned from a scientific trip to southern Oregon and Northern California to...
The evolution of gene regulation
Even microbes are governed by the principle of supply and demand – at least at the genetic level. Not all of their gene products, the blueprints for proteins, are required...
How Does The Human Brain Work? New Ways To Better Understand How Our Brain Processes Information
How does the human brain process information? Researchers explore new methodologies that shed light on this age-old mystery. The human brain is perhaps the most complex of organs, boasting between...
Key Protein May Explain The Anti-aging And Anti-cancer Benefits Of Dietary Restriction
A protein that plays a key role in tumor formation, oxygen metabolism and inflammation is involved in a pathway that extends lifespan by dietary restriction. The finding provides a new...
Salt nanowire surprise
Normally brittle salt crystals can be pulled into nanowires that extend by more than twice their own length without breaking
Tracking Salmon in the Barents Sea
Researchers uncover past salmon populations in the Barents Sea by using the historical records of a Russian monastery.
Socialites and Curmudgeons: Two Brain Types
Socialites and curmudgeons not only have different party demeanors, they may also have different brain structures.