Science & Technology - Sep 28, 2010 13:25 - 1 Comment

‘Gold’ fish thrive as cancers die

RICE (US) — Gold nanoparticles and a laser pulse can detect and destroy diseased cells in living tissue by creating tiny, shiny vapor bubbles that reveal and then explode them. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Sep 1, 2010 11:48 - 0 Comments

Mosquitoes sniff out prey with multi-sensors

VANDERBILT (US)—To track human prey, malaria mosquitoes use several different kinds of odor sensors, according to a new study. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Aug 25, 2010 14:11 - 0 Comments

Gene linked to Lou Gehrig’s disease

U. PENN (US)—Researchers have found evidence that mutations in a specific gene are a risk factor for Lou Gehrig’s disease, a condition also known as ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. (more…)

Society & Culture - Aug 2, 2010 11:44 - 7 Comments

Ladies go gaga over guys in red

U. ROCHESTER (US)—Simply wearing the color red—or being bordered by the rosy hue—makes a man more attractive and sexually desirable to women, a new study finds. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 21, 2010 9:40 - 0 Comments

Off-the-shelf tissue transplants

U. LEEDS (UK)—Researchers have developed a technique that uses material derived from natural human or animal tissues to create biological scaffolds for repairing arteries, tendons, ligaments, and even heart valves. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 20, 2010 16:10 - 1 Comment

Computer predicts bacteria’s next move

DUKE (US)—Researchers are using computers to identify how one strain of dangerous bacteria might mutate in the same way a champion chess player tries to anticipate an opponent’s strategies. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jul 9, 2010 12:54 - 0 Comments

Climate change impacts ‘medium’ meadows

IOWA STATE (US)—The effects of drought on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of the Rocky Mountains provide a glimpse of how changing climate affects the diversity of meadow plants and animals. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 6, 2010 14:11 - 0 Comments

Lethal ‘fossil’ viruses lurk in marsupials

U. BUFFALO (US)—Wallabies may be cute, but they harbor a “fossil” copy of a gene that codes for filoviruses, which cause Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers and are the most lethal viruses known to humans. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jul 2, 2010 10:29 - 3 Comments

How moms-to-be tame their immune systems

CALTECH (US)—The concept of pregnancy makes no sense—at least not from an immunological point of view. A fetus is made of cells and tissues that are biologically distinct from its mother—precisely what the immune system is meant to search out and destroy. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 30, 2010 11:58 - 6 Comments

Bacteria skedaddle when relatives start dying

INDIANA U. (US)—The deaths of nearby relatives have a curious effect on the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus—surviving cells lose their stickiness. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 28, 2010 10:37 - 2 Comments

Slower sex change for fish in unpolluted water

U. COLORADO (US)—Male fish are taking longer to be “feminized” by chemical contaminants that act as hormone disrupters in Colorado’s Boulder Creek following the recent upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant, according to a new study. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 24, 2010 12:00 - 0 Comments

‘Goalie’ algorithm shows it’s all about timing

NYU (US)—Researchers have created a data mining algorithm they call GOALIE that can automatically reveal how biological processes—like cell division and metabolism—are coordinated in time. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 17, 2010 9:15 - 3 Comments

Caterpillars use fake eyes to stare down birds

U. PENN (US)—Why do hundreds of species of tropical caterpillars display a fascinating variety of eye-like and face-like color patterns—the kinds of designs that scare off insect-eating birds and make a harmless and vulnerable caterpillar look like a poisonous snake? (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 14, 2010 16:53 - 0 Comments

‘Mind-bending’ crystals color butterfly wings

YALE (US)—At the very heart of some of the most brilliant colors on the wings of butterflies lie bizarre structures that may be of use in harnessing the power of light. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jun 11, 2010 13:57 - 0 Comments

Clock gene knows when it’s time to eat, sleep

NYU (US)—Biologists have isolated genes that regulate the sleep-feeding conflict, paving the way to new insights into how the brain chooses between behaviors that are critical for survival. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 10, 2010 8:52 - 1 Comment

Birds flying the coop with nowhere to go

YALE (US)—Mountain birds at greatest risk of extinction due to global warming are those that occupy the most narrow altitude range, new research finds. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 8, 2010 14:32 - 0 Comments

Global warming taking toll on rainforests, too

RICE (US)—Global warming may also be a threat to animal and plant life in biodiversity hot spots like Madagascar, once thought less likely to suffer from climate change. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jun 8, 2010 12:04 - 0 Comments

Estrogen at heart of eating disorders?

MICHIGAN STATE (US)—Scientists have discovered a possible biological culprit in the development of eating disorders during puberty: a type of estrogen called estradiol. (more…)

Posts Tagged ‘biology’