News tagged with biological basis

Like humans, monkeys fall into the 'uncanny valley'

(PhysOrg.com) -- Princeton University researchers have come up with a new twist on the mysterious visual phenomenon experienced by humans known as the "uncanny valley." The scientists have found that monkeys ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Oct 13, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (18) | comments 1

Genes linked to cancer could be easier to detect with liquid lasers

Using a liquid laser, University of Michigan researchers have developed a better way to detect the slight genetic mutations that might predispose a person to a particular type of cancer or other diseases.

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created Jan 31, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New study makes key finding in stem cell self-renewal

A University of Minnesota-led research team has proposed a mechanism for the control of whether embryonic stem cells continue to proliferate and stay stem cells, or differentiate into adult cells like brain, liver or skin.

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Genes that influence start of menstruation identified for first time

Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School, along with collaborators from research institutions across Europe and the United States, have for the first time identified two genes that are involved in determining when girls ...

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created May 17, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Science overturns view of humans as naturally 'nasty'

Biological research increasingly debunks the view of humanity as competitive, aggressive and brutish, a leading specialist in primate behavior told a major science conference Monday.

Biology / Other

created Feb 20, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (17) | comments 68

A happy life is a long one for orangutans

New research has shown that happier orang-utans live longer which may shed light on the evolution of happiness in humans.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 29, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

The smell of danger: Rodent olfaction and the chemistry of instinct

The mechanics of instinctive behavior are mysterious. Even something as simple as the question of how a mouse can use its powerful sense of smell to detect and evade predators, including species it has never met before, has ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jun 28, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Invasive Species on the March: Variable Rates of Spread Set Current Limits to Predictability

(PhysOrg.com) -- Whether for introduced muskrats in Europe or oak trees in the United Kingdom, zebra mussels in United States lakes or agricultural pests around the world, scientists have tried to find new ...

Biology / Ecology

created Sep 17, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Navigating the neurochemical space by computer-aided molecular design

Pharmaceutical scientists from VU University Amsterdam and colleagues from the University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna have gained new insights into the molecular basis of the GABAA receptors, ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Apr 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists take a step towards uncovering the histone code

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have determined the structures of two enzymes that customize histones, the spool-like proteins around which DNA coils inside the cell.

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Dec 20, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 1

Report Says Musicians Hear Better Than Non-Musicians

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Journal of Neuroscience reports this week that musicians are better than non-musicians at recognizing speech in noisy environments.  The finding from a study conducted by neurobiologists at Nor ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Nov 17, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Liking sweets makes sense for kids

As any parent knows, children love sweet-tasting foods. Now, new research from the University of Washington and the Monell Center indicates that this heightened liking for sweetness has a biological basis and is related ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Mar 18, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Study identifies neural structure for self-other distinction in motor domain

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study on social cognition has clarified a key role for the medial frontal region of the cerebral cortex in differentiating between the actions of oneself and the actions of others.

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Jan 24, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

PTSD: The serotonin system influences vulnerability and treatment

There is a great deal of interest in factors that contribute to the vulnerability to developing post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. One factor that appears to contribute to the heritable vulnerability to PTSD is a variation ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Jun 17, 2010 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Researchers discover new way diseases develop

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a previously unknown mechanism by which cells direct gene expression, the process by which information from a gene is used to direct the physical and behavioral ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created Jul 08, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0