life in Biological News

Explosive growth of life on Earth fueled by early greening of planet

TEMPE, Ariz. Earth's 4.5-billion-year history is filled with several turning points when temperatures changed dramatically, asteroids bombarded the planet and life forms came and disappeared. But one of the biggest moments in Earth's lifetime is the Cambrian explosion of life, roughly 540 million...

MicroRNAs help control HIV life cycle

LA JOLLA, Calif., June 26, 2009 Scientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that specific microRNAs (non-coding RNAs that interfere with gene expression) reduce HIV replication and infectivity in human T-cells. In particular, miR29 plays a key role in controllin...

Fossil bone bed helps reconstruct life along California's ancient coastline

Berkeley In the famed Sharktooth Hill Bone Bed near Bakersfield, Calif., shark teeth as big as a hand and weighing a pound each, intermixed with copious bones from extinct seals and whales, seem to tell of a 15-million-year-old killing ground. Yet, new research by a team of paleontologists fro...

The life histories of the earliest land animals

The fossil record usually shows what adult animals looked like. But the appearance and lifestyle of juvenile animals often differ dramatically from those of the adults. A classic example is provided by frogs and salamanders. New discoveries from Uppsala, Cambridge and Duke Universities, published ...

Unlikely life thriving at Antarctica's Blood Falls

An unmapped reservoir of briny liquid chemically similar to sea water, but hidden under an inland Antarctic glacier, appears to support microbial life in a cold, dark, oxygen-poor environment a most unexpected setting to be teeming with life. The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are devoid o...

K-State using Second Life island to help high school students learn earth science

A mysterious island that moves through time. Travelers in search of answers. It sounds something like the science fiction television show "Lost," but it also describes a new approach to teaching earth sciences to high school students. Iris Totten, an associate professor of geology at Kansas ...

GEN reports on Madoff scandal's impact on the life sciences

New Rochelle, NY, March 17, 2009While the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme led to the collapse of the Picower Foundation, a major benefactor for life science research, many bioindustry observers view the fallout from the scandal as a minor consequence in the larger economic picture, reports Genetic En...

Inactivity of proteins behind longer shelf life when freezing

Frozen biological material, for example food, can be kept for a long time without perishing. A study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, is close to providing answers as to why. A cell's proteins are programmed to carry out various biological functions. The protein's level o...

World's top minds to celebrate 'the birth and life of beginnings'

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- For two weeks in March, some of the greatest names in science and the humanities will come to Tallahassee to take part in public discussions on how fundamental discoveries in science, religion, philosophy, history and the arts have shaped our understanding of life and civiliza...

Houseplants increase quality of life for retirement community residents

LAS VEGAS, NVAs the U.S. population ages, the number of citizens moving from their own homes to assisted living or long-term-care facilities is increasing dramatically. These numbers are expected to continue rising. By 2030, the population aged 65 years and older is expected to double to more than...

'It takes a genome: How a clash between our genes and modern life is making us sick'

It's not just the climate that is struggling with what humans have done to the modern world, our genes are feeling the pressure as well, according to Professor Greg Gibson's recently published book. In It Takes a Genome: How a Clash Between Our Genes and Modern Life Is Making Us Sick , Profess...

Springer and Senckenberg society to collaborate on life sciences and geosciences journals

Springer and the Senckenberg Gesellschaft fuer Naturforschung will collaborate on the publication of two scientific journals starting in March 2009. Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments and Marine Biodiversity , both quarterly journals, will receive maximum exposure through Springer's abs...

Shorter wait means longer life for kidney transplant candidates

GAINESVILLE, Fla. How long a patient survives after a kidney transplant could depend on where he or she signs up to get the surgery, new research from the University of Florida shows. The shorter the waiting time at a transplant center, the longer patients are likely to live. A combination of ...

Mycotoxin Research joins Springer's life sciences journals program

Springer and the Society for Mycotoxin Research have signed an agreement to publish the peer-reviewed journal Mycotoxin Research , the official journal of the Society. Aimed at academics and professionals working in the food-producing industry, the journal deals with all topics related to mycoto...

Census of Marine Life and ocean in Google Earth bring ocean information to life

Web visitors can now share the excitement of Census of Marine Life explorations as scientists uncover the mysteries of what lives below the surface of the global ocean. A world of marine discoveries including 50 different kinds of Arctic jellies, a colossal sea star, and Antarctica's biggest-ever ...

Reproductive life of male mice is increased by living with females

Living with a female of its species can extend the reproductive life of a male mouse by a dramatic 20 percent, according to a study reported at the online site of the journal Biology of Reproduction . In the research, conducted by a team at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary M...

Mixing genomics and geography yields insights into life and environment

In an upcoming issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , Yale researchers used newly developed mathematical models to analyze huge amounts of data on physical characteristics such as temperature and salinity in different ocean habitats and metabolic activity in marine micro-organ...

First comprehensive 'inventory' of life in Antarctica

The first comprehensive "inventory" of sea and land animals around a group of Antarctic islands reveals a region that is rich in biodiversity and has more species than the Galapagos. The study provides an important benchmark to monitor how they will respond to future environmental change. Repor...

The Danisco Award 2008 goes to D.Sc. Barbara Ann Halkier from Faculty of Life Sciences, Copenhagen

Associated Professor, DSc Barbara Ann Halkier, Department of Plant Biology and Biotechnology at the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, has been granted the Danisco Award 2008. She received the prestigious award for her excellent research into secondary metabolites, which are biolo...

Uncovering secrets of life in the ocean

Larvae of marine invertebrates worms, sponges, jellyfish - have the simplest eyes that exist. They consist of no more than two cells: a photoreceptor cell and a pigment cell. These minimal eyes, called eyespots, resemble the 'proto-eyes' suggested by Charles Darwin as the first eyes to appear in ...

