Climate warming and habitat loss threaten British Butterfly survival
Because butterflies are cold blooded, their growth and development are closely dependent on the weather and climate. When climates change insects can either shift breeding distributions to track it, stay put and adapt, or die out. Since the 1970s, climate warming in Britain has seen almost 20% of butterflies spread their ranges northwards,... view more... (2003-06-05)
Washington University unveils draft sequence of corn genome
A team of scientists led by Washington University in St. Louis has begun to unlock the genetic secrets of corn, a crop vital to U.S. agriculture. view more (2008-02-26)
New flood-tolerant rice offers relief for world's poorest farmers
A gene that enables rice to survive complete submergence has been identified by a team of researchers at the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and at the University of California's Davis and Riverside campuses. view more (2006-08-10)
Zoo volunteers help explain mysteries of the genome
As the University of Leicester approaches the 25th anniversary of the discovery of DNA fingerprinting (September 10), Leicester geneticists interested in a particular type of DNA are receiving some help from an unusual band of assistants. view more (2009-09-08)
Scientists unlock clues for tailoring corn plant for food, energy needs
Scientists have long known that the offspring of two inbred strains tend to be superior to both their parents. Now, a team of researchers including a University of Florida geneticist has discovered clues to why that might be the case for one of the most important crops in the world: corn. view more (2009-11-20)
DNA research flies high with Seychelles kestrel
A new research project at the University of Kent is looking for genetic evidence of a historical population bottleneck in the Seychelles kestrel by analysing DNA extracted from museum specimens estimated to be 100-150 years old. Dr Jim Groombridge, Lecturer in Biodiversity Conservation at the University's Durrell Institute of Conservation and... view more... (2004-06-01)
ROYAL SOCIETY MEDAL FOR REVOLUTIONARY GENETIC RESEARCH AT THE JOHN INNES CENTRE
The research group headed by Professor Gale and Dr Moore was the first to produce a map which described in detail the organisation of the genetic information in wheat. They were surprised to find that modern-day bread-wheat and its ancient ancestors, although separated by about a million years of evolution, had remained almost identical in terms... view more... (1998-09-01)
Study finds foul owls use feces to show they are in fine feather
Some years ago, within the Department of Conservation Biology of the Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Seville, Spain), a recently established group (colloquially named the Night Ecology Group) started to explore the possibility of visual communication in crepuscular and... view more... (2008-08-20)
Coral Reef Fish Make Their Way Home
Coral reef fish hatchlings dispersed by ocean currents are able to make their way back to their home reefs again to spawn, says a groundbreaking study published today in the journal Science. view more (2007-05-04)
Experts develop global action plan to save amphibians facing extinction
A summit of leading scientists have agreed to an action plan intended to save hundreds of frogs, salamanders and other amphibians facing extinction from familiar threats such as pollution and habitat destruction, as well as a little-known fungus wiping out their populations. view more (2005-09-21)
Overfishing and evolution
Using snorkelers and SCUBA divers is not the best way to monitor fish populations, if we want to know the evolutionary effects of overfishing. view more (2009-07-21)
Today's white rice is mutation spread by early farmers, researchers say
Some 10,000 years ago white rice evolved from wild red rice and began spreading around the globe. But how did this happen? view more (2007-08-20)
Low-pathogenic forms of bird flu do cause illness among birds
Migratory swans carrying a mild form of avian influenza depart from The Netherlands more than a month after their healthy counterparts do. view more (2007-01-31)
Shift in bald eagle diet linked to sea otter decline
A newly published study has found that the decline of sea otters along Alaska's Aleutian Islands has forced a change in the diet of a terrestrial predator - the bald eagle. The study demonstrates the extraordinary complexity of marine ecosystems and how far-ranging the impacts can be when there is a population shift in a keystone species like the... view more... (2008-10-03)
Bird fall-out measures radioactive fall-out
Jim Clapp (University of Ulster) will reveal how bird droppings can be used to measure radioactive fall-out in the environment. Solid urate spheres found in bird excretions can be screened for man-made pollutants such as radioactive caesium, providing a new non-invasive way to monitor the environment. Mr. Clapp will present his latest results... view more... (2004-03-30)
Does the face fit?
As any viewer of Crimewatch will know, E-fit pictures don't always give a true likeness of a human face. However, all this is set to change thanks to researchers at the University of Kent who are working with their counterparts at the Open University to create a software system that will generate far more life-like, and therefore far more easily... view more... (2003-06-10)
Monarch butterflies help explain why parasites harm hosts
It's a paradox that has confounded evolutionary biologists since Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859: Since parasites depend on their hosts for survival, why do they harm them? view more (2008-05-15)
Food shortages threaten Antarctic wildlife
Antarctic whales, seals and penguins could be threatened by food shortages in the Southern Ocean. Numbers of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), a shrimp-like crustacean at the heart of the food chain, are declining. The most likely explanation is a dramatic decline in sea-ice. The results are published this week in the journal Nature. view more (2004-11-01)
Putting a stop to antibiotic resistance with new drugs from seaweed
Scientists have found a new way to prevent life-threatening infections not by killing the bacteria but by preventing them from talking to each other, according to research published today in the journal Microbiology. We`ve found that a group of chemicals called furanones can prevent the build up of communities of bacteria on surfaces such as... view more... (2001-12-21)
Science museum displays new type of self-evolving robot
Nature have today reported that a new type of robot has been developed that can evolve with minimal human intervention. American robot experts have bred generations of robots within computers – the best robots that evolve are then built by the computer. These robots will be displayed in the Science Museum’s new exhibition –... view more... (2000-08-31)
|
|
