Latest science news in Biology & Nature
West Africa caught in 'megadrought' cycle
Extreme droughts have been common in West Africa over the last 3,000 years, scientists have found, so preparation is needed for the next one.
Honeybees don't fall for cheap perfume
Fragrant spring flowers and floral perfumes are possible thanks to the discriminating scent sense of honeybees, suggests a new study that found the buzzing pollinators could be driving flowers to...
Observatory: Hairs Provide Clues to Shifts in Elephant Diet
For certain animals, the ratio of isotopes of carbon and other elements in the hair can indicate whether the animals are eating grasses or trees and shrubs and how the...
Imaging Reveals Abnormalities In Pathways Connecting Brain Areas In Those With Writer's Cramp
Abnormalities in the fibers connecting different brain areas may contribute to muscle disorders such as writer's cramp, according to a new report.
Plant gene mapping may lead to better biofuel production
By creating a 'family tree' of genes expressed in one form of woody plant and a less woody, herbaceous species, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory...
Mimicry At Molecular Level Protects Genome Integrity
Mimicry is common in nature, where it is used as a key survival mechanism. Now scientists have discovered molecular mimicry in a genetic integrity pathway, which is implicated in many...
Study may aid fast track vaccine creation
HANOVER, N.H., April 14 (UPI) -- In what's described as a genetic leap, U.S. researchers have discovered how to destroy a key DNA pathway in a widespread human...
Colon Cancer Shuts Down Receptor That Could Shut It Down
Though a high-fiber diet has long been considered good for you and beneficial in staving off colon cancer, researchers have discovered a reason why: roughage activates a receptor with cancer-killing...
Fish researcher demonstrates first 'non-visual feeding' by African cichlids
Most fish rely primarily on their vision to find prey to feed upon, but a University of Rhode Island biologist and her colleagues have demonstrated that a group of African...
Creating ideal neural cells for clinical use
Investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have developed a protocol to rapidly differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into neural progenitor cells that may be ideal for...
Vital Signs: Risk: Astronauts’ Muscles Age Quickly in Space
A healthy astronaut who spends an extended amount of time at the International Space Station may return to earth with muscles rivaling those of an 80-year-old.
Study gathers best science on heart-healthy foods
(AP) -- What we know for sure about diet and what protects the heart is a relatively short list.
Q & A: Heartfelt Changes
After years of a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, will shifting to a healthy diet with fiber, fruit and vegetables repair some of the damage to blood vessels?
'Taco shell' protein: Orientation of middle man in photosynthetic bacteria described
(PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have figured out the orientation of a protein in the antenna complex to its neighboring membrane in a photosynthetic bacterium, a...
DNA 'tricked' to act as nano-building blocks
(PhysOrg.com) -- McGill researchers have succeeded in finding a new way to manufacture nanotubes, one of the important building blocks of the nanotechnology of the future. Their building material? Biological...
Modification Of Mutant Huntingtin Protein Increases Its Clearance From Brain Cells
A new study has identified a potential strategy for removing the abnormal protein that causes Huntington's disease from brain cells, which could slow the progression of the devastating neurological disorder....
Deadly Parasite's Rare Sexual Dalliances May Help Scientists Neutralize It
For years, one microbiologist has tried to get the disease-causing parasite Leishmania in the mood for love. In a new study, he and colleagues report that they may have finally...
Up to 2,000 New Orangutans Found on Borneo
The rare, tree-dwelling apes have been discovered in the island's hard-to-develop limestone forests, conservationists announced.
SIRT1 takes down tumors
Yuan et al. have identified another anti-cancer effect of the "longevity" protein SIRT1. By speeding the destruction of the tumor promoter c-Myc, SIRT1 curbs cell division. The study will be...
HIV pays a price for invisibility
Mutations that help HIV hide from the immune system undermine the virus's ability to replicate, show an international team of researchers in the April 13 issue of the Journal of...
Do zoo programs help save endangered species?
Do zoos have serious programs to save endangered species, besides putting a few captives on display for everyone to see? (Kelly Traw, Seattle)
It's The Metal In The Mussel That Gives Mussels Their Muscle Power
Researchers in California are reporting for the first time that metals are key ingredients that give the coatings of anchoring byssal threads of marine mussels their amazing durability. The study...
When cancer cells can't let go
Like a climber scaling a rock face, a migrating cancer cell has to keep a tight grip on the surface but also let go at the right moment to move...
Young sponges seek light
Researchers have found that young sea sponges swim towards light and 'remember' its location, despite having no brain or nervous system.
Female mammals may not have finite number of eggs, study finds
Chinese research challenges a basic assumption in biology and shows that adults can harbor primitive cells in ovaries that can become new eggs. ...
Scientists find 'pleasure nerves'
Scientists in the US and Sweden say they understand more about how the body responds to pleasurable touch.
Mass Spec Technique Analyzes Defensive Chemicals On Seaweed Surfaces For Potential Drugs
A new analytical technique is helping scientists learn how organisms as simple as seaweed can mount complex chemical defenses to protect themselves from microbial threats such as fungus. The technique...
Diseased Cartilage Harbors Unique Migratory Progenitor Cells
A new study finds previously unidentified fibrocartilage-forming progenitor cells in degenerating, diseased human cartilage, but not in cartilage from healthy joints. The research provides valuable insights into the reparative potential...