Nature : Science World Report

Mar 30, 2012 04:27 PM EDT

Penn Biologists Identify a Key Enzyme Involved in Protecting Nerves from Degeneration

A new animal model of nerve injury has brought to light a critical role of an enzyme called Nmnat in nerve fiber maintenance and neuroprotection. Understanding biological pathways involved in maintaining healthy nerves and clearing away damaged ones may offer scientists targets for drugs to mitigate...

Mar 30, 2012 03:46 PM EDT

Newly Discovered Foot Points to a New Kid on the Hominin Block

It seems that "Lucy" was not the only hominin on the block in northern Africa about 3 million years ago.

Mar 30, 2012 11:24 AM EDT

Bees 'Self-medicate' When Infected with Some Pathogens

Research from North Carolina State University shows that honey bees "self-medicate" when their colony is infected with a harmful fungus, bringing in increased amounts of antifungal plant resins to ward off the pathogen.

Mar 30, 2012 10:51 AM EDT

Extreme Weather Threatens Rich Ecosystems

Extreme weather such as hurricanes, torrential downpours and droughts will become more frequent in pace with global warming. Consequently, this increases the risk for species extinction, especially in bio diverse ecosystems such as coral reefs and tropical rainforests.

Mar 30, 2012 06:57 AM EDT

Studies Show How Pesticides Make Bees Lose Their Way

Scientists have discovered ways in which even low doses of widely used pesticides can harm bumblebees and honeybees, interfering with their homing abilities and making them lose their way.

Mar 29, 2012 12:26 PM EDT

Study Suggests Why Some Animals Live Longer

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have developed a new method to detect proteins associated with longevity, which helps further our understanding into why some animals live longer than others.

Mar 29, 2012 11:40 AM EDT

Culprit Behind Unchecked Angiogenesis Identified

Angiogenesis, the growth of new blood vessels, is a complex process during which different signalling proteins interact with each other in a highly coordinated fashion.

Mar 29, 2012 10:46 AM EDT

DNA Traces Cattle Back to a Small Herd Domesticated Around 10,500 Years Ago

All cattle are descended from as few as 80 animals that were domesticated from wild ox in the Near East some 10,500 years ago, according to a new genetic study.

Mar 29, 2012 10:19 AM EDT

Maths and Olympics: How Fast Could Usain Bolt Run?

Usain Bolt, already the world's fastest man, could lop another 0.18 seconds off his 100 meter sprint world record even without running any faster. It's just a question of getting a few conditions right - and doing the maths.

Mar 29, 2012 09:23 AM EDT

Scientists Clone 'Survivor' Elm Trees

Scientists at the University of Guelph have found a way to successfully clone American elm trees that have survived repeated epidemics of their biggest killer - Dutch elm disease.

Mar 29, 2012 07:12 AM EDT

Japan Bees Cook Enemy in 'Hot Defensive Bee Ball'

Don't mess with Japanese honeybees. Not only do they cooperate to attack their enemies, researchers now say their brains may actually be processing and responding to the threat.

Mar 28, 2012 03:55 PM EDT

New Layer of Genetic Information Discovered

A hidden and never before recognized layer of information in the genetic code has been uncovered by a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) thanks to a technique developed at UCSF called ribosome profiling, which enables the measurement of gene activity inside livi...