By Subject - Biology

  • Aging is as hard on mice as it is on people. Both these mice are the same age, but the one in front was genetically engineered to age rapidly for a study led by Prolla.
    Key to caloric restriction found!

    To stay young, science says you drastically cut calories. It works for fruitflies, rodents, monkeys, and every mammal that has been tested. A new study proves that the benefit requires the Sirt-3 gene. Could Sirt-3 be the key to an anti-aging drug treatment?


    Thursday, November 18th, 2010
  • Biofuel advance
    Biofuel advance

    Ethanol in gasoline now comes mainly from corn, a food crop. Cellulose, found in crop wastes, wood and switchgrass, could be a great source of ethanol, if only the yeast that makes ethanol could digest cellulose. A new genetic alteration forced yeast to break down cellulose, and then convert it into ethanol.


    Friday, September 10th, 2010
  • Seeing the cell
    Seeing the cell

    Imagine a transistor so tiny that it can slip inside a living cell to measure electrical potential. Now coat that transistor so the cell will pull it inside without damage. Then adapt the transistor to measure RNA and proteins. Nanofabrication tricks convert science fiction into science fact!


    Thursday, August 12th, 2010
  • Spider silk: Material of the future?
    Spider silk: Material of the future?

    Strong, tough, sticky, elastic and biodegradable, silk may be used for a mesh to support injured tissues, or as a temporary container for drugs, stem cells and growth factors. As scientists divine the secret of how spiders and silkworms make silk, they are finding ways to engineer silk into medical devices.


    Thursday, July 29th, 2010
  • Tales of the whales
    Tales of the whales

    Some people blame strandings on a noisy ocean. A new study shows that the endangered North Atlantic right whale is shouting to be heard. Another whale tale: a giant killing whale was recently discovered in Peru, with about the biggest teeth in history…


    Thursday, July 15th, 2010
  • For many, fireflies are at the center happy childhood memories. For science, they  could be a peephole into the brain.
    A flash in the night sky

    Most fireflies flash on their own schedule, but some do it all at once. In most animals, the guys try to stand out from the crowd – but these flies try to make a crowd! What’s the evolutionary advantage? What can we learn about bug-brains from the “all-at-once” display of synchronous fireflies?


    Thursday, July 8th, 2010
  • Closeup of front of small pink salamander, small dark eyes, tiny limbs, six pink protruding fins.
    Growing limbs, healing limbs

    Salamanders and fish can regrow perfect limbs and fins after amputation. We can’t grow a replacement arm, but can the salamander’s natural regeneration teach about faster wound healing? The latest research on limb regeneration suggests growth factors and equipment that could be ready for the clinic in a few years.


    Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
  • Holy horseradish! Ancient roots of pain
    Holy horseradish! Ancient roots of pain

    Horseradish, onions and caffeine all activate a group of chemical receptors that can trigger a pain signal. Turns out the same receptors exist in fruitflies, mussels, corals and mule deer. Why has this receptor survived a half-billion years? Because it protects against toxic chemicals – even if they taste good in small doses!


    Thursday, March 18th, 2010
  • Zebra Finch
    In detail: How learning changes brain

    Changes in the junctions between nerve cells determine how well a bird will learn to sing. Regular change in these junctions helps the bird remember the song of its species, which it needs to learn to reproduce that song. Study could explain why older people have such trouble learning a new language.


    Thursday, February 18th, 2010
  • Tracking traveling toads
    Tracking traveling toads

    Do new species arise because so many niches are available in a new habitat? Or do they arise because newcomers have multiple talents for survival? A new study points to traits that enable success in the new location.


    Thursday, February 4th, 2010


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