http://www.physorg.com/biology-news/ en-us PhysOrg.com provides the latest news on biology, evolution, microbiology, biotechnology (PhysOrg.com) -- Rhizoctonia, a fungal disease that can be found in many ornamental plants, can be eliminated in azalea by placing plant cuttings in a hot water treatment, an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist and his university collaborator have found. http://www.physorg.com/news180889087.html Biology Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:58:36 EST news180889087 Like a child awaiting the arrival of Christmas, embryonic stem cells exist in a state of permanent anticipation. They must balance the ability to quickly become more specialized cell types with the cellular chaos that could occur should they act too early (stop shaking those presents, kids!). Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have now identified a critical component, called Jarid2, of this delicate balancing act - one that both recruits other regulatory proteins to genes important in differentiation and also modulates their activity to keep them in a state of ongoing readiness. http://www.physorg.com/news180848152.html Biology Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:40:02 EST news180848152 Famous for its antioxidant properties and role in tissue repair, vitamin C is touted as beneficial for illnesses ranging from the common cold to cancer and perhaps even for slowing the aging process. Now, a study published online on December 24th by Cell Press in the journal Cell Stem Cell uncovers an unexpected new role for this natural compound: facilitating the generation of embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells. http://www.physorg.com/news180845703.html Biology Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:00:11 EST news180845703 Scientists have shown for the first time that insects, like mammals, use vision rather than touch to find footholds. They made the discovery thanks to high-speed video cameras - technology the BBC uses to capture its stunning wildlife footage - that they used to film desert locusts stepping along the rungs of a miniature ladder. http://www.physorg.com/news180791439.html Biology Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:00:03 EST news180791439 New Yorkers are used to fighting each other for space, but there may be a new contender in town according to a Rockefeller study that appears to have uncovered a new species of cockroach. http://www.physorg.com/news180844499.html Biology Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:35:24 EST news180844499 (PhysOrg.com) -- It is not only people who feel the effects of short winter days - new research by the University of Edinburgh and the University of Warwick has shed light on how plants calculate their own winter solstice. http://www.physorg.com/news180810791.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:20:02 EST news180810791 The Earth is estimated to have about a nonillion (1030) microbes in, on, around, and under it, comprised of an unknown but very large number of distinct species. Despite the widespread availability of microbial genome data -close to 2,000 microbes have been and are being decoded to date -a vast unknown realm awaits scientists intent on exploring microorganisms that inhabit this "undiscovered country." http://www.physorg.com/news180785441.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:10 EST news180785441 (PhysOrg.com) -- Honey bees undergo a sudden transition from speeding aircraft to hovering helicopter as they perform the delicate art of landing on a flower. http://www.physorg.com/news180728592.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:00:02 EST news180728592 University of Delaware researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants. http://www.physorg.com/news180789982.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:26:43 EST news180789982 Details of the lifestyle of mink, which escaped from fur farms and now live wild in the UK, have been revealed through analysis of their whiskers. Research led by the University of Exeter reveals more about the diet of this invasive species and provides a clue to its whereabouts. There are now plans to use the findings to eradicate it from environments where it can be devastating to native species. http://www.physorg.com/news180784602.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:10:04 EST news180784602 The journeys of two marine turtles around the world's oceans will be available to view online this Christmas, thanks to a new research project launched by the University of Exeter. http://www.physorg.com/news180784084.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:00:04 EST news180784084 Every year, large amounts of hatchery-raised young salmonids are released into Swedish rivers and streams to compensate for losses in natural production. Butthese fish generally survive poorly in the wild. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have discovered why: the young fish get too crowded at the hatchery. http://www.physorg.com/news180777522.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 07:59:23 EST news180777522 Female ducks have evolved an intriguing way to avoid becoming impregnated by undesirable but aggressive males endowed with large corkscrew-shaped penises: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely spiraled males. http://www.physorg.com/news180769252.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:41:17 EST news180769252 An international team of scientists has discovered how changes in both gene expression and gene sequence led to the diversity of visual systems in African cichlid fish. http://www.physorg.com/news180727170.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:30:01 EST news180727170 (PhysOrg.com) -- At first glance, a dog chasing its tail seems a harmless, if fruitless, pursuit. But for many dogs and their owners, the habit has a dark side, one that means endless hours and energy spent on the same task, to the exclusion of nearly all others. The cause, a type of compulsive disorder, can result in lack of sleep and even physical injury. http://www.physorg.com/news180722905.