Nature : Science World Report

Apr 04, 2012 10:01 AM EDT

Scientists Solving the Mystery of Human Consciousness

Awakening from anesthesia is often associated with an initial phase of delirious struggle before the full restoration of awareness and orientation to one's surroundings.

Apr 04, 2012 09:06 AM EDT

Robosquirrels vs. Rattlesnakes

Robot squirrels from the University of California, Davis, are going into rattlesnake country near San Jose, continuing a research project on the interaction between squirrels and rattlesnakes.

Apr 04, 2012 06:40 AM EDT

What Can Hollywood Teach Us about Our Planet?

Plants have a lot to teach us about how our planet works. Further, movies like the blockbuster film Avatar, in which plants play an important role, can inspire us to pay closer attention to them. What are some lessons that the movies can teach us about our planet's vegetation?

Apr 04, 2012 06:30 AM EDT

Entomology 2012 to Present 105 Insect Symposia in November

Entomology 2012, the 60th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), will feature 105 symposia on insects and related arthropods, November 11-14, 2012 in Knoxville, TN.

Apr 04, 2012 06:12 AM EDT

Algae Biofuels: the Wave of the Future

Researchers at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have assembled the draft genome of a marine algae sequence to aid scientists across the US in a project that aims to discover the best algae species for producing biodiesel fuel. The results have been published in Nature Communication...

Apr 03, 2012 02:57 PM EDT

Darwin in the Genome

A current controversy raging in evolutionary biology is whether adaptation to new environments is the result of many genes, each of relatively small effect, or just a few genes of large effect. A new study published in Molecular Ecology strongly supports the first "many-small" hypothesis.

Apr 03, 2012 01:49 PM EDT

'Backpacking' Bacteria

To the ranks of horses, donkeys, camels and other animals that have served humanity as pack animals or beasts of burden, scientists are now enlisting bacteria to ferry nano-medicine cargos throughout the human body. They reported on progress in developing these "backpacking" bacteria - so small that...

Apr 03, 2012 12:46 PM EDT

Plants Mimic Scent of Pollinating Beetles

The color and scent of flowers and their perception by pollinator insects are believed to have evolved in the course of mutual adaptation. However, an evolutionary biologist from the University of Zurich has now proved that this is not the case with the arum family at least, which evolved its scent ...

Apr 03, 2012 07:41 AM EDT

New Study is First to Show That Pesticides Can Induce Morphological Changes in Vertebrate Animals

The world's most popular weed killer, RoundupÂ®, can cause amphibians to change shape, according to research published today in Ecological Applications.

Apr 02, 2012 10:52 AM EDT

Ancient Egyptian Cotton Unveils Secrets of Domesticated Crop Evolution

Scientists studying 1,600-year-old cotton from the banks of the Nile have found what they believe is the first evidence that punctuated evolution has occurred in a major crop group within the relatively short history of plant domestication.

Apr 02, 2012 10:19 AM EDT

Corals 'Could Survive a More Acidic Ocean'

Corals may be better placed to cope with the gradual acidification of the world's oceans than previously thought - giving rise to hopes that coral reefs might escape climatic devastation.

Apr 02, 2012 07:27 AM EDT

Expert Task Force Recommends Halving Global Fishing for Crucial Prey Species

Fishing for herring, anchovy, and other "forage fish" in general should be cut in half globally to account for their critical role as food for larger species, recommends an expert group of marine scientists in a report released today.