‘Boring’ fungus finally gets a name

U. MICHIGAN (US) — A fungus that’s been lurking underground for millions of years—known only through its DNA—has been cultured, photographed, named, and assigned a place on the tree of life. Continue…

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 12:33 - 0 Comments

Health & Medicine - Jul 12, 2011 10:41 - 0 Comments

Zinc safety net missing in diabetes

U. MICHIGAN (US) — A protein that normally pitches in to help with blood sugar regulation shows its dark side in people with type 2 diabetes, forming dense clumps that shut down insulin-producing cells. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jul 12, 2011 9:04 - 0 Comments

Finicky neurons get all fired up

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Neurons are very good at what they do, picking out signals from a flood of information with more finesse than anyone ever realized, new research shows. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 6, 2011 13:13 - 0 Comments

It’s alive! Extinct snail found in Alabama

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Using century-old reference specimens, scientists have discovered a freshwater limpet not seen for more than 60 years in a tributary in the heavily dammed Coosa River in Alabama. (more…)

Science & Technology - Mar 1, 2011 11:39 - 0 Comments

Mating mites caught in sex switch-up

U. MICHIGAN (US) — A 40 million-year-old moment of passion between two mites—preserved in Baltic amber—offers evidence that the females were clearly in control. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Feb 17, 2011 15:02 - 2 Comments

Warming shifts insect-plant interaction

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Global warming and the associated higher carbon dioxide levels may affect plant evolution by altering the selection pressure that insects exert on plants. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 14, 2011 16:09 - 0 Comments

Spy infiltrates designer bacteria

U. MICHIGAN (US) — A newly-discovered molecular assistant has the capability to help bacteria excel at producing proteins for medical and industrial purposes. (more…)

With a twist, DNA changes shape

U. MICHIGAN / UC IRVINE (US) — On rare occasions, DNA ditches the familiar double helix and twists into a different shape. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 18, 2011 16:10 - 0 Comments

Sensor can tell if antibiotics are working

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Treating bacterial infections could be much faster with a new biosensor that can determine in minutes—rather than days—which antibiotic will be most effective. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Nov 12, 2010 16:33 - 0 Comments

Playing pertussis blame game

U. MICHIGAN (US) — Strategies for preventing the spread of whooping cough should take into account how often people in different age groups interact. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Oct 27, 2010 12:45 - 0 Comments

A planet with no backbone?

U. MICHIGAN (US) — One-fifth of the world’s vertebrate species are threatened with extinction, but the situation would be worse if not for current global conservation efforts, according to an international study in Science Express. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Sep 6, 2010 23:42 - 0 Comments

Pest control à la nature on coffee farm

U. MICHIGAN (US)—A 10-year study of an organic coffee farm in Mexico has uncovered a web of intricate interactions that buffers the farm against extreme outbreaks of pests and diseases. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 1, 2010 13:59 - 1 Comment

Front row seat to ultrafast chemical reaction

U. MICHIGAN (US)—To best observe chemical transformations in solution, molecular spectators have to be close to the action. (more…)

Science & Technology - Aug 22, 2010 20:19 - 1 Comment

Wasps punish peers for posing

U. MICHIGAN (US)—Falsely advertising fighting ability is a no-no in paper wasp societies. Such deception is discouraged through punishment, according to new research published in the journal Current Biology. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jul 21, 2010 14:17 - 4 Comments

Early primate skull found in Saudi Arabia

U. MICHIGAN (US)—A paleontologist searching for dinosaur fossils has found the skull of an ancient primate. The discovery offers new insights into what the last common ancestor of apes and monkeys may have looked like and when the two lineages went their separate ways. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 7, 2010 16:33 - 0 Comments

Stream water may signal permafrost thawing

U. MICHIGAN (US)—Chemical tracers in stream water are offering scientists a new way to monitor changes in the Arctic permafrost—soil that normally remains at or below the freezing point for years—as an indicator of global warming. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Apr 5, 2010 12:13 - 0 Comments

Not so fast! Andes rise was gradual, not abrupt

U. MICHIGAN (US)—What geologists have long viewed as proof of an abrupt rise of the Andes mountain range is actually an indication of ancient climate change, according to a new study. (more…)

Science & Technology - Mar 9, 2010 11:43 - 1 Comment

Tracking mercury’s ‘fingerprint’ in fish

U. MICHIGAN (US)—Scientists know that the primary way methylmercury affects people is through consumption of fish and shellfish. But how does the toxic substance get into species that live in the open ocean? (more…)

Science & Technology - Mar 3, 2010 11:13 - 1 Comment

Snake caught in the sauropod-eating act

U. MICHIGAN (US)—The remains of an extraordinary fossil unearthed in 67-million-year-old sediments from Gujarat in western India provide a rare glimpse at an unusual feeding behavior in ancient snakes. (more…)

Page 1 of 212 »