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. (PhysOrg.com) -- Forest fragmentation driven by demand for palm oil is having a catastrophic effect on multiple levels of biodiversity, scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have discovered. http://phys.org/news225099500.html Biology Fri, 20 May 2011 08:38:43 EST news225099500 New research published today by scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) shows that malaria is tens of thousands of years older than previously thought. An international team, led by researchers at Imperial College London, have found that the potentially deadly tropical disease evolved alongside anatomically modern humans and moved with our ancestors as they migrated out of Africa around 60-80,000 years ago. The research is published in the journal Current Biology. http://phys.org/news195995946.html Biology Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:19:21 EST news195995946 (PhysOrg.com) -- Using high-throughput sequencing to map the locations of a common type of jumping gene within a person's entire genome, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found extensive variation in these locations among the individuals they studied, further underscoring the role of these errant genes in maintaining genetic diversity. http://phys.org/news194632119.html Biology Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:29:03 EST news194632119 Six new corn inbred lines with resistance to aflatoxin contamination have been found to be free of seed-borne diseases foreign to the United States, and seeds of these lines are now available in the United States for further development toward commercialization. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Robert Brown, working in collaboration with Abebe Menkir at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria, developed the lines. http://phys.org/news193586910.html Biology Thu, 20 May 2010 15:40:01 EST news193586910 Nearly 1,000 kilometers north of Norway stands an impressive vault. Dug deep below the permafrost into solid rock, so far north that four months out of the year the sun doesn’t shine, the vault contains some of mankind's most precious resources, preserved at a constant minus-8 degrees Celsius. What lies inside? Gold? Irreplaceable art or fundamental human knowledge? No. These treasures are tiny, modest, unassuming: seeds. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is home to nearly half a million specimens from around the world and the most well-known example of a practice called "seed banking." http://phys.org/news191859252.html Biology Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:30:02 EST news191859252 Like the canary in the coal mine, the timber rattlesnake may be telling us something about the environment we share. http://phys.org/news191061123.html Biology Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:20:01 EST news191061123 (PhysOrg.com) -- David Page, director of the Whitehead Institute and professor of biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says research indicates the much-maligned Y chromosome plays a more critical role in genetics than previously believed. http://phys.org/news190986773.html Biology Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:58:31 EST news190986773 A multicellular green alga, Volvox carteri, may have finally unlocked the secrets behind the evolution of different sexes. A team led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown that the genetic region that determines sex in Volvox has changed dramatically relative to that of the closely related unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. http://phys.org/news190557862.html Biology Thu, 15 Apr 2010 14:00:10 EST news190557862 The last known population of woolly mammoths, roaming a remote Arctic island long after humans invented writing, were wiped out quickly, reports a study released Wednesday. http://phys.org/news189233934.html Biology Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:20:01 EST news189233934 Scientists may have made an "a-maize-ing" discovery that could lead to higher corn yields in the United States. In a new research report published in the March 2010 issue of the journal Genetics, scientists used tropical maize from Mexico and Thailand to discover chromosome regions responsible for detecting seasonal changes in flowering time (called the "photoperiod response"). This discovery may lead to higher crop yields, improved disease resistance, and heartier plants able to withstand severe weather. As one of the United States' largest crops, corn is used for food, feed, sweetener, fuel, plastics, and more. http://phys.org/news188736166.html Biology Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:43:02 EST news188736166 An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist is helping to sort through the jumbled genetics of Echinacea, the coneflower known for its blossoms--and its potential for treating infections, inflammation, and other human ailments. http://phys.org/news187007134.html Biology Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:40:01 EST news187007134 Why do domestic dogs vary so much in size, shape, coat texture, color and patterning? Study of the dog genome has reached a point where the molecular mechanisms governing such variation across mammalian species are becoming understood. In an essay published in the March 2, 2010 issue of PLoS Biology, National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) researchers discuss advances in understanding the genomic mechanisms controlling canine morphology. http://phys.org/news186730414.html Biology Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:10:01 EST news186730414 Human genomes from Southern African Bushmen and Bantu individuals have been sequenced by a team of scientists seeking a greater understanding of human genetic variation and its effect on human health. http://phys.org/news185644363.html Biology Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:53:15 EST news185644363 (PhysOrg.com) -- Sorghum, a main food crop in many African nations and the second most important animal feed crop in the United States, has the potential for expanded food and fuel uses both here and abroad, said a Purdue University agronomist. http://phys.org/news184349808.html Biology Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:40:04 