Fears learned by observing others are similar to those learned from direct experience Humans acquire fears using similar neural processes whether they've personally experienced an aversive event or only witnessed it, according to a study by researchers at New York University's Departments of Psychology. view more (2007-03-16)
Honey-bee products in cancer treatment and prevention Natural honey-bee products such as propolis, royal jelly, caffeic acid, honey and venom may have applications in cancer treatment and prevention, say Croatian researchers in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture this month. view more (2004-12-02)
Why cloning could wipe out species Cloning on a grand scale could spell the end of species as they become progressively nastier, warn researchers at the University of Sussex. Evolutionary biologist Dr Joel Peck has produced a mathematical model that suggests that asexual reproduction -in which organisms are reproduced from a single parent without fertilisation - leads to... view more... (2004-04-26)
Bee disease a mystery Scientists are one step closer to understanding the recent demise of billions of honey bees after making an important discovery about the transmission of a common bee virus. view more (2008-06-30)
Plants Can Protect Themselves From Aphids And Locusts Moscow biologists have proved that people can use the capability of some plants to protect themselves from vermin insects with the help of biologically active substances. It has been found that plants can protect themselves from vermin insects. One way is to use substances which the plants synthesise to suppress insects' hormones activity and to... view more... (2003-12-15)
Bee researchers close in on Colony Collapse Disorder Across the nation, beekeepers have seen hive after hive succumb to Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD); a team of entomologists and infectious disease researchers now report a strong correlation between the occupancy of CCD and a virus, Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IVAP). view more (2007-09-07)
Researchers at Illinois explore queen bee longevity The queen honey bee is genetically identical to the workers in her hive, but she lives 10 times longer and - unlike her sterile sisters - remains reproductively viable throughout life. view more (2007-05-09)
For honey bee queens, multiple mating makes a difference The success of the "reign" of a honey bee queen appears to be determined to a large degree by the number of times she mates with drone bees. view more (2007-10-09)
The Bees' Kamasutra Female leaf-cutter bees are choosy about their sexual partners: they only fall for males who give off the appropriate smell. Zoologists at the University of Bonn have discovered that the male bees actually have to rub their scent under their partners' noses. Glands in their front legs serve as "scent sprays". There is not much room for... view more... (2002-03-12)
Saving our bees Most of the world's plant species rely on animals to transfer their pollen to other plants. The undisputed queen of these animal pollinators is the bee, made up of about 30,000 species worldwide, whose daily flights aid in the reproduction of more than half of the world's flowering plants. view more (2008-08-04)
Social interactions can alter gene expression in the brain, and vice versa Our DNA determines a lot about who we are and how we play with others, but recent studies of social animals (birds and bees, among others) show that the interaction between genes and behavior is more of a two-way street than most of us realize. view more (2008-11-07)
Bee species outnumber mammals and birds combined Scientists have discovered that there are more bee species than previously thought. In the first global accounting of bee species in over a hundred years, John S. Ascher, a research scientist in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History, compiled online species pages and distribution maps for more than 19,200... view more... (2008-06-12)
Honeybees succumb to cocaine's allure Since its discovery in the 18th century, cocaine has been a scourge of western society. Strongly stimulating human reward centres in low doses, cocaine is extremely addictive and can be fatal in high doses. view more (2008-12-23)
ENZYME CONCENTRATIONS AND SKIN DISEASE MAY PREDICT SEVERITY OF REACTIONS TO BEE AND WASP STINGS (p 361) Raised concentrations of the enzyme tryptase, associated with previously undiagnosed skin disease, may be a predictor of how people will react to bee and wasp stings, reports a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET. 5% of adults in Europe and the USA have anaphylactic (hypersensitive) reactions to bee and wasp stings. The severity of... view more... (2001-01-31)
New discovery proves 'selfish gene' exists A new discovery by a scientist from The University of Western Ontario provides conclusive evidence which supports decades-old evolutionary doctrines long accepted as fact. view more (2008-06-23)
Fungus Foot Baths Could Save Bees One of the biggest world wide threats to honey bees, the varroa mite, could soon be about to meet its nemesis. Researchers at the University of Warwick are examining naturally occurring fungi that kill the varroa mite. They are also exploring a range of ways to deliver the killer fungus throughout the hives from bee fungal foot baths to powder... view more... (2008-07-29)
A bee's future as queen or worker may rest with parasitic fly Strange things are happening in the lowland tropical forests of Panama and Costa Rica. A tiny parasitic fly is affecting the social behavior of a nocturnal bee, helping to determine which individuals become queens and which become workers. view more (2008-07-29)
The bee that would be queen A team of researchers from Arizona State University, Purdue University and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences has discovered evidence that honeybees have adopted a phylogenetically old molecular cascade - TOR (target of rapamycin), linked to nutrient and energy sensing - and put it to use in caste development. view more (2007-06-06)
Bees go 'off-color' when they are sickly Bumble-bees go 'off colour' and can't remember which flowers have the most nectar when they are feeling under the weather, a new study from the University of Leicester reveals. view more (2008-07-16)
Two bees or not two bees? Researchers take first look at the genetic differences between queen and worker honeybees For the first time scientists have been able to examine the genetic processes that decide whether a juvenile bee is destined for life as a worker or as a queen. By stringing together a series of images that describe which genes are active, researchers at the Bee Research Laboratory and the University of Arizona have been able to picture exactly... view more... (2001-01-09)
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