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November 23, 2008 4:37:34 CST


biology

biology news stories

16 Stories

Princeton Team Adds Twist to Darwin's Theory

It's not random, they say: Organisms can control own evolution

(Newser) - Princeton scientists say they have found evidence that organisms can essentially control their own evolution, a finding that could provide a fundamental shift in our understanding of Darwin's theory, reports the university's news service. The research suggests that evolution isn't entirely random, as Darwin believed. Rather, proteins within organisms constantly make self-correcting adaptations to bring about the fittest being. More »

More about:  evolution biology Charles Darwin Princeton natural selection

Author Offers Creepy Look at Critters With Taste for Blood

Bats, bedbugs, leeches, and mosquitoes have a common thirst

(Newser) - With Halloween nearly upon us, the author of new book on bloodsucking creatures—vampire bats, bedbugs, leeches, and the like—leads the New York Times on a sanguivore safari. The world's bloodthirsty creatures vary enormously, as Bill Schutt details in Dark Banquet , and some are mere dabblers, but many specialists have evolved similar equipment: clot busters, natural painkillers—and very sharp teeth. More »

More about:  Halloween insects animals biology blood bats bedbugs

Docs Tout Safer, Non-Embryonic Stem Cells

Virus, used in mice, repurposes adult cells with no risk of cancer

(Newser) - Scientists have discovered a safer way to turn adult cells into stem cells, the Boston Globe reports. The cells, similar to those harvested from embryos, are called induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells; Japanese researchers introduced the method 2 years ago. But the Japanese used retroviruses, which can cause cancer; the new research uses a different virus, which is safe. More »

Genome Project Is a Bust: Expert

$3B effort to pinpoint disease-causing genes too broad,
Duke doc says

(Newser) - The idea behind mapping the human genome (and spending $3 billion to do so) was to uncover common gene variants that cause disease. But a Duke University geneticist says that natural selection has worked better than we thought, that there are no common variants but rather a multitude of rare ones, the New York Times reports. More »

'Biohackers' Push DIY Science in the Basement

Movement aims to capitalize on American passion for invention

(Newser) - Just as individual computer experts can create new programs and technological movements from home, a new generation of scientists wants to make do-it-yourself biology a household activity. Sessions such as those teaching laypeople how to extract DNA show "how much science can be about duct tape and having a few screws in the right place," one "biohacker" tells the Boston Globe. More »

More about:  science hackers MIT biology science experiment

 Philosophical Vintner 
 Rethinks Wine 

The bizarre techniques behind the Scholium Project

(Newser) - Abe Schoener is reinvigorating California wines with a decidely unorthodox, almost experimental, approach, writes Jon Bonne in the San Francisco Chronicle . Schoener, who lacks formal training, eschews the traditional do's and don’ts of the craft with his Scholium Project winery. His wines "are bizarre, ingenious and polarizing—quite simply unlike anything else being made anywhere in this country," writes Bonne. More »

More about:  California wine biology wineries plants grapes organic wine

Scientists
Honing Gaydar

Studies seek innate differences between gays and straights
 

(Newser) - Scientists are examining how homosexuality may affect everything from penis sizes to how one navigates new cities, reports the Los Angeles Times . Innate differences between gays and straights rooted in biology could lead researchers to discover the biological origins of sexual orientation. More »

More about:  homosexuality gay lesbians biology studies gaydar

 Caribbean Monk Seal Extinct 

Seal only one of its kind to vanish because of human causes

(Newser) - Caribbean monk seals, the sea dwellers first discovered during Columbus’s second voyage in 1494, are officially extinct—the only seal to vanish because of human causes, MSNBC reports. “Humans left the Caribbean monk seal population unsustainable after overhunting them,” a biologist explained. The seal, a native of the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, hadn’t been spotted for 50 years. More »

Homosexuality: It's
Perfectly Natural

Gay relationships abound in animal kingdom

(Newser) - It may throw a wrench in Noah's ark-stocking plans, but same-sex relationships appear in many animal species, reports LiveScience.com. The long list of animals that practice gay sex includes bears, penguins, gorillas, and dolphins, among others. But scientists question the act's evolutionary purpose, because it doesn't aid in reproduction. It may be an adaptation for nurturing offspring, or just a dry run. More »

More about:  science homosexuality gay biology nature biodiversity

Fertile Women Sound Sexier, Study Says

Voices found
to be most alluring
during ovulation

(Newser) - Barflies take note: A woman's voice is sexiest when she's most fertile, a new study says. Scientists recorded women counting from 1 to 10 and found that their voices were rated most attractive when they were closest to ovulation, the BBC reports. What gives? Researchers aren't sure, but they speculate that hormones may affect the voice box. More »

More about:  women women's health gender fertility hormones biology

Cougar's Long Trek to Chicago May Tell Tale

Cat likely from SD may yield clues about human overpopulation

(Newser) - A cougar shot April 14 in Chicago was spotted earlier in Wisconsin, DNA tests show, suggesting an epic trek. Now, scientists are eager to study the animal, hoping to learn more about how and why it migrated; they aim to pin down its ancestry in an effort to better understand how animals like it adjust to human populations, the Chicago Tribune reports. More »

More about:  Chicago science Wisconsin biology migration South Dakota overpopulation human population cougar

Darwin's Papers Now Online

Once-private drafts, notes and even recipes of evolutionary scientist are free to public

(Newser) - A vast collection of the papers of Charles Darwin is now online, providing public access to volumes once restricted to Cambridge scholars, the BBC reports. 20,000 items are available, including the first draft of his seminal book on evolution, travel notes and personal pieces such as family recipes, Reuters reports. “Darwin changed our understanding of nature forever,” says the project’s director. More »

More about:  science evolution research nature biology Charles Darwin natural selection

 Top 10 Planet Earth Puzzlers 

Even basic questions still have scientists scratching their heads

(Newser) - Forget deep-space exploration; even basic questions about Earth still have scientists scratching their heads, LiveScience reports. A panel of geologists and planetary scientists lists its top lingering mysteries. How did Earth form into such a distinct body? What happened during Earth's first 500 million years? How did life start on this planet? What’s happening inside Earth and how does this affect the surface? More »

More about:  earthquake Earth aerospace biology scientists geology universe volcanoes Earth's interior

Lab Creates Speedy, Lean Mighty Mouse

Modified critters have voracious appetites but manage to stay thin

(Newser) - Scientists have made speedy super mice by flipping a genetic switch, reports the Guardian . The mice can run 30 times as far as regular mice, and they live longer and breed later. They also eat 60% more food than average mice but manage to stay leaner and possibly more resistant to cancer, say researchers at Case Western Reserve University. More »

More about:  biology mice genetic modification bioethics Case Western Reserve University

Women Have Been Falling for Brad Pitt Types for 2.6M Years

Rules of attraction haven't changed much

(Newser) - The facial proportions of the average hot guy haven't changed much throughout human  evolutionary history, finds a new study that compares contemporary human skulls with skulls from 2.6 million years ago. Women have been selecting for males with short, broad faces—think Brad Pitt and Will Smith—since the dawn of man, and chimps do the same. More »

More about:  women science Brad Pitt evolution gender men biology human evolution attraction

Girls Think Pink, Naturally,
Study Finds

Women's attraction to redder hues linked
to evolution

(Newser) - Shocking news: Girls love pink. That love might not just be cultural—but linked to evolutionary development, researchers  in a new study have concluded. Pink may have helped ancient women recognize ripe fruit and healthy men with ruddy faces, while both genders yearned for the blue of open skies and clear water, the Telegraph reports. More »

More about:  gender biology human evolution gender roles girls pink