Smart Spider Silk Might Lead to Carbon Nanotubes Strong Enough for Space Elevators
It’s a well-known fact that spider silk is stronger than steel and tougher than Kevlar, yet flexible enough to be made into a variety of…
Biology News
Researchers Use fMRI to Study How Humor Activates Kids’ Brain Regions
Researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine examined which brain regions were active as children watched funny videos. Through the use of a functional magnetic…
Time Spent in Orbit May Alter Astronauts’ Genes
Scientists discovered that spending long periods of time in low gravity environments might alter genes. In order to complete their experiment, researchers used magnets on…
Western Lowland Gorillas Exhibit Human-Like Expressions but They Mean Different Things
Gorillas use human-life facial expressions to communicate with each other, however the Western Lowland gorilla equivalent of a grin means something completely different, as psychologists…
Antibiotic-Free Meat Might Still Be Contaminated with Drug Resistant Bacteria
Pesticide- and antibiotic-free meat fetch premium prices, but a recent study has shown that there is still a prevalence of one of the world’s most…
Jellyfish Bloom in Marine Ecologies As Ocean Health Declines
Last year, surfers were surprised at the amount of stinging moon jellyfish, some of which reached the size of bicycle wheels, which washed towards shore…
Scientists Use Stem Cells to Better Understand Hepatitis C
Scientists from MIT, Rockefeller University and the Medical College of Wisconsin are hoping to better understand why an infectious disease like hepatitis C has different…
Neuroscientists Decode Correlation Between Sound and Brain Activity
UC Berkeley neuroscientists are hoping to be able to hear the unsaid words of patients in the near future. While conducting their research, they were…
Researchers Identify Genetic Mutation While Studying Cold Urticarial
While studying people that suffer from cold urticarial, researchers at the National Institutes of Health discovered a genetic mutation in the gene for phospholipase C-gamma2…
Mother’s Nurturing Results in Larger Hippocampus in Children
New research by neuroscientists and child psychiatrists show that children whose mothers nurtured them early in life have brains with a larger hippocampus. This is…
Researchers Study Metabolic Errors and Their Effect on DNA
Using a highly sensitive mass spectrometry technique, MIT biological engineers have specifically measured the effects of errors in systems for purine production and breakdown. By…
Burmese Pythons Causing Decline of Mammals in Everglades National Park
According to new study that was co-authored by USGS and published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists found that the…
Study Measures Mammalian Growth, Taking 24 Million Years to Go from Mouse to Elephant
Evolution has its quirks, and getting from a mouse-sized animal to a pachyderm didn’t take thousands of years, it took millions. Evolutionary biologists have published…
UNC Researchers Reduce Sperm Count Using Ultrasound
Using modern ultrasound equipment, researchers at University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine effectively reduced male sperm counts in laboratory rat tests. The idea of…
Researchers Report That Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions Have Raised Ocean Acidity
A team of researchers comprised of climate modelers, marine conservationists, ocean chemists, biologists, and ecologists published their recent research into ocean acidity in the January…
Researchers Show Sperm Production Has Health Implications
According to Dr. Damian Dowling of Monash University’s School of Biological Sciences and Professor Leigh Simmons of the University of Western Australia, reproduction may be…
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: The Ethics of Brain Boosting
Prominent Oxford neuroscientists are teaming up with ethicists to consider the issues raised by brain stimulating techniques. They recently spoke on BBC’s Radio 4 morning…
NDM-1 Super Bacteria Scares Medical Community in India
In Indian hospitals, over 50% of bacterial infections are now resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Surveys have shown that many widespread pathogens in India are…