Biology News From Nature News Service

April 20, 2005

US tarts up food pyramid  

Diagram for dietary advice now includes exercise.

Pope urged to reflect on condom use  

AIDS group pleads with conservative Ratzinger.

Genome blasts open rice research  

Sequence of fungal blight should help save crops.

April 19, 2005

Mother-to-daughter transplant reverses diabetes  

Successful procedure offers fresh hope for patients.

Early Universe was a liquid  

Quark-gluon blob surprises particle physicists.

Sugar coating improves anticancer treatment  

Sweet nanoparticles successfully deliver drugs to mouse tumours.

April 18, 2005

Doubt is cast on pentaquarks  

Exotic subatomic particles may be an experimental phantom.

Space station aims to spot seismic shocks  

Radiation study could spur plans to monitor earthquakes from orbit.

April 15, 2005

Distant planets could be made of diamond  

Welcome to carbon world, which boasts some serious rocks.

April 14, 2005

Damming evidence of human interference  

New survey reveals the impact of dams on more than half of the world's large rivers.

Ovary removal increases risk of Parkinson's disease  

Findings underscore the protective action of oestrogen on brain cells.

Sea-level records reveal surprising choppiness  

Fresh analysis shows that levels changed even between ice ages.

April 13, 2005

Polymer sniffs out explosives  

Device makes light work of detecting bombs.

April 12, 2005

Coral survived tsunami battering  

Recovery off Thai coast bodes well for other reef systems.

April 11, 2005

Beef and milk from cloned cows declared safe  

But verdict will not quell debate over biotech foods.

April 8, 2005

Brass jugs polish off disease  

Developing world urged to ditch plastic for traditional pitchers.

April 7, 2005

Portable scanner scoops chemical clues  

Downsized magnetic device could help in search for oil.

Reef racket helps fish find home  

Conservationists could use sound to stock marine reserves.

Marburg's behaviour bewilders scientists  

Rising death toll flags unexplained character of killer virus.

April 6, 2005

Facelift seals standing of oldest hominid  

Computer reconstruction and new fossils cement place in history for Toumaï.

Cannabis compound benefits blood vessels  

Low dose helps combat formation of arterial blockages.

April 5, 2005

Do it yourself  

High-tech home workshops could help grass-roots inventors in poor countries.

Radar reveals purpose in butterfly flights  

Miniature transponders show pattern among the erratic fluttering.

April 4, 2005

Air pollution influences crop disease  

Wheat archive links plant pathogens to sulphur dioxide.

Hunters win hike in polar bear quota  

Species under threat as global warming shrinks habitat.

April 3, 2005

Genetic patch treats 'bubble-boy' disease  

Targeting sequences may prove key to successful gene medicine.

Transgenic cows have udder success  

Dairy herds with bacterial gene could cream mastitis.

April 1, 2005

Apollo bacteria spur lunar erosion  

Images reveal worrying cracks in the face of the Moon.

Marburg virus outbreak in Africa  

News@nature.com investigates this threat from the Ebola family.

Great white shark tastes freedom  

California aquarium releases captive, but resolves to get another.

March 31, 2005

Charcoal fuel gets green light  

Africa will win environmental and health benefits if it stops burning wood.

Artificial retina gets diamond coating  

Nanofilm will protect electronic implant.

March 30, 2005

Indonesia still in jeopardy  

News@nature.com talks to the expert who predicted where second earthquake would strike.

Materials library has the right stuff  

Eclectic collection promotes the tactile side of science.

Crippling a single protein combats arthritis  

Drugs that target a cartilage enzyme could treat joint decay.

March 29, 2005

Second giant quake rocks Indonesia  

Seismologists puzzle over absence of tsunamis.

Gossip mongers push for national networks  

Surveillance of disease rumours looks set to expand.

March 27, 2005

Teams expose HIV's first lethal strike  

Mounting evidence of early immune damage argues for change in treatments.

March 24, 2005

Flexible fossil shows tyrannosaur's softer side  

Preserved soft tissue could reveal inner workings of dinosaur bones.

Two-limbed tiptoe aids octopus camouflage  

Novel underwater walk helps creatures slip away unnoticed.

