Biology
Researchers cure colour blindness in squirrel monkeys
Researchers used gene therapy to cure two squirrel monkeys of colour blindness - the most common genetic disorder in people. The work, in this week's Nature, demonstrates the potential for gene therapy to cure adult vision disorders involving cone cells - the most important cells for vision in people. Adding new sensory information, such as visual receptors sensitive to different wavelengths of light, to the brain would only be possible in the early years of life, when the brain is at its most plastic... — full story
Genome of Phytophthora infestans decoded
— 9 September 17:00A large international research team has decoded the genome of Phytophthora infestans, the notorious organism that triggered the Irish potato famine in the mid-19th century and also... — full story
Invigorated muscle structure allows geese to brave the Himalayas
— 29 July 16:13A higher density of blood vessels and other unique physiological features in the flight muscles of bar-headed geese allow them to do what even the most elite of human athletes struggle... — full story
Researchers capture bacterial infection on film
— 27 July 17:38Researchers have developed a new technique that allows them to make a movie of bacteria infecting their living host. Whilst most studies of bacterial infection are done after the death... — full story
Scientists unlock optical secrets of jewel beetles
— 23 July 18:00A small green beetle may have some interesting lessons to teach scientists about optics and liquid crystals - complex mechanisms the insect uses to create a shell so strikingly beautiful... — full story
Study reveals lizard tucks legs and swims through sand
— 16 July 18:00A study published in the 17 July issue of the journal Science details how sandfish - small lizards with smooth scales - move rapidly underground through desert sand. In this first thorough... — full story
New science of learning offers preview of tomorrow's classroom
— 16 July 18:00Of all the qualities that distinguish humans from other species, how we learn is one of the most significant. In the 17 July issue of the journal Science, researchers who are at the... — full story
Native lizards evolve to escape attacks by fire ants
— 25 January 16:38Penn State Assistant Professor of Biology Tracy Langkilde has shown that native fence lizards in the southeastern United States are adapting to potentially fatal invasive fire-ant attacks... — full story