http://phys.org/biology-news/ en-us Phys.Org provides the latest news on biology, evolution, microbiology, biotechnology Environment is not the only factor in shaping regulatory patterns—and it might not even be the primary factor, according to a new Rice University study that looks at how cells' protein networks relate to a bacteria's genome. http://phys.org/news288375822.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 17:23:51 EST news288375822 How does the bacterium Shigella—the cause of a deadly diarrheal disease—detect that it's in a human host? Ohio University scientists have found that a biological "RNA thermometer" monitors whether the environment is right for the bacterium to produce the factors it needs to survive within the body, according to a study published May 21 in the journal PLOS ONE. http://phys.org/news288373970.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:05 EST news288373970 When infections occur in the body, stem cells in the blood often jump into action by multiplying and differentiating into mature immune cells that can fight off illness. But repeated infections and inflammation can deplete these cell populations, potentially leading to the development of serious blood conditions such as cancer. Now, a team of researchers led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has found that, in mouse models, the molecule microRNA-146a (miR-146a) acts as a critical regulator and protector of blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs) during chronic inflammation, suggesting that a deficiency of miR-146a may be one important cause of blood cancers and bone marrow failure. http://phys.org/news288364621.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 14:17:15 EST news288364621 (Phys.org) —A new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the country's yearly needs. http://phys.org/news288363267.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 13:55:27 EST news288363267 Biologists have known for a long time that some creatures evolve more quickly than others. Exactly why isn't well understood, particularly for plants. But it may be that height plays a role, says Robert Lanfear of Australian National University and the U. S. National Evolutionary Synthesis Center. http://phys.org/news288354388.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 11:26:35 EST news288354388 (Phys.org) —An international team of wildlife researchers has found evidence to support the theory that some birds, such as penguins, lost the ability to fly because of adaptations that allowed for better swimming. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes the results of testing energy efficiency levels of birds that both fly and dive as compared to birds that have lost the ability to fly. http://phys.org/news288346514.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 09:30:01 EST news288346514 An international team of scientists reveals that a unique strain of potato blight they call HERB-1 triggered the Irish potato famine of the mid-19th century. http://phys.org/news288291675.html Biology Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:02 EST news288291675 Future teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire ant, a much-despised insect whose painful bites and extensive networks of underground tunnels are all-too-familiar to people living in the southern United States. http://phys.org/news288270951.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:17 EST news288270951 Parasitic wasps switch off the immune systems of fruit flies by draining calcium from the flies' blood cells, a finding that offers new insight into how pathogens break through a host's defenses. http://phys.org/news288269607.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:07 EST news288269607 (Phys.org) —From within an ancient German gravesite to laboratories under the harshest extremes of scientific scrutiny, traces of DNA from a deadly disease illuminate the cold pages of history with modern insight. http://phys.org/news288261881.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 09:44:49 EST news288261881 Monash University researchers are shedding light on the complex processes that underpin the creation and differentiation of stem cells, bringing closer the promise of 'miracle' therapies. http://phys.org/news288252860.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 07:14:29 EST news288252860 (Phys.org) —For decades, ecologists have assumed the worst invasive species—such as brown tree snakes and kudzu—have an "away-field advantage." They succeed because they do better in their new territories than they do at home. A new study led by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center reveals that this fundamental assumption is not nearly as common as people might think. http://phys.org/news288250040.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 06:27:30 EST news288250040 Genomic analyses suggest that patterns of genetic diversity which indicate population movement may not be as ancient as previously believed, but may be attributable to recent events. This study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Investigative Genetics, based in the Netherlands, is able to genetically characterize geographically separated subpopulations within the country and map them to population movement within the last 2000 years. http://phys.org/news288236170.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 02:36:25 EST news288236170 What lures a lady frog to her lover? Good looks, the sound of his voice, the size of his pad or none of the above? After weighing up their options, female strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) bag the closest crooner they can, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology. This seemingly short-sighted strategy turns out to be the optimal mate choice strategy for these colourful frogs. http://phys.org/news288236085.html Biology Mon, 20 May 2013 02:35:30 EST news288236085 (AP)—Mirjana Filipovic is still haunted by the land mine blast that killed her boyfriend and blew off her left leg while on a fishing trip nearly a decade ago. It happened in a field that was supposedly de-mined. http://phys.org/news288172971.html Biology Sun, 19 May 2013 09:03:04 EST news288172971 By day, insects provide the white noise of the South, but the night belongs to the amphibians. In a typical year, the Southern air hangs heavy