http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Amphibians may be more susceptible to disease in undisturbed natural habitats, a study in this week's issue of PNAS finds. http://phys.org/news225993475.html Biology Mon, 30 May 2011 16:58:17 EST news225993475 The various bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling factors play an important role in early neural development in the vertebrate embryo. However, maturation of these tissues ultimately depends on the coordinated activity of factors that suppress BMP activity within the neuroectoderm, a cell population that ultimately gives rise to the nervous system. http://phys.org/news212406983.html Medicine & Health Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:56:58 EST news212406983 many killed by a rapidly spreading disease called chytridiomycosis, which attacks the skin cells of amphibians—one critically endangered species has received an encouraging boost. Although the La Loma tree frog, Hyloscirtus colymba, is notoriously difficult to care for in captivity, the Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation Project is the first to successfully breed this species. http://phys.org/news209224597.html Biology Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:59:42 EST news209224597 A "robber frog" whose body is just 10 millimetres (three-eighths of an inch) long eats toxic mites and exudes their poison on its skin to deter predators, scientists reported on Wednesday. http://phys.org/news207981414.html Biology Wed, 03 Nov 2010 06:00:01 EST news207981414 It has all the makings of a great monster story: an attempt to draw lightning from the sky, a scientist passionate to show that electricity held the secret of life, body parts and, of course, reanimation of the dead. http://phys.org/news207480352.html Medicine & Health Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:28:04 EST news207480352 Dr. Misawa and colleagues at the Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan, focused on a chemical sensor composed of living cells from frog eggs and compact fluidic devices integrated with glass capillary electrodes. http://phys.org/news207396054.html Chemistry Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:02:59 EST news207396054 Size matters when it comes to the nucleus of a cell, and now scientists have discovered the signals that control how big the nucleus gets. http://phys.org/news206279314.html Biology Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:49:00 EST news206279314 Delighted conservationists announced on Wednesday they had found two species of African frog and a Mexican salamander that had been feared to extinct. http://phys.org/news204365364.html Biology Wed, 22 Sep 2010 09:20:01 EST news204365364 Kissing a frog won't turn it into a prince — except in fairy tales — but frogs may be hopping toward a real-world transformation into princely allies in humanity's battle with antibiotic-resistant infections that threaten millions of people worldwide. Scientists today reported that frog skin contains natural substances that could be the basis for a powerful new genre of antibiotics. http://phys.org/news201958902.html Chemistry Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:00:01 EST news201958902 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from the University of Tokyo have invented a novel means of improving a robot's sense of smell, by using inexpensive olfactory sensors containing frog eggs. http://phys.org/news202027789.html Chemistry Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:20:01 EST news202027789 The smallest frog in the Old World (Asia, Africa and Europe) and one of the world's tiniest was discovered inside and around pitcher plants in the heath forests of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. The pea-sized amphibian is a species of microhylid, which, as the name suggests, is composed of miniature frogs under 15 millimeters. http://phys.org/news201975562.html Biology Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:19:59 EST news201975562 Scientists track amphibian populations because these animals are sensitive to changes in their environment and can serve as "canaries in the coal mine" to give researchers early warnings about pollution or other ecological problems. But new research from North Carolina State University shows that data from the largest amphibian monitoring program in the country may have flaws that, if uncorrected, could result in overestimates of frog populations. http://phys.org/news199963669.html Biology Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:28:04 EST news199963669 (PhysOrg.com) -- A study of the Central American red-eyed tree frog has found that the males shake the branches they’re perched on to produce strong vibrations to mark out their territory for mating. http://phys.org/news196403244.html Biology Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:00:01 EST news196403244 Trying to stay ahead of a deadly disease that has wiped out more than 100 species, scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute continue to discover new frog species in Panama: Pristimantis educatoris, from Omar Torrijos National Park, and P. adnus from Darien Province near the Colombian border. http://phys.org/news194118657.html Biology Wed, 26 May 2010 18:51:12 EST news194118657 Using experiments involving a mechanical shaker and a robotic frog, researchers reporting online on May 20th in Current Biology