Biology articles

Figuring out function from bacteria's wildering forms
The constellation of shapes and sizes among bacteria is as remarkable as it is mysterious

Human stem cells can contribute to a developing mouse embryon
Using a newly derived line of human embryonic stem cells, Rockefeller University researchers have coaxed human cells to grow in mouse tissue.

How Cooperation can evolve in a cheater's world
: Whether you're a free-loading virus or a meat-stealing monkey, selfishness pays.

Blue crab nano-sensor detects dangers
A substance found in crab shells is the key component in a nanoscale sensor system developed by researchers at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Dow JGI Decodes DNA of growth-promoting fungus
The DNA sequence of Laccaria bicolor, a fungus that forms a beneficial symbiosis with trees and inhabits one of the most ecologically and commercially important microbial niches in North American and Eurasian forests, has been determined by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI).

Blue crab nano-sensor detects dangers
A substance found in crab shells is the key component in a nanoscale sensor system developed by researchers at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering.

Dow JGI Decodes DNA of growth-promoting fungus
The DNA sequence of Laccaria bicolor, a fungus that forms a beneficial symbiosis with trees and inhabits one of the most ecologically and commercially important microbial niches in North American and Eurasian forests, has been determined by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI).

Insects that produce males from unfertilized eggs reveal a surprising cellular feat
Scientists have long known that the social insects in the order Hymenoptera--which includes ants, bees, and wasps--have an unusual mechanism for sex determination: Unfertilized eggs develop into males, while fertilized eggs become females.

Velvet worm brains reveal secret sisterhood with spiders
Velvet worms, living fossils that look like a child's rendition of caterpillars, are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than to butterflies, according to new research.

Nano probe may open new window into cell behavior
To create drugs capable of targeting some of the most devastating human diseases, scientists must first decode exactly how a cell or a group of cells communicates with other cells and reacts to a broad spectrum of complex biomolecules surrounding it.

Medium is the message for stem cells in search of identities
Embryonic stem cells, prized for their astonishing ability to apparently transform into any kind of cell in the body, acquire their identities in part by interacting with their surroundings — even when they are outside of the body in a laboratory dish, University of Florida scientists report.

Researchers unicover how a molecular switch regulates fat and cholesterol metabolism pathway
Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital have identified how a molecular switch regulates fat and cholesterol production.

Stanford snake venom study shows that certain cells may eliminate poison
Death by snakebite is horrible. The immediate pain of the bite is followed by swelling, bruising and weakness, then sweating or chills, with numbness, nausea, blurred vision and possibly convulsions before it's all over.

Scientists decode how plants avoid sunburn
Too much sun – for plants as well as people – can be harmful to long-term health. But to avoid the botanical equivalent of "lobster tans," plants have developed an intricate internal defense mechanism called photoprotection.

New flood-tolerant rice offers relief for world's poorest farmers
A gene that enables rice to survive complete submergence has been identified by a team of researchers at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and at the University of California's Davis and Riverside campuses.

Digital darwinian world reveals architecture of evolution
The architecture that pervades biological networks gives them an evolutionary edge by allowing them to evolve to perform new functions more rapidly than an alternative network design, according to computer simulations.

Fat regulating hormone found in amphibian
For the first time, researchers have identified an amphibian version of the human hormone leptin. While the hormone's impact on human development is unclear, the new study suggests leptin plays an important role in tadpole growth and development.

When biology gets quirky, scientists turn to math
Ohio State University researchers who are trying to solve a longstanding mystery in chemistry and biology are getting answers from a seemingly unusual source: mathematics.

Tumors use 'hijacking' trick to evade attack by immune cells
Researchers have identified a potential mechanism by which tumors in mice escape attack from antitumor immune cells. This escape is facilitated when tumors produce a molecule called adenosine that inactivates antitumor immune cells by binding to receptors on their cell surfaces, the researchers found. Consequently, the immune cells behave as though the tumors are normal tissue, and an attack is averted.

Leprosy bacteria lead to new understanding of nerve damage and cell proliferation
For nervous system cells, specialization is a one-way street. But as is often the case in biology, the rules have exceptions.Glial cells — nervous system cells that form a highly specialized insulating sheath called myelin that