Latest and Breaking Biology News

Drug allergy discovery
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(University of Melbourne) A research team led by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, Australia, has discovered why people can develop life-threatening allergies after receiving treatment for conditions such as epilepsy and AIDS.

Minister announces £250M strategic investment in UK bioscience
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts, will today announce substantial funding that will ensure the UK's bioscience research base remains globally competitive and at the forefront of meeting the grand challenges faced by society in the coming decades. The announcement will be made by the Minister during a visit to the Babraham Research Campus, near Cambridge, and highlighted again during a major speech at the University of East Anglia in Norwich.

Brightly colored bird bills indicate good health
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(Queen's University) Troy Murphy has found female bill color reflects the health of the bird. Females with more colorful bills have higher antibody levels, indicating greater strength and the ability to fight off invaders.

No new neurons in the human olfactory bulb
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(Karolinska Institutet) Research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that the human olfactory bulb - a structure in the brain that processes sensory input from the nose - differs from that of other mammals in that no new neurons are formed in this area after birth. The discovery, which is published in the scientific journal Neuron, is based on the age-determination of the cells using the carbon-14 method, and might explain why the human sense of smell is normally much worse than that of other animals.

CWRU class earns Science magazine prize for innovation
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(Case Western Reserve University) Science magazine has awarded a prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction to a Case Western Reserve University class that melds biology, computer modeling, mathematical analysis and writing. "Dynamics of Biological Systems," taught by Biology Professor Hillel Chiel and three graduate assistants, abandons traditional lectures altogether in favor of learning by doing.

Key gene found responsible for chronic inflammation, accelerated aging and cancer
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine) Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have, for the first time, identified a single gene that simultaneously controls inflammation, accelerated aging and cancer.

New test shows potential for detecting active cases of Lyme disease
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(George Mason University) George Mason University researchers can find out if a tick bite means Lyme disease well before the bite victim begins to show symptoms.

Newly modified nanoparticle opens window on future gene editing technologies
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(Iowa State University) Iowa State University researchers are using nanoparticles originally developed by the late Victor Lin to simultaneously deliver proteins and DNA into plant cells. The technology could allow more sophisticated and targeted editing of plant genomes. And that could help researchers develop crops that adapt to changing climates and resist pests. The discovery has been published online by the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

Helmsley Charitable Trust grants $6.3 million to University of Louisville for neurosurgery
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(University of Louisville) The University of Louisville has received $6.3 million from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support research in the Department of Neurological Surgery and the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at UofL developing the next generation of technology to help paralyzed people regain movement in their limbs and enhance their quality of life.

Relationship between social status and wound-healing in wild baboons
24 May 2012, 4:00 am
(National Science Foundation) Results of a study by University of Notre Dame biologist Beth Archie and colleagues from Princeton University and Duke University finds that male baboons that have a high rank within their society recover more quickly from injuries, and are less likely to become ill than other males.