Biology News

Whey to go! - Scientists make edible food wrapper

Scientists at the US Agricultural Research Service in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, have used milk powder and glycerine to produce a water-resistant edible film that could be used to coa...

Whale of a question

A giant bowhead whale caught off northern Alaska recently had a surprise in store for the fisherman who landed it – embedded in its flesh was a piece of a "bomb lance" us...

Cholera vaccine from rice

This week we have promising news for the fight against the dreadful disease cholera, because a team of scientists in Japan are developing a new vaccine against the disease using th...

A round up of wildlife trade

For the last couple of weeks, politicians from all around the world have been meeting to talk about endangered species and to try and decide whether trade in certain species should...

Radiation-hungry fungi feed astronauts of the future

Inspired by findings from Chernobyl, biologists have discovered that some fungi can grow using radiation instead of light, this may make them ideal for growing in space for astrona...

Cigs spoil sperm

We’ve known for a long time that tobacco smoking can cause a range of cancers – in fact, it’s believed to be responsible for more than a quarter of all cancer deaths in the UK.&nbs...

Does a hot mint still taste cold?

US scientists have unlocked the secret of how the nervous system senses low temperatures, discovering in the process why sucking a mint makes your mouth feel cold....

Gotta Lotta Bottle

Diet-conscious New Zealanders may soon be able to tuck into naturally "skimmed" milk thanks to a programme set up to breed a herd of cows that produce milk containing les...

Trees taught us to walk

Have you ever wondered why humans walk on two legs, while pretty much all other animals prefer four?  Most human evolution researchers think we started to walk upright through...

It's all in the wrist, or should that be index finger?

A study of 75 school children has shown that a photocopy of their hands is all that's needed to predict their literacy and mathematical skills....