News tagged with biology
Researchers reveal secrets of duck sex: It's all screwed up
Dec 23, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (11) |
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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 ...
Sniffing out clues to dogs' compulsive behavior
Dec 22, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
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(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 ...
Seeing how evolutionary mechanisms yield biological diversity
Dec 22, 2009 |
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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.
Study sheds light on microscopic flower petal ridges
Dec 22, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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(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 ...
Making New Enzymes to Engineer Plants for Biofuel Production
Dec 21, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Brookhaven scientists have created a new enzyme with the potential to interfere with a key cell-wall component in plants, possibly leading to plants that are easier to "digest" and convert ...
Scientists take a step towards uncovering the histone code
Dec 20, 2009 |
5 / 5 (6) |
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Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have determined the structures of two enzymes that customize histones, the spool-like proteins around which DNA coils inside the cell.
Soap opera in the marsh: Coots foil nest invaders, reject impostors
Dec 16, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The American coot is a drab, seemingly unremarkable marsh bird common throughout North America. But its reproductive life is full of deception and violence.
Proline Repeats in Protein Help Grow Tooth Enamel (w/ Podcast)
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A simple amino acid that is repeated in the center of proteins found in tooth enamel makes teeth stronger and more resilient, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Light used to map effect of neurons on one another
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 17, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons ...
Protein that represses genes may play role in cell growth
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A Cornell study shows the protein not only activates some genes involved in the regulation of cell growth and signaling, but also may play a role in preventing cancers by inhibiting cell proliferation.
IKK may act as both inhibitor and promoter of Huntington's disease
Dec 21, 2009 |
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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, ...
Study reveals lack of diversity in embryonic stem cell lines
Dec 16, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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The most widely used human embryonic stem cell lines lack genetic diversity, a finding that raises social justice questions that must be addressed to ensure that all sectors of society benefit from stem cell advances, according ...
Ancient pygmy sea cow discovered
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 14, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (6) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The discovery of a Middle Eocene (48.6-37.2 million years ago) sea cow fossil by McGill University professor Karen Samonds has culminated in the naming of a new species. This primitive "dugong" ...
Biologist Shows Female Birds of a Feather Compete Together
Dec 15, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With its flamboyantly decorated plumage, the peacock is a classic example of how males among many bird species are more visually eye-catching than their female partners. But new research, ...
I think step to the left, you think step to the east
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Dec 14, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
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Even the way people remember dance moves depends on the culture they come from, according to a report in the December 14th issue of Current Biology. Whereas a German or other Westerner might think in terms of "step to the ...