EST news184349808 Living organisms have good reason for engaging in sexual, rather than asexual, reproduction according to Maurine Neiman, assistant professor of biology in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and researcher in the Roy J. Carver Center for Genomics. http://phys.org/news183318256.html Biology Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:44:34 EST news183318256 Biologists at the University of Pennsylvania studying the processes of evolution appear to have resolved a longstanding conundrum: How can organisms be robust against the effects of mutations yet simultaneously adaptable when the environment changes? http://phys.org/news183213453.html Biology Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:00:28 EST news183213453 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study from the University of Leicester has found that most men in Europe descend from the first farmers who migrated from the Near East 10,000 years ago. The findings are published January 19 in the open-access journal PLoS Biology. http://phys.org/news183129440.html Biology Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:17:44 EST news183129440 (PhysOrg.com) -- When the National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP) opened its doors a decade ago, it started out with genetic material from 40 lines of chicken. Today, the center operated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Fort Collins, Colo., has grown into one of the largest repositories of its kind in the world, housing more than half a million genetic samples from 12,000 animals. http://phys.org/news182689173.html Biology Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:59:51 EST news182689173 Rice is one of the most important crops worldwide, as it feeds over half of the world's population. Domesticated rice is an important supply of the world's rice. However, these strains are genetically static and cannot adapt to changing growing conditions. Traditional varieties, or landraces, of rice are genetically evolving and provide a pool of traits that can be tapped to improve crops worldwide. http://phys.org/news181853004.html Biology Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:43:50 EST news181853004 Researchers have new insight into the sex lives of the much-maligned mosquitoes that are responsible for the vast majority of malaria deaths, according to a report published online on December 31st in Current Biology. In finding a partner of the right species type, male and female mosquitoes depend on their ability to "sing" in perfect harmony. Those tones are produced and varied based on the frequency of their wing beats in flight. http://phys.org/news181466270.html Biology Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:12:38 EST news181466270 (PhysOrg.com) -- UNSW students have sequenced the chloroplast genome of the ancient Wollemi Pine - a world first that could reveal how a "dinosaur" of the tree kingdom survived 200 million years of shifting continents and changing climates. http://phys.org/news180285175.html Biology Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:50:07 EST news180285175 The most widely used human embryonic stem cell lines lack genetic diversity, a finding that raises social justice questions that must be addressed to ensure that all sectors of society benefit from stem cell advances, according to a University of Michigan research team. http://phys.org/news180206563.html Biology Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:23:43 EST news180206563 Wild Malus orientalis -- species of wild apples that could be an ancestor of today's domesticated apples -- are native to the Middle East and Central Asia. A new study comparing the diversity of recently acquired M. orientalis varieties from Georgia and Armenia with previously collected varieties originating in Russia and Turkey narrows the large population and establishes a core collection that will make M. orientalis more accessible to the breeding and research communities. http://phys.org/news179750051.html Biology Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:35:10 EST news179750051 Several genome-wide studies of human genetic diversity have been conducted on European populations. Now, for the first time, these studies have been extended to 73 Southeast Asian (SEA) and East Asian (EA) populations. http://phys.org/news179676849.html Biology Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:14:55 EST news179676849 Looks can be deceiving, but certain bird species have figured out that a voice can tell them most of what they need to know to find the right mate. http://phys.org/news178976123.html Biology Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:36:15 EST news178976123 The world's largest species of monkey 'chooses' mates with genes that are different from their own to guarantee healthy and strong offspring, according to a new research study. http://phys.org/news178315092.html Biology Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:59:12 EST news178315092 A new study provides "incontrovertible evidence" that the volcanic super-eruption of Toba on the island of Sumatra about 73,000 years ago deforested much of central India, some 3,000 miles from the epicenter, researchers report. http://phys.org/news178210720.html Space & Earth Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:59:10 EST news178210720 For cancer patients on chemotherapy, the "cure" can be as deadly as the disease itself. Adverse drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death among patients receiving cancer treatment. http://phys.org/news177769379.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:00:02 EST news177769379 As warmer temperatures threaten to devastate plant species across the globe, scientists are taking the lead by relocating plants to safer grounds, according to a recent New York Times article. http://phys.org/news177669654.html Biology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:41:40 EST news177669654 The European mink, Mustela lutreola, is a species catalogued as in danger of extinction, due to the large decline in their population over the past century. It is considered to be one of the most endangered mammals, both locally and internationally. http://phys.org/news176390934.html Biology Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:50:05 EST news176390934