March 23, 2005

Tuberculosis stats drive search for new drugs  

Glaxo and TB Alliance team up to replace old treatments.

Algae create glue to repair cell damage  

Discovery could help ecologists tackle Mediterranean invasion.

Elephants do impressions  

Mimicry of trucks and zoo-mates shows range of vocal repertoire.

March 22, 2005

Giant planets may host superionic water  

Water in this bizarre state would be as hard as iron and glow yellow.

Right-to-die case highlights brain mysteries  

Researchers still far from full understanding of vegetative states.

March 21, 2005

Bacteria act as glue in nanomachines  

Electrodes snare microbes in key sites on silicon wafers.

Transgenic crops take another knock  

Shift in weed species hits bees and butterflies.

March 18, 2005

Test your own DNA  

The growth of home genetic-testing kits opens up a host of legal and ethical problems. Choice does not necessarily lead to empowerment, says Philip Ball.

Reference revolution  

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales offers a whole new species of information online.

Winning the wine war  

Could DNA help the fight to keep bottle labels honest?

March 17, 2005

Americans face drop in life expectancy  

Some claim obesity will cut years off US lives by the 2050s.

Roving robot finds desert life  

Chilean tests are perfect practice for Mars exploration.

Oceans extend effects of climate change  

Sea levels will rise for centuries, even if we stop burning fossil fuels now.

Utensils divulge dinner date's feelings  

Inventor wires up cutlery with electrodes to pick up on emotions.

Atmosphere found on Enceladus  

Saturn's shiny moon is shown to have a watery shroud.

March 16, 2005

Quake threat rises after tsunami slip  

Nearby faults are under increased strain after December's catastrophe.

Women get extra dose of X-chromosome genes  

Data may help to explain differences between women and men.

DNA gets a fake fifth base  

Artificial sequences could one day answer questions about evolution.

Vampire bats have a clear run  

Species evolved its galloping gait independently of other mammals.

March 15, 2005

Species list reaches half-million mark  

Researchers claim 'spectacular progress' towards logging all Earth's life.

March 14, 2005

Chemists in California  

The American Chemical Society is the world's largest scientific society, and its meetings are just as massive. This week, 17,000 chemists have converged in palm-tree-studded San Diego, California. Emma Marris braves the crowd to dish the dirt on all thing

Alzheimer's seen in the living brain  

Mouse study raises hopes for early diagnosis in human patients.

Is tattoo ink safe?  

Student project reveals unpredictability of inks' ingredients.

March 11, 2005

Did Black Death boost HIV immunity in Europe?  

Experts argue over whether smallpox or plague should take the credit.

March 10, 2005

Geneticists find key to age-related blindness  

Small mutation increases risk of sight loss in old age.

Youth drinking may hasten heart trouble  

Even a little alcohol triggers early signs of disease.

March 9, 2005

Genome project aims to take Manhattan  

'Whole-environment sequencing' will reveal bugs in urban air.

March 8, 2005

Malaria map paints stark picture  

Study suggests the disease may afflict twice as many people as thought.

Vietnam faces worrying increase in bird flu  

Nurse may have caught the virus from patient.

Secret of fish oil's healthy effects revealed  

Synthetic version could one day treat range of inflammatory diseases.

Do you believe in life on Mars?  

Among planetary scientists, the tide is turning, says Mark Peplow.

March 7, 2005

Pervasive vitamin fortification could alter genes  

Too much folic acid risks future health of population.

The earth moves most for humans  

Agriculture and excavations shape the landscape more than rivers and glaciers.

Laughter boosts blood-vessel health  

A sense of humour may improve cardiovascular response.

March 4, 2005

Measles death toll plummets  

'Second chance' vaccine strategy is stamping out the disease.

Millions of babies' lives could be saved  

It wouldn't cost much to dramatically reduce infant deaths in poor countries.

Britain takes prion data on board  

Latest worrying research on mad cow disease presented to UK committee.

March 3, 2005

Solar wind hammers the ozone layer  

The Arctic ultraviolet shield took a battering from storms in 2004.

Critics silenced by scans of hobbit skull  

Comparisons with pygmies and chimps bolster new species claim.

Deep-sea mission finds life in the Lost City  

Chalky spires in the Atlantic depths play host to primitive archaea.

