Articles tagged with: Biology
Parasitic larva ditches doomed host
A recently discovered fly, Endaphis fugitiva, may be the first known parasitic insect that is able to escape a host that is under attack from predators. When researchers injured the fly’s host — called the banana aphid — or let brown lacewings attack the aphids, the fly larvae broke out of the aphid’s body (see video).
A Musical Tribute to Darwin and the Earth
Charles Darwin may have had his biggest impact on biology, but he began his scientific career as a geologist. So it’s appropriate that earlier this year, retired geologist John Ramsay, who had long studied the …
Single-celled life does a lot with very little
The blueprint of a small organism’s cellular machinery has been unveiled, offering the most comprehensive view yet of the molecular essentials of life. But the research also shows just how far biologists have to go …
Biological logic
Grabbing one of the three laptops in her office at Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK, Jasmin Fisher flips open the lid and starts to describe how she and her collaborators used an approach from computer …
A Matter of Scales
Growing numbers of farmed salmon in northern Europe are escaping and mingling with their tastier, sturdier cousins from the wild. Tracking this phenomenon is difficult because the two populations look alike.
But chemical signatures in fish …
(Stem cell) banking crisis
Like most stem cell biologists, Helen Mardon obtained her first cell lines from someone she knew. Later, when she needed more material, she chose to pay for a line from a commercial dealer. Eventually, the …
Sequencing push brings new UK genome analysis center
Last month, DNA sequencing in the UK got a boost with the launch of the Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) in the eastern city of Norwich. The £13.5 million ($22 million) facility hosts biologists and bioinformaticians …
Human-ape links heard in laughter
Human laughter is rooted in the emotional displays of the common ancestor we share with apes, suggests an analysis of the vocalizations of tickled juvenile apes and humans.
Human speech is unique among animals, but researchers …
Experimental design could reduce need for animal tests
Researchers could cut the use of animals in their experiments by changing the way they analyze their results, according to a study by scientists based in Germany and the United States.
In a typical animal experiment, …
Duct Tape for the Brain
Kirsten Timmons was navigating a frozen overpass one night when a passing car skidded out of control and slammed into her vehicle. As her car came to a stop, Timmons’s head probably snapped around its …
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