have found new evidence that male red-eyed treefrogs communicate with one another in aggressive contests by using vibrations they send through their plant perches. The findings open the door to further study of what has been a neglected channel for vertebrate communication. http://phys.org/news193577822.html Biology Thu, 20 May 2010 12:38:42 EST news193577822 The world's most ancient frogs may soon be mined to extinction, if the New Zealand government's plans to open up a conservation area for mining go ahead. http://phys.org/news193573242.html Biology Thu, 20 May 2010 11:30:01 EST news193573242 Scientists have been alarmed for years about a mysterious fungus that wipes out frogs around the globe -- even in wildlife sanctuaries like Yosemite and Sequoia-Kings Canyon national parks. http://phys.org/news192903530.html Biology Wed, 12 May 2010 17:19:06 EST news192903530 Scientists have unraveled the dynamics of a deadly disease that is wiping out amphibian populations across the globe. http://phys.org/news192726058.html Biology Mon, 10 May 2010 16:01:11 EST news192726058 A pair of University of Houston researchers contributed to the assembly of the first comprehensive DNA sequence of an amphibian genome, which will shed light on the study of embryonic development, with implications for preventing birth defects and more effectively treating many human diseases. http://phys.org/news192375305.html Biology Thu, 06 May 2010 14:35:41 EST news192375305 A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the University of California, Berkeley, is publishing this week the first genome sequence of an amphibian, the African clawed frog Xenopus tropicalis, filling in a major gap among the vertebrates sequenced to date. http://phys.org/news191765363.html Biology Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:00:07 EST news191765363 (PhysOrg.com) -- Mass observations of frogs spawning have sounded a warning bell not only for the future of the common frog but also for Britain's wildlife more generally. http://phys.org/news190990630.html Biology Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:57:23 EST news190990630 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday designated 1.6 million acres in California as critical habitat for the endangered red-legged frog, made famous by Mark Twain in his story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." http://phys.org/news187990840.html Biology Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:40:01 EST news187990840 (PhysOrg.com) -- Engineers from the University of Cincinnati devise a foam that captures energy and removes excess carbon dioxide from the air -- thanks to semi-tropical frogs. http://phys.org/news187951045.html Nanotechnology Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:37:57 EST news187951045 USDA Forest Service researchers found that site fidelity, the tendency to return to previously occupied habitats, is strong in the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog. Research showed how the cumulative effects of a changing climate and introduced non-native trout are negatively impacting the habitat of a species already gone from 90 percent of its historic localities, and will further stress frogs with strong site fidelity. http://phys.org/news187531687.html Biology Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:09:17 EST news187531687 (PhysOrg.com) -- In cold weather a chameleon’s metabolism slows down, but its tongue continues to work quickly to capture prey. A new study has found out why: the tongue does not rely on direct muscle contractions, and this mechanism is more resistant to cold than are muscles. http://phys.org/news187420978.html Biology Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:00:01 EST news187420978 The potentially deadly yellow-fever-transmitting Aedes aegypti mosquito detects the specific chemical structure of a compound called octenol as one way to find a mammalian host for a blood meal, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists report. http://phys.org/news187357153.html Biology Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:06 EST news187357153 An Australian frog which disappeared nearly 40 years ago and was feared extinct has been rediscovered in a remote creek, astounding experts. http://phys.org/news186902655.html Biology Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:24:25 EST news186902655 Scientists at Vanderbilt and Yale universities have successfully transplanted most of the "nose" of the mosquito that spreads malaria into frog eggs and fruit flies and are employing these surrogates to combat the spread of the deadly and debilitating disease that afflicts 500 million people. http://phys.org/news185469604.html Biology Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:20:34 EST news185469604 (PhysOrg.com) -- Midwife toads that live in the mountains are highly likely to die from a serious fungal infection, called chytridiomycosis, whereas their infected relatives in the lowlands are not, according to new research published today in Ecology Letters. http://phys.org/news183546272.html Biology Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:10:01 EST news183546272 The female cane toad can pump herself up to mega-size to throw off smaller males striving to mate with her, Australian biologists reported on Wednesday. http://phys.org/news181942221.html Biology Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:20:01 EST news181942221