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:00:02 EST news180722905 (PhysOrg.com) -- Microscopic ridges contouring the surface of flower petals might play a role in flashing that come-hither look pollinating insects can't resist. Michigan State University scientists and colleagues now have figured out how those form. http://www.physorg.com/news180720809.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:18:18 EST news180720809 A team of researchers working in a high containment laboratory at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA, have solved a fundamental mystery about smallpox that has puzzled scientists long after the natural disease was eradicated by vaccination: they know how it kills us. http://www.physorg.com/news180712105.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:10:18 EST news180712105 Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Mount Sinai), the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Salk) and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) have identified 295 human cell factors that influenza A strains must harness to infect a cell, including the currently circulating swine-origin H1N1. The team also identified small molecule compounds that act on several of these factors and inhibit viral replication, pointing to new ways to treat flu. These findings were published online on December 21 in the journal Nature. http://www.physorg.com/news180708941.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:00:01 EST news180708941 An estimated 25,000 Americans develop severe fungal infections each year, leading to 10,000 deaths despite the use of anti-fungal drugs. The associated cost to the U.S. health care system has been estimated at $1 billion a year. http://www.physorg.com/news180711441.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:50:06 EST news180711441 Catch share programs result in more consistent and predictable fisheries but do not necessarily improve ecological conditions, according to a new study published online this week by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.physorg.com/news180709176.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:38:05 EST news180709176 Giant rainforest trees, rare and beautiful orchids, spectacular palms, minute fungi, wild coffees and an ancient aquatic plant are among more than 250 new plant and fungi species discovered and described by botanists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in this, the botanical organisation's 250th anniversary year. The new species come from a wide-range of fascinating locations including Brazil, Cameroon, East Africa, Madagascar, Borneo and New Guinea. Nearly a third are believed to be in danger of extinction. http://www.physorg.com/news180706118.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:30:02 EST news180706118 Divers plumb the turquoise depths of ocean waters some 100 kilometers south of this vacation paradise, in search of the distinctive queen conch shell prized by vacationers and souvenir-seekers. http://www.physorg.com/news180688511.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:46:41 EST news180688511 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a protein required to quickly and efficiently reprogram human skin cells to express embryonic stem cell genes. http://www.physorg.com/news180685131.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:19:21 EST news180685131 (PhysOrg.com) -- Stopping male mosquitoes from sealing their sperm inside females with a 'mating plug' could prevent mosquitoes from reproducing, and offer a potential new way to combat malaria, say scientists publishing new results in PLoS Biology on 22 December. http://www.physorg.com/news180684435.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:08:08 EST news180684435 Mold and mildew may be doomed. Researchers are closer to understanding how these and other fungi grow. "Fungi have a big impact on our dinner plate," said Dr. Brian Shaw, Texas AgriLife Research plant pathologist. "We tend to think that getting food on the table is easy. But fungi are major disease-causing organisms for both plants and animals. With more research, we can find new ways to compete with them." Commonly known fungi are molds, mildews, mushrooms and yeast. http://www.physorg.com/news180681595.html Biology Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:22:35 EST news180681595 (PhysOrg.com) -- New research by the School of Biosciences is shedding light on the reasons why the European robin doesn`t get fat -even though they are feeding for much longer. http://www.physorg.com/news180646485.html Biology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:40:01 EST news180646485 (PhysOrg.com) -- A diminutive, colorful bird living in the rocky forests of Laos and Vietnam has been discovered by a team of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society, Lao PDR Department of Forestry, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Swedish Museum of Natural History, BirdLife International and other groups. http://www.physorg.com/news180644702.html Biology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:23:36 EST news180644702 (PhysOrg.com) -- It's commonly known that plants interact with each other on an everyday basis: they shade each other out or take up nutrients from the soil before neighboring plants can get them. Now, researchers at the University of Michigan have learned that plants also respond to the past. http://www.physorg.com/news180640961.html Biology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:50:01 EST news180640961 (PhysOrg.com) -- Their brains are tiny - about the size of sesame seeds - and yet the behaviour of the humble honey bee is so advanced it has scientists scratching their heads in disbelief. http://www.physorg.com/news180632123.html Biology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:36:19 EST news180632123 The kinase IKK phosphorylates the protein mutated in Huntington's disease to promote its removal and neuron survival, but IKK may be a double-edged sword that increases neurotoxicity in later stages of the disease. The study, led by researchers from the University of California, Irvine, will be published online December 21 in the Journal of Cell Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news180616718.html Biology Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:19:27 EST news180616718