A research team at the Salk Institute for Biological studies has been able to regenerate a wing in a chick embryo. This new study adds to the evidence that mammals can also regrow limbs, an ability once thought to be restricted to certain amphibians
For most of us, the boundaries between our bodily senses are clear-cut and rigid. But for a few rare individuals, the demarcation between vision and hearing, or between taste and touch, are less solid, with one bleeding into the other.
New investigations into the code for life suggest the assumption that humans are genetically almost identical is wide of the mark, and the implications could be resounding.
About 95 percent of the Earth's marine species and 70 percent of its land species were wiped out during a "mass extinction" about 250 million years ago, according to Australian and US researchers.
The new approach involved identifying changes in 16 genes in otherwise healthy looking cartilage that happen within two weeks of the disease's onset. Up to now, tests have been effective at detecting osteoarthritis four weeks after it starts at
Scientists for the first time have grown human heart valves using stem cells from the fluid that cushions babies in the womb — offering a revolutionary approach that may be used to repair defective hearts in the future.
Researchers have found a way to spur the growth of neural stem cells in the brains of adult mice with an eye toward harnessing the brain's innate capacity for repair to help people with diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The tangle of cables and plugs needed to recharge today's electronic gadgets could soon be a thing of the past. US researchers have outlined a relatively simple system that could deliver power to devices such as laptop computers or MP3 players
Stem cell injections worked remarkably well at easing symptoms of muscular dystrophy in a group of golden retrievers, a result that experts call a significant step toward treating people.
"What these chocolate offenders taught us is that the chemical in cocoa beans has a biochemical effect similar to aspirin in reducing platelet clumping, which can be fatal if a clot forms and blocks a blood vessel, causing a heart attack,"
Women can be allergic to sex with men, but doctors are finding women can overcome this allergy through regular sex combined with treatments derived from semen. "It's really a very rare condition, but it does happen,"
In the 1966 film "Fantastic Voyage," a full-size underwater vehicle was shrunk to microscopic size and injected into the blood vessels of a person. Now, a team headed by Dr. Moshe Shoham of Haifa's Technion has created a novel propul
Paleo-forensics experts have produced new evidence to show that the dinosaurs were bumped off by a different meteor than the one that has received the rap for their extinction. A mysterious meteor or comet must have done the deadly deed - long after
Scientists have never understood why rhinoceros horns are curved and pointed. The horns of most animals have a bony core covered by a thin sheath of keratin, the stuff of hair and fingernails. But rhino horns are unique, being made entirely of kerati
Meet your new evolutionary cousin, the sea urchin. By analyzing the newly sequenced genome of the spineless creature, a team of scientists found just how much we have in common with them. “The sea urchin is surprisingly similar to humans," said
Serious disagreements regularly accompany fossil discoveries, from disputes over the relation of Neanderthals to modern people to whether dinosaurs had started disappearing before they ultimately vanished 65 million years ago.
A gene associated with depression and other forms of mental illness may enlarge an area of the brain that handles negative emotions, U.S. researchers reported.
Japanese researchers said that a bottlenose dolphin captured last month has an extra set of fins that could be the remains of hind legs, a discovery that may provide further evidence that ocean-dwelling mammals once lived on land.
Chinese scientists have identified a gene in the H5N1 bird flu virus which they say is responsible for its virulence in poultry, opening the way for new vaccines. "Now that we know the special role of the (highly pathogenic) NS1 gene, we can thi
When you slice your finger while chopping celery, it requires more than 80 different chemical reactions to clot blood and stop the bleeding. But one false reaction, and the clot could form in the wrong spot and be deadly.
Like explorers of old, scientists are venturing into the immense but little-known realm of the microscopic organisms that dominate our planet. "It's an entire world that most of us have no idea about," said Alan Leshner, the chief ex
A 27-million-year-old fossil could be the “missing link” between modern elephants and their ancestors, scientists have concluded. Recently discovered the lower part of a mandible in the northeast African country of Eritrea. The unearthed tooth had a
The bizarre behavior of these whimsical spheres is helping scientists understand the physics of fluids, which govern everything from the bubbles in carbonated beverages to the venting of gas from deep oceanic fissures.
Bird brained they might be, but crows are the MacGyvers of the avian world, able to turn twigs and even their own feathers into tools for getting at hard-to-reach food. But while young crows are born with a propensity for crafting tools, it's onl
The chemical, called resveratrol, has previously been found to have life-prolonging effects on yeast, roundworms, flies and fish. "The fact that you can see such an effect over millions of years of evolutionary differences bodes extremely well f
An abnormality in part of the brain that controls breathing, arousal and other reflexes may be what causes sudden infant death syndrome, a finding that could lead to a preventive treatment, a study said.
Scientists have unraveled the genetic code of the honey bee, uncovering clues about its complex social behavior, heightened sense of smell and African origins.
They lack jaws, eyes and bones, but lampreys and their "primitive" anatomy have survived 360 million years and four major extinctions relatively unaltered. [some species lack eyes]
A new brain chip under development established new connections in the brains of monkeys in a region that controls movement. Scientists hope to eventually make a version that could help humans with movement disorders.
Gut contents from the fossil of a plant-eating dinosaur living 75 million years ago reveal what could be the first evidence of parasitic stomach worms, scientists said. The evidence was found in a well preserved duck-billed dinosaur
