biology news

For T cells to detect and kill foreign pathogens such as clumps of bacteria or viruses, the cells must first be ‘triggered’ into action and ‘transform’ from inactive and harmless immune cells into killer cells that are primed to seek out and destroy all traces of a foreign pathogen.

A record Earth Hour is looming with more countries now signed up for the event than for last year’s globe circling lights out for climate action.

Math-based computer models are a powerful tool for discovering the details of complex living systems. John Tyson, professor of biology at Virginia Tech, is creating such models to discover how cells process information and make decisions.

Anthony N. van den Pol, professor of neurosurgery and member of the Yale Cancer Center and molecular biologist John N. Davis describe the new technique in the February issue of the Journal of Virology.

Smells are known to be critical to animal mating habits: Animal studies have shown that male testosterone levels are influenced by odor signals emitted by females, particularly when they are ovulating (that is, when they are the most fertile).

Lethality of H1N1 Virus Drops to "Non-Epidemic Resting Levels" in Current Cycle - Virus' Infectivity Remains Increased; New Faster-Developed Synthetic Replikin Vaccines Found Effective, FluForecast(R) Gives Advance Warning of Strain-Specific Outbreaks and Cessation

Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone.

The smallest nano-sized silica particles used in biomedicine and engineering likely won’t cause unexpected biological responses due to their size, according to work presented today.

Paleontologists can still hear the echo of the death knell that drove the dinosaurs and many other organisms to extinction following an asteroid collision at the end of the Cretaceous Period 65 million years ago.

An international research team led by Tim Nilsen, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and biochemistry and the director of the School of Medicine's Center for RNA Molecular Biology, has discovered an unexpected mechanism governing alternative splicing, the process by which single genes produce different proteins in different situations.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered stem cells in the oesophagus of mice that were able to grow into tissue-like structures and when placed into immune-deficient mice were able to form parts of an oesophagus lining.

When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased.

Diets and beauty products claiming to have anti-oxidant properties are unlikely to prevent ageing, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Imaging study is one of the first to analyze influence of multiple genes

Amoebas glide toward their prey with the help of a protein switch that controls a molecular compass, biologists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered.

In a groundbreaking study led by a molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized.

Scientists have confirmed the second-ever case of a 'virgin birth' in a shark, indicating once again that female sharks can reproduce without mating and raising the possibility that many female sharks have this incredible capacity.

The Worldwide LHC Computing Grid combines the IT power of more than 140 computer centres, the result of collaboration between 33 countries.

First long-term study finds that treatment slows symptom progression, benefits last for years

Findings Show RNA Interference Has Much Larger Role in Cellular Functions and Processes Than Previously Thought