News tagged with biological life

Organic carbon from Mars, but not biological

(Phys.org) -- Molecules containing large chains of carbon and hydrogen--the building blocks of all life on Earth--have been the targets of missions to Mars from Viking to the present day. While these molecules ...

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created May 24, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Hacking code of leaf vein architecture solves mysteries, allows predictions of past climate

(Phys.org) -- UCLA life scientists have discovered new laws that determine the construction of leaf vein systems as leaves grow and evolve. These easy-to-apply mathematical rules can now be used to better ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created May 23, 2012 | popularity 3.9 / 5 (10) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

A long-held assumption confirmed: We can learn a lot from other species' genes

Researchers at the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. The study, published ...

Biology / Biotechnology

created May 17, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Free-floating planets in the Milky Way outnumber stars by factors of thousands

A few hundred thousand billion free-floating life-bearing Earth-sized planets may exist in the space between stars in the Milky Way. So argues an international team of scientists led by Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, Director ...

Space & Earth / Astronomy

created May 10, 2012 | popularity 2.6 / 5 (17) | comments 53

Is a new form of life really so alien?

The idea of discovering a new form of life has not only excited astronomers and astrobiologists for decades, but also the wider public. The notion that we are the only example of a successful life form in the galaxy has, ...

Biology / Other

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (12) | comments 34 | with audio podcast

Evolution is written all over your face

Why are the faces of primates so dramatically different from one another?

Biology / Evolution

created Jan 11, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (16) | comments 10 | with audio podcast

SANS tracks cell death protein invading biomimetic mitochondrial membrane

(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of biochemists, biophysicists, and neutron scientists are using a combination of fluorescence and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) techniques to assist biochemists ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 15, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Star Wars-inspired bacterium provides glimpse into life

(PhysOrg.com) -- A bacterium whose name was inspired by the Star Wars films has provided new clues into the evolution of our own cells and how they came to possess the vital energy-producing units called mitochondria.

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Dec 09, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 10 | with audio podcast

Powerful mathematical model greatly improves predictions for species facing climate change

UCLA life scientists and colleagues have produced the most comprehensive mathematical model ever devised to track the health of populations exposed to environmental change.

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 03, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 15 | with audio podcast

Mice with fewer insulin-signaling receptors don't live longer

Scientists studying longevity thought it might be good to lack a copy of a gene, called IGF1 receptor, that is important in insulin signaling. Previous studies showed invertebrates that lacked the copy lived longer, even ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Nov 23, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers pinpoint date and rate of Earth's most extreme extinction

It's well known that Earth's most severe mass extinction occurred about 250 million years ago. What's not well known is the specific time when the extinctions occurred. A team of researchers from North America ...

Space & Earth / Earth Sciences

created Nov 17, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Biologists identify light-regulated mechanism in cyanobacteria as aid to optimizing photosynthesis

(PhysOrg.com) -- Indiana University biologists have uncovered how a control system works in producing the important light-harvesting antennae that power photosynthesis in cyanobacteria, the microorganisms ...

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 03, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 4

Sea Life sharks help scientists probe mysteries of ancient seas

Sea Life Centre sharks are set to help University of Birmingham scientists unravel the mysteries of ancient seas. That will be the goal of a major research project announced as the centres prepare to host special Shark Weeks ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Oct 18, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Fossil moths reveal their true colors

Moths dead for 47 million years are again showing their true colors. For the first time, scientists have reconstructed the colors of an ancient fossil moth. The findings detailed not just a few spots of color, ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Oct 12, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A coating that prevents barnacles forming colonies

It is not necessary for an effective anti-fouling coating to release toxins into the environment. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg have shown that it is instead possible to mix into the coating molecules ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Oct 04, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1