Friendly Fungi: Elucidating the fungal biosynthesis of stipitatic acid
(Phys.org) -- In a tale worthy of Sherlock Holmes, scientists in the School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol, UK have solved a biochemical mystery that had previously proven elusive for 70 years: ...
May 18, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
1
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Adam's rib, revisited: Evolutionary divergence of mammalian sex chromosomes
(Phys.org) -- Males and females... Mars and Venus... XY and XX chromosomes -- all are common memes. At the same time, the evolution of therian (placental and marsupial) sex chromosomes is less widely understood. ...
Apr 18, 2012 |
4 / 5 (14) |
18
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New insights into ancient life: Chromosome segregation in Archaea
(PhysOrg.com) -- The effort to classify life into various groups has been a bumpy ride. Prior to the 1900s, living things were usually pegged as either plants or animals – period. By the middle of the ...
Mar 16, 2012 |
3 / 5 (5) |
0
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Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Gene duplications are arguably the driving force of organismal evolution – and if they survive, such duplicate genes will diverge in both regulatory and coding genomic regions. Coding ...
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
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Genes ex silico: Computer-designed virus yields phenotype expression benefits
(PhysOrg.com) -- Gene therapy is medicine’s rising star with adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors – nonpathogenic parvoviruses – among the most promising supporting actors, due largely to their ...
Aug 29, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
0
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Scientists investigate how chemicals evolved into communication signals
(PhysOrg.com) -- Living things possess many diverse ways of communicating, but perhaps the oldest and most widespread form of communication involves the use of chemicals. From animals and plants to bacteria ...
Jan 11, 2011 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
3
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Professor examines the complex evolution of human morality
(PhysOrg.com) -- Although the question of what makes humans different from other animals doesn't have a single obvious answer, one seemingly conspicuous human trait is morality. Darwin, in his book The Descent of Man, an ...
May 19, 2010 |
4.5 / 5 (27) |
428
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Free will is an illusion, biologist says
(PhysOrg.com) -- When biologist Anthony Cashmore claims that the concept of free will is an illusion, he's not breaking any new ground. At least as far back as the ancient Greeks, people have wondered how ...
Mar 03, 2010 |
3.3 / 5 (136) |
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Researchers Build World's Largest Disease Association Network
(PhysOrg.com) -- If you suffer from hypertension, how much does your risk for developing diabetes or other illnesses increase? Medical experts have long known that many diseases are related to one another, ...
Apr 15, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (14) |
3
Mass Extinctions, Ancient Viruses May Hold Clues to Life’s Origins
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mass extinctions occur repeatedly, though irregularly, throughout Earth’s history, and occasionally these extinctions have been devastating to life on our planet - or have they? Extinction ...
Apr 03, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (30) |
16
Optimized by Evolution, Ants Don't Have Traffic Jams
(PhysOrg.com) -- As highway traffic increases, you'd probably expect a traffic jam, where vehicles slow down due to the high density. While traffic jams are a common occurrence on our highways, high density ...
Mar 30, 2009 |
4 / 5 (21) |
17
Why Life Originated (And Why it Continues)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Today, scientists understand pretty well how life evolves, by mechanisms based on Darwin’s theory of natural selection for survival of the fittest. However, Darwin’s 1859 classic, On the Origin ...
Biology /
Dec 09, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (171) |
111
Maxwell's demons may drive some biological systems
(PhysOrg.com) -- According to the second law of thermodynamics, entropy always increases. For example, two bodies of different temperatures, when brought into contact, will eventually mix together to result in a uniform temperature. ...
Biology /
Sep 10, 2008 |
4.5 / 5 (42) |
0
Exotic Chameleon Spends Most of its Life as an Egg
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have discovered a chameleon species that spends a good two-thirds of its life inside an egg: Furcifer labordi lives about 8-9 months as an embryo, and has a post-hatching lifesp ...
Biology /
Jul 11, 2008 |
4.7 / 5 (30) |
3
Large mammal species live harder, die out faster
Throughout Earth’s history, species have come and gone, being replaced by new ones that are better able to cope with life’s challenges. But some species last longer than others, while others may die out sooner ...
Biology /
May 07, 2008 |
4.4 / 5 (27) |
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