Humans hot, sweaty, natural-born runners
Biology /
Apr 16, 2007 |
4.6 / 5 (209) |
4
Hairless, clawless, and largely weaponless, ancient humans used the unlikely combination of sweatiness and relentlessness to gain the upper hand over their faster, stronger, generally more dangerous animal prey, Harvard Anthropology ...
Research confirms theory that all modern humans descended from the same small group of people
Biology /
May 08, 2007 |
4.4 / 5 (163) |
0
Researchers have produced new DNA evidence that almost certainly confirms the theory that all modern humans have a common ancestry.
Why Life Originated (And Why it Continues)
Biology /
Dec 09, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (169) |
111
(PhysOrg.com) -- Today, scientists understand pretty well how life evolves, by mechanisms based on Darwin’s theory of natural selection for survival of the fittest. However, Darwin’s 1859 classic, On the Origin ...
First genome transplant changes one species into another
Biology /
Aug 16, 2007 |
4.7 / 5 (119) |
0
For the first time, scientists have completely transformed a species of bacteria into another species by transplanting its complete set of DNA. The achievement marks a significant step toward the construction ...
Study says eyes evolved for X-Ray vision
Biology /
Aug 28, 2008 |
2.9 / 5 (190) |
26
The advantage of using two eyes to see the world around us has long been associated solely with our capacity to see in 3-D. Now, a new study from a scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has uncovered ...
Algae could generate hydrogen for fuel cells
Biology /
Nov 13, 2007 |
4.6 / 5 (120) |
0
For several decades, scientists have known that certain species of algae can produce hydrogen in anaerobic conditions. More recently, researchers have been trying to take advantage of this ability to produce ...
Ancient predator had strongest bite of any fish, rivaling bite of large alligators and T. rex
Biology /
Nov 28, 2006 |
4.6 / 5 (114) |
0
It could bite a shark in two. It might have been the first “king of the beasts.” And it could teach scientists a lot about humans, because it is in the sister group of all jawed vertebrates.
The good news in our DNA: Defects you can fix with vitamins and minerals
Biology /
Jun 02, 2008 |
4.6 / 5 (109) |
1
As the cost of sequencing a single human genome drops rapidly, with one company predicting a price of $100 per person in five years, soon the only reason not to look at your "personal genome" will be fear of what bad news ...
New motor first to be powered by living bacteria
Biology /
Oct 12, 2006 |
4.7 / 5 (103) |
0
A new motor designed by scientists from Japan offers the best of both worlds: the living and the non-living. The group built a hybrid micromachine that is powered by gliding bacteria which travels on an inorganic ...
Scientists discover why flies are so hard to swat
Biology /
Aug 28, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (112) |
11
(PhysOrg.com) -- Over the past two decades, Michael Dickinson has been interviewed by reporters hundreds of times about his research on the biomechanics of insect flight. One question from the press has always dogged him: ...
Scientists Find Memory Molecule
Biology /
Aug 27, 2006 |
4.6 / 5 (102) |
0
In an article in Science magazine, SUNY Downstate researchers describe erasing memory from the brain by targeting a molecular mechanism that controls memory. Finding may be applied to chronic pain, memory loss, and other ...
Gene mutation linked to cognition is found only in humans
Biology /
May 08, 2007 |
4.4 / 5 (102) |
0
The human and chimpanzee genomes vary by just 1.2 percent, yet there is a considerable difference in the mental and linguistic capabilities between the two species. A new study showed that a certain form of neuropsin, a protein ...
Blue-eyed humans have a single, common ancestor
Biology /
Jan 30, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (99) |
4
New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour ...
Plant gene replacement results in the world's only blue rose
Apr 04, 2005 |
4.1 / 5 (106) |
2
Australian and Japanese researchers have demonstrated the application of RNAi technology for gene replacement in plants, developing the world's only blue rose.
New hypothesis for origin of life proposed
Biology /
Dec 04, 2007 |
4.3 / 5 (100) |
9
Life may have begun in the protected spaces inside of layers of the mineral mica, in ancient oceans, according to a new hypothesis.
