Nature : Science World Report

Mar 21, 2012 11:25 AM EDT

Energy Requirements Make Antarctic fur Seal Pups Vulnerable to Climate Change

A new study suggests that climate change could pose a risk for Antarctic fur seals in their first few months of life.

Mar 20, 2012 01:02 PM EDT

Proteins Shine a Brighter Light on Cellular Processes

Scientists have designed a molecule which, in living cells, emits turquoise light three times brighter than possible until recently. This improves the sensitivity of cellular imaging, a technique where biological processes inside a living organism are imaged at high resolution. The results have been...

Mar 20, 2012 07:37 AM EDT

1 Solution to Global Overfishing Found

A study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and other groups on more than 40 coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans indicates that "co-management"-a collaborative arrangement between local communities, conservation groups, and governments...

Mar 19, 2012 12:57 PM EDT

Study Reveals How Monarch Butterflies Recolonize Northern Breeding Range

Each year, millions of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) migrate from overwintering grounds in central Mexico to colonize eastern North America, but just how these delicate creatures manage to reach the northern part of their breeding range in spring has largely remained a mystery.

Mar 19, 2012 12:11 PM EDT

First Complete Full Genetic Map of Promising Energy Crop

Researchers in Wales and the United States have collaborated to complete the first high-resolution, comprehensive genetic map of a promising energy crop called miscanthus. The results - published in the current edition of the peer-reviewed, online journal PLoS One - provide a significant breakthroug...

Mar 19, 2012 08:54 AM EDT

The Viking Journey of Mice and Men

House mice (Mus musculus) happily live wherever there are humans. When populations of humans migrate the mice often travel with them. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology has used evolutionary techniques on modern day and ancestral mouse mitochondri...

Mar 19, 2012 07:39 AM EDT

Marine Protected Areas Are Keeping Turtles Safe

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are providing sea turtles with an ideal habitat for foraging and may be keeping them safe from the threats of fishing. A study by an international team of scientists led by the University of Exeter, published today (Thursday 15 March), shows that 35 per cent of the worl...

Mar 19, 2012 07:31 AM EDT

Molecular Ticket Determines RNA's Destination and Speed Inside Egg Cell

Like any law-abiding train passenger, a molecule called oskar RNA carries a stamped ticket detailing its destination and form of transport, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have found. They show that for this molecule, moving in the right directi...

Mar 18, 2012 01:35 PM EDT

Mesquite Trees Displacing Southwestern Grasslands

As the desert Southwest becomes hotter and drier, semi-arid grasslands are slowly being replaced by a landscape dominated by mesquite trees, such as Prosopis velutina, and other woody shrubs, a team of University of Arizona researchers has found.

Mar 16, 2012 04:43 PM EDT

Past in Monsoon Changes Linked to Major Shifts in Indian Civilizations

A fundamental shift in the Indian monsoon has occurred over the last few millennia, from a steady humid monsoon that favored lush vegetation to extended periods of drought, reports a new study led by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The study has implications for our u...

Mar 16, 2012 03:04 PM EDT

Building the European Union's Natura 2000 -- the Largest ever Network of Protected Areas

The European Union's Habitats Directive is now 20 years old, and its network of protected areas, known as Natura 2000, is nearing completion. After a slow start, the network now includes some 26 000 protected sites and covers approximately 18% of the EU's land surface as well as significant areas of...

Mar 16, 2012 02:50 PM EDT

Hiding in Plain Sight, New Frog Species Found in New York City

In the wilds of New York City--or as wild as you can get that close to skyscrapers--scientists have found a new leopard frog species. For years, biologists mistook it for a more widespread variety of leopard frog.