New life beneath sea and ice

Scientists have long known that life can exist in some very extreme environments. But Earth continues to surprise us. At a European Science Foundation and COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) 'Frontiers of Science' meeting in Sicily in October, scientis...

Farming and chemical warfare: A day in the life of an ant?

One of the most important developments in human civilisation was the practice of sustainable agriculture. But we were not the first - ants have been doing it for over 50 million years. Just as farming helped humans become a dominant species, it has also helped leaf-cutter ants become dominant herb...

Complex systems and Mars missions help understand how life began

Understanding how life started remains a major challenge for science. At a European Science Foundation (ESF) and COST 'Frontiers of Science' conference in Sicily in October, scientists discussed two new approaches to the problem. The first applies complex systems theory to the chemistry that prece...

Scientists announce major progress towards historic Census of Marine Life in 2010

In a report on progress towards the first Census of Marine Life, more than 2,000 scientists from 82 nations announce astonishing examples of recent new finds from the world's ocean depths. As more than 500 delegates gather for the World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (Valencia, Spain Nov. 11...

Innovative surgery by MSU veterinarian provides new lease on life to dogs

EAST LANSING, Mich. Only six months after undergoing a unique and innovative surgery at Michigan State University, Jake part dog and now part machine spends his time working out on an underwater treadmill, traversing obstacle courses and prancing around pain free. Jake, an 11-year-old yellow...

Alcohol: A life sentence

Every year, almost 4000 babies in Germany are born with alcohol-related defects. The mothers of these children have often drunk alcohol regularly during the pregnancy. The consequences are often devastating and commonly persist into adulthood. The various forms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders ...

Sensitive laser instrument could aid search for life on Mars

IDAHO FALLS -- Minuscule traces of cells can be detected in a mineral likely present on Mars, a new study shows. The results, obtained using a technique developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, could help mission scientists choose Martian surface samples with the mos...

EMBO honors 59 leading life scientists

Heidelberg, 15 October 2008 Fifty-nine leading life scientists from Europe and around the world were today recognised by the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) for their proven excellence in research. Fifty-one of the researchers, distinguished as EMBO Members, are from Europe and nei...

Caltech biologists spy on the secret inner life of a cell

PASADENA, Calif.-- The transportation of antibodies from a mother to her newborn child is vital for the development of that child's nascent immune system. Those antibodies, donated by transfer across the placenta before birth or via breast milk after birth, help shape a baby's response to foreign ...

Extending the life of fresh cranberries

KENTVILLE, NOVA SCOTIA Cranberries are tart, tiny fruits packed with powerful antioxidants. The small, red berries offer a wide variety of health benefits. Not only are cranberries a healthy, low-calorie snack, but they can also play a significant role in preventing urinary tract infections, redu...

As Andean glacier retreats, tiny life forms swiftly move in, CU-Boulder study shows

A University of Colorado at Boulder team working at 16,400 feet in the Peruvian Andes has discovered how barren soils uncovered by retreating glacier ice can swiftly establish a thriving community of microbes, setting the table for lichens, mosses and alpine plants. The discovery is the first t...

TORC at UH turns to virtual world of Second Life for new study

The University of Houston department of health and human performance is launching an international effort to recruit 500 participants for a study promoting healthy dietary habits and physical activity. The study will take place entirely in the virtual world of Second Life (SL). ...

Artificial Gravity receives 2008 Life Science Book Award

The Springer book Artificial Gravity , edited by Gilles Clment and Angie Bukley, has received the 2008 Life Science Book Award from the International Academy of Astronautics. This award is given annually to recognize excellence in publication by a member of the Academy in the fields related to li...

Second Life a first for UH department of health and human performance

The University of Houston department of health and human performance is expanding into the virtual world of Second Life (SL) thanks to grants from the UH Faculty Development Initiative Program (FDIP) and the Network Culture Project of the University of Southern California-Annenberg School for Comm...

Anti-HIV therapy boosts life expectancy more than 13 years

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. The life expectancy for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has increased by more than 13 years since the late 1990s thanks to advancements in antiretroviral therapy, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Simon Fraser Universit...

UCLA 'world summit' to explore ancient life on Earth, and beyond

A UCLA "world summit" will bring together internationally renowned scientists from 12 countries including the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, Australia and India to address ancient microscopic fossils, from July 27 to Aug. 2. "We are bringing together the world's best scientists in the field o...

Scientists discover new reefs teeming with marine life in Brazil

Fort Lauderdale, FL (July 8, 2008) Scientists announced today the discovery of reef structures they believe doubles the size of the Southern Atlantic Ocean's largest and richest reef system, the Abrolhos Bank, off the southern coast of Brazil's Bahia state. The newly discovered area is also far...

Unheard of life history for a vertebrate

There is a newly discovered life history among the 28,300 species of known tetrapods, or four-legged animals with backbones. A chameleon from arid southwestern Madagascar spends up to three-quarters of its life in an egg. Even more unusual, life after hatching is a mere 4 to 5 months. No other kno...

Growth hormone's link to starvation may be clue to increasing life span, researchers find

DALLAS June 27, 2008 Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that starvation blocks the effects of growth hormone via a mechanism that may have implications in treating diabetes and extending life span. "It's been well-established that growth is blunted during starvation...

Census of Marine Life lists 122,500 known species, over halfway to complete inventory by Oct. 2010

Census of Marine Life-affiliated scientists consolidating world databases of ocean organisms have demoted to alias status almost one-third of all names culled from 34 regional and highly specialized inventories. The new World Register of Marine Species ( www.marinespecies.org ) contains about 1...