Biology
The Latest: Forensic experts open Dali's coffin to take DNA
FIGUERES, Spain (AP) — The Latest on the exhumation of Salvador Dali (all times local):<p>11 p.m.<p>A court spokeswoman says that forensic experts have opened Salvador Dali's coffin to obtain DNA samples that could help settle a paternity lawsuit.<p>The coffin was opened half an hour after it was lifted …
DNAScientists assumed that patriarchy was only natural. Bonobos proved them wrong
My favorite exhibit at California’s San Diego zoo is the bonobo enclosure. Not because this is a ridiculously randy species (seriously, any age or sex will suffice). Not even because they, alongside chimpanzees, are the species most closely related to humans. But because they live in what some …
EvolutionThe Wild Animal Sanctuary
The world's largest carnivore sanctuary is home to over 450 meat-eating rescues.<p>The exotic animal trade is the world’s third largest source of …
AnimalsForensic experts open Salvador Dali's coffin to take DNA samples
Forensic experts have opened Salvador Dali's coffin to obtain DNA samples that could help settle a paternity lawsuit, a court spokeswoman said.<p>The …
DNADogs Are Insanely Friendly Thanks to Their Genes, Say Researchers
Very good boys, all of them!<p>Dogs are heartwarmingly friendly. They lick us, jump on us, would probably buy us a house if they could. We love them for …
DogsSalvador Dalí's remains due to be exhumed to settle paternity case
Stone slab above his grave in Figueres will be removed on Thursday evening to allow experts to take DNA samples<p>The remains of Salvador Dalí are due to be exhumed on Thursday evening, almost three decades after his death, to help settle a long-running paternity claim from a 61-year-old …
DNAThis Man’s Immune System Got a Cancer-killing Update - Facts So Romantic
<i>William Ludwig was almost dead when he became Patient Number One in a radical new cancer treatment, one that’s just won the endorsement of F.D.A.</i> …
CancerWildfires are raging in the Mediterranean. What can we learn?
In Italy, firefighters across the country are battling hundreds of wildfires, the flames fanned by a combination of heat and drought.<p>This is just the …
EcologyNatural cannabinoids from omega-3 fatty acids combat inflammation
<i>The results of a new study have found that molecules derived from naturally produced cannabinoids can help to fight inflammation.</i><p>Scientists have …
MedicineYou have a lot to teach your grandkids, and that might explain menopause
It's about brains, not brawn.<p>Humans, killer whales and pilot whales. What do we all have in common?<p>Surprisingly, the answer is menopause. But scientists still haven’t quite figured out why this phenomenon exists. After all, if the purpose of evolution is to make sure that we most effectively pass …
EvolutionWhy Dog Breeds Look So Very Different, But Cats Don't
From the Abyssinian to the Turkish van, cat lineages have been bred for decades to produce felines with minor physical distinctions. These include …
EvolutionIn South Asian social castes, a living lab for genetic disease
In certain states in southern India, anesthesiologists know to ask anyone undergoing surgery whether they belong to the Vysya, a regional group traditionally associated with traders and businesspeople.<p>Anecdotally, medical workers know that some people with Vysya ancestry – who live primarily in …
DNAHedge Fund Uses Algae to Reap 21% Return - Bloomberg
Hedge fund manager Desmond Lun’s 21 percent average return over the last four years springs from an unlikely source -- a petri dish of algae.<p>Lun, 37, …
BioinformaticsThe Man Who Blew The Door Off The Microbial World
Norm Pace has spent his life as an explorer, charting dangerous caves and ushering in the golden age of microbiology.<p>A few years before Norm Pace revolutionized the study of life on Earth, he almost lost his own life.<p>He’s best known as a microbiologist, but he’s also a die-hard spelunker. In the …
Yellowstone National ParkHow Do You Say “Life” in Physics? - Issue 50: Emergence
“To imagine a language is to imagine a form of life.”<br>—Ludwig Wittgenstein, <i>Philosophical Investigations</i> (1953)<p>Jeremy England is concerned about …
Charles DarwinEpigenetic plasticity and the hallmarks of cancer
Recent cancer genome projects unexpectedly highlighted the role of epigenetic alterations in cancer development. About half of human cancers were …
GeneticsFighting Alzheimer's: It's all in how you slice it
Building on research that identified a rare genetic mutation in Italian people that leads to the early onset of Alzheimer's and one in Icelandic …
NeuroscienceHow Could Land Tenure Security Affect Conservation?
I’m sitting in a Mongolian yurt, listening to and trying to emulate Bataa’s* songs about love for the grasslands and the wide, treeless plains of the …
EcologyNew Epigenetic Research Could Lead to Future Therapies for Developmental Disorders
DNA Methylation And Genomic Imprinting<p>Genomic imprinting is the biological process that turns genes on and off to help control early mammalian …
GeneticsProst! Kate drowns sorrows after boat race loss
Prince William punched the air in delight when his crew of eight rowers finished almost a length ahead of his wife's boat.<p>The Duke and Duchess acted …
Stem-Cell ResearchA promising means of pest control meets some evolutionary truths
IT IS life’s lottery, blessing some and cursing others in equal number: the chance of a sexually reproducing organism’s offspring inheriting a …
GeneticsResearchers developed bacteria that can create images
Researchers at MIT have engineered bacteria to sense red, green, and blue light — and then create a picture of what they've "seen," like the …
Life SciencesHow Cows Are Helping the Fight Against HIV
In an unexpected turn of events, cows are helping scientists better understand how to prevent HIV infections.<p>One of the biggest questions facing …
NIAIDSeattle startup raises $12M to ‘rewrite the software of life (with a little help from the technology behind beer)
Proteins are incredibly important, but incredibly complicated, molecules. They control 98 percent of all biological functions and are used in …
StartupsNew handrail sterilizer claims to wipe out 99.9% of germs on escalators
There’s no worse feeling than sliding your hand along an escalator or Subway rail and realizing the number of germs you’re picking up. While most …
LifestyleResearchers discover how CRISPR proteins find their target
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered how Cas1-Cas2, the proteins responsible for the ability of the CRISPR immune …
Life SciencesBug invader killing Mississippi Delta wetlands draws federal attention | NOLA.com
The insect invasion that's killing critical wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta has drawn the federal government's attention.<p>The 2018 …
EcologyDNA barcodes provide a new high-tech tool for environmentalists
<i>Editor’s note: Canada Day 2017 marks the sesquicentennial of Confederation. While the anniversary is a chance to reflect on the past, The Conversation Canada asked some of our academic authors to imagine what our world will be like in 2167 – or “Canada +150”. Scientist Robert Hanner looks at how an</i> …
EcologyIs It A Good Idea To Pay Villagers Not To Chop Down Trees?
Governments have struggled to come up with effective ways to stop people from cutting down trees.<p>That's because unchecked deforestation can cause soil to erode, worsen flooding and destroy natural habitats for wildlife. It's become a serious problem throughout the globe. Deforestation accounts for …
EcologyWhere Forests Work Harder
A new study shows that trees in the Boston region grow faster and store more carbon as biomass the closer they are to developed areas.<p><i>Courtney Humphries received the 2017 David Perlman Award from the American Geophysical Union for this article.</i><p>The woods at the Mass Audubon Habitat Wildlife …
Ecology