Researchers Build World's Largest Disease Association Network
Apr 15, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (14) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- If you suffer from hypertension, how much does your risk for developing diabetes or other illnesses increase? Medical experts have long known that many diseases are related to one another, ...
Mass Extinctions, Ancient Viruses May Hold Clues to Life’s Origins
Apr 03, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (30) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Mass extinctions occur repeatedly, though irregularly, throughout Earth’s history, and occasionally these extinctions have been devastating to life on our planet - or have they? Extinction ...
Optimized by Evolution, Ants Don't Have Traffic Jams
Mar 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- As highway traffic increases, you'd probably expect a traffic jam, where vehicles slow down due to the high density. While traffic jams are a common occurrence on our highways, high density ...
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 ...
Maxwell's demons may drive some biological systems
Biology /
Sep 10, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (42) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy always increases. For example, two bodies of different temperatures, when brought into contact, will eventually mix together to result in a uniform temperature. ...
Exotic Chameleon Spends Most of its Life as an Egg
Biology /
Jul 11, 2008 |
4.8 / 5 (27) |
3
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a chameleon species that spends a good two-thirds of its life inside an egg: Furcifer labordi lives about 8-9 months as an embryo, and has a post-hatching lifesp ...
Large mammal species live harder, die out faster
Biology /
May 07, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (27) |
3
Throughout Earth’s history, species have come and gone, being replaced by new ones that are better able to cope with life’s challenges. But some species last longer than others, while others may die out sooner ...
Why Are Pygmies Short?
Biology /
Dec 21, 2007 |
4.2 / 5 (67) |
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The question is controversial. Traditional explanations attribute pygmies' small stature to minimizing caloric requirements and walking in dense forests. However, a new study by researchers at the University ...
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 ...
Plants live, die according to their size
Biology /
Oct 22, 2007 |
4.4 / 5 (42) |
2
Plants self-regulate their populations to maintain stability and optimize their lives, with the lengths of their lives directly related to their mass, a recent study has found. Further, a single scaling power ...
First genome transplant changes one species into another
Biology /
Aug 16, 2007 |
4.7 / 5 (119) |
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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 ...
Scientists say Darwin's 'Tree of Life' not the theory of everything
Biology /
Mar 12, 2007 |
4.2 / 5 (70) |
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There is only one figure in On the Origin of Species, and that is a tree diagram. As Darwin’s model for the theory of evolution, he used the Tree of Life (TOL) to clearly and visually explain the interrelatedness of all ...
Is there a homosexuality gene?
Biology /
Dec 07, 2006 |
3.4 / 5 (83) |
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Although biologists are still far from answering this question, scattered evidence for a possible gene influencing sexual orientation has recently encouraged scientists to map out a guide to future research. Because many ...
The evolution of intelligence, and why our brains have shrunk
Biology /
Nov 22, 2006 |
3.8 / 5 (76) |
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One of the main differences between humans and other animals is our larger brain size—but what prompted and guided this growth? Wanting to better understand the origins of human uniqueness, scientists from ...
Study finds facial expressions are inherited
Biology /
Nov 07, 2006 |
4.3 / 5 (40) |
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Scientists have found that family members share a facial expression “signature”—a unique form of the universal facial expressions encountered worldwide. In a rare study taking into account blind subjects, Gili Peleg, et al ...