from the humidity and the sounds of wildlife. http://phys.org/news288029316.html Biology Fri, 17 May 2013 17:09:04 EST news288029316 Researchers at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and City University of New York have invented a proprietary new formulation called Visikol that effectively clears organisms to be viewed under microscopes. Visikol can be used in place of chloral hydrate, which is one of the few high-quality clearing solutions currently available but which is tightly regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) due to its use as a narcotic. http://phys.org/news288020241.html Biology Fri, 17 May 2013 14:40:01 EST news288020241 Archaeologists have made a discovery in southern subtropical China which could revolutionise thinking about how ancient humans lived in the region. http://phys.org/news288007298.html Biology Fri, 17 May 2013 11:02:09 EST news288007298 A new Dartmouth College study finds human-caused climate change may have little impact on many species of tropical lizards, contradicting a host of recent studies that predict their widespread extinction in a rapidly warming planet. http://phys.org/news288002180.html Biology Fri, 17 May 2013 10:10:01 EST news288002180 Once introduced for biological pest control, Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis populations have been increasing uncontrollably in the US and Europe since the turn of the millennium. The species has been proliferating rapidly in Germany; conservationists fear that the Asian lady beetle will out-compete native beetle species. http://phys.org/news287931061.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:19 EST news287931061 (Phys.org) —Two British research teams have begun using micro-CT scanners to watch butterfly pupae develop into butterflies while still alive inside their chrysalis shells. The first team did so as a means of studying the initial stages of insect metamorphosis, focusing specifically on trachea development. Their work, done as part of a BBC documentary has not yet been published. The second team has taken things much further. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, they describe how they created several time-lapse videos of pupae as they changed into painted lady butterflies. http://phys.org/news287930188.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 13:38:54 EST news287930188 (Phys.org) —A team of researchers in the United States has found that dogs appear to gain a "high" from running, similar to the well known "runner's high" experienced by people who run or jog frequently. In their paper published in The Journal of Experimental Biology, the group describes how they measured neurotransmitter levels in humans, dogs and ferrets as they moved on a treadmill to determine neurobiological reward levels. http://phys.org/news287922684.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 11:50:03 EST news287922684 Invasive "crazy ants" are displacing fire ants in areas across the southeastern United States, according to researchers at The University of Texas at Austin. It's the latest in a history of ant invasions from the southern hemisphere and may prove to have dramatic effects on the ecosystem of the region. http://phys.org/news287922457.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 11:27:44 EST news287922457 (Phys.org) —The behavior of social spiders may settle debates over the benefits of older siblings. Cornell researchers studying Australian social huntsman spiders have discovered that younger siblings thrive when raised in nests with older siblings. Bigger brothers and sisters capture bigger, juicier prey, which they – at least occasionally – share with their younger siblings. http://phys.org/news287909831.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 07:57:32 EST news287909831 (Phys.org) —India's tigers are facing extinction owing to a collapse in the variety of their mating partners, according to new research carried out by scientists at Cardiff University. http://phys.org/news287908187.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 07:32:56 EST news287908187 (Phys.org) —The production of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass would benefit on several levels if carried out at temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Celsius. Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) have employed a promising technique for improving the ability of enzymes that break cellulose down into fermentable sugars to operate in this temperature range. Using this technique, they successfully engineered a high-temperature enzyme variant with greater activity and stability over the desired temperature range, and have shown that not all microbes are alike when it comes to making enzymes with improved properties. http://phys.org/news287907875.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 07:24:43 EST news287907875 (Phys.org) —Research has detailed how acoustic communication has evolved within a unique species of cricket which exploits extremely high frequency harmonics to interact. http://phys.org/news287903831.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 06:17:20 EST news287903831 MIT engineers have transformed bacterial cells into living calculators that can compute logarithms, divide, and take square roots, using three or fewer genetic parts. Inspired by how analog electronic circuits function, the researchers created synthetic computation circuits by combining existing genetic "parts," or engineered genes, in novel ways. http://phys.org/news287861661.html Biology Wed, 15 May 2013 18:35:14 EST news287861661 In a new study, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers provide the first evidence that African clawed frogs in California harbor a deadly fungal infection that is decimating amphibian populations across the globe. http://phys.org/news287826129.html Biology Wed, 15 May 2013 17:00:01 EST news287826129 (Phys.org) —Albert Erives, associate professor in the University of Iowa Department of Biology, and his graduate student, Justin Crocker, currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Janelia Farm Research Campus, have conducted a study that reveals important and useful insights into how and why developmental genes often take inputs from two independent "morphogen concentration gradients." http://phys.org/news287851181.html Biology Wed, 15 May 2013 15:40:13 EST news287851181