March 2, 2005

Collapsing bubbles have hot plasma core  

Find could boost hopes for bubble-driven desktop fusion.

Ecologists propose 'intactness index'  

Big-picture approach will track biodiversity conservation.

Synaesthete makes sweet music  

Professional musician distinguishes intervals with her tongue.

March 1, 2005

Vital organs gave snakes their venom  

Specific toxins evolved from tweaks to key proteins.

February 28, 2005

Countries reject global mercury treaty  

UN meeting decides on voluntary actions rather than export bans.

Radio collars stress vulnerable voles  

Ecologists tracking species may be doing more harm than good.

Female eggs grown in male testes  

Study gives clue to how genes and environment create sex cells.

February 25, 2005

Formaldehyde claim inflames martian debate  

Top scientist defends data that he says point strongly to life on Mars.

Britain baulks at funding safety research  

Chance to gain trust for nanotechnology may be lost, warn scientists.

Treaty triumphs against tobacco  

Global convention gets swift ratification, but countries will need support.

Teams solve structure of key HIV proteins  

Double discovery should help designs for effective vaccines.

February 24, 2005

Perchlorate found in breast milk  

Discovery fuels debate over pollution from rocket launches.

Martian pole reveals ice age cycles  

Climate record seen in Red Planet's exposed ice cliffs.

February 23, 2005

Astronomers spot invisible galaxy  

Discovery supports most recent theories about exotic dark matter.

Bacteria thrive at stunning depths  

Genetic molecule reveals that cells in ancient ocean sediments are alive.

February 22, 2005

Meat diet boosts kids' growth  

Bringing up children as vegans is unethical, claims nutritionist.

Mars may have a frozen sea  

Images of Elysium plains seem to show ice floes.

To know science is to love it  

Bolstering support for the field remains a thorny problem.

February 21, 2005

Reflooding bodes well for Iraqi marshes  

UN-funded scheme could restore the Marsh Arabs' homelands.

Titanic complexity pleases planet scientists  

Cassini beams back data on ammoniac lava and 'cat scratch' formations.

UN committee approves cloning ban  

Non-binding measure goes to general assembly for final vote.

Termites tune in to food frequencies  

Insects choose their meal using vibration signals.

February 18, 2005

Gene map opens up uncharted territory  

Patterns of genetic variation could help tailor drug therapy to particular patients

February 17, 2005

FDA critics slam plan for safety reform  

Calls grow for independent supervision of US drug regulation.

Robots toddle along with human efficiency  

Passive dynamics is key to the prowess of mechanical triplets.

Plutonium books don't balance at UK plant  

Missing material points to dangers of nuclear reprocessing, say experts.

Mars Express scuppers greenhouse hopes  

Martian surface has not seen liquid water for billions of years.

AAAS Science Festival  

Join Michael Hopkin at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's yearly jamboree, where members of the world's biggest science society tackle weighty (and not-so-weighty) matters in the worlds of science, technology and medicine.

February 16, 2005

Ethiopia is top choice for cradle of Homo sapiens  

Radioactive dating finds that fossil skulls are 195,000 years old.

Kyoto Protocol comes into force  

After years of waiting, global-warming treaty gets off the ground.

Social sounds boost bird breeding  

Zebra finches base their mating decisions on group consensus.

Silicon laser runs non-stop  

Physicists hail next step in optical computing.

February 15, 2005

Lobster colour has quantum cause  

Dutch team reveals origin of uncooked crustacean's indigo hue.

Fetal DNA extracted from mother's blood  

Rare genetic diseases could be detected without amniocentesis.

February 14, 2005

Potatoes pack a punch against hepatitis B  

Plant that contains vaccine shows promise in human trials.

Maths skills survive linguistic damage  

Different processes underpin the grammars of numbers and language.

February 11, 2005

Transgenic mustard sucks up selenium  

First field results prove plant can remove soil contaminants.

Compete last, finish first  

From song contests to figure-skating, the order of contestants biases decisions.

February 10, 2005

'Pollutants' in whale blubber are naturally produced  

Sea creatures make chemicals similar to those spewed out by human factories.

Scorpion robot could conquer worlds  

Walking machine may go where wheeled explorers cannot.