Tag - biology

 
 

BIOLOGY

WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 24, 2016
China throws down the gauntlet in gene-editing race with U.S.
U.S. companies racing to develop a promising gene editing technology are up against a formidable competitor — the Chinese government.
WORLD / Science & Health
Feb 24, 2016
Target for breaking defenses of 'superbugs' discovered
Scientists in Britain have found how drug-resistant bacteria build and maintain a defensive wall — a discovery that paves the way for the development of drugs to break through the barrier and kill the often-deadly "superbugs."
WORLD
Dec 20, 2015
German media says document confirms Hitler only had one testicle
A medical document shows that Adolf Hitler only had one testicle, German media said Saturday, suggesting there is some truth after all to a popular British song that says the dictator had "only got one ball."
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 25, 2015
Geckos' amazing wall-walking talent lies in unique keratin genes
Geckos boast one of the most impressive talents of any animal: the ability to scamper up a smooth wall or across a ceiling with ease. How do they do it? Well, it is all in the genes.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 6, 2015
Scientists learn how some fish can supercharge their vision
Superman can use his X-ray vision whenever the need arises. It turns out that in real life, some fish and amphibians can do something nearly as super when it come to their sight.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 4, 2015
Feeding strategy of blue whales revealed
The blue whale is the largest creature on Earth and perhaps the biggest that ever lived, so it is no surprise it has a huge appetite. But the strategies this behemoth uses to get enough food has not been well understood — until now.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 26, 2015
Fossils offer clues to human ancestors' hearing capabilities
Washington
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 18, 2015
Arctic advantage: genetic traits help Inuit in harsh conditions
The Inuit, a group of people who make the Arctic their home, have benefited from a handy set of genetic adaptations that help them survive in some of Earth's harshest conditions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 18, 2015
Desert plant may become a better source of rubber
At a test track in Texas last month, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. researchers discovered they are getting close to accomplishing a feat that eluded the great American inventor Thomas Edison.
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 16, 2015
Study finds young people on antidepressants more prone to violence
Young people taking antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat are significantly more likely to commit violent crimes when they are on the medication, but taking higher doses of the drugs appears to reduce that risk, scientists said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 21, 2015
Effort afoot to freeze animal reproductive cells at Yokohama zoo
From humboldt penguins to black jaguars, sperm and eggs from dozens of zoo animals are being frozen and stored at the Zoorasia Yokohama Zoological Gardens until they can be used for artificial insemination.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2015
Drug companies study why some people are 'superhuman' and how the rest of us can benefit
Steven Pete can put his hand on a hot stove or step on a piece of glass and not feel a thing, all because of a quirk in his genes. Only a few dozen people in the world share Pete's congenital insensitivity to pain. Drug companies see riches in his rare mutation. They also have their eye on people like...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 3, 2015
Genome study reveals how the woolly mammoth thrived in the cold
Woolly mammoths spent their lives enduring extreme Arctic conditions including frigid temperatures, an arid environment and the relentless cycle of dark winters and bright summers.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 1, 2015
Minor genetic changes turned Black Death germ from mild to murderous
The bacterium Yersinia pestis has inflicted almost unimaginable misery upon humankind over the centuries, killing an estimated 200 million or more people and triggering horrific plagues in the 6th and 14th centuries.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 13, 2015
U.S. man survives stings by 500 to 1,000 swarming bees
A man is lucky to be alive after having been stung between 500 and 1,000 times by tens of thousands of swarming bees near Kingman in northwestern Arizona on Friday, authorities said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 12, 2015
Egg or sperm? Japan finds gene that makes the call
Providing insight into the sometimes mysterious biology of reproduction, researchers in Japan have identified a gene that controls whether the reproductive precursor cells known as germ cells eventually become sperm or eggs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Jun 10, 2015
China's big biotech bet starts to pay off
Years of pouring money into its laboratories, wooing scientists home from overseas and urging researchers to publish and patent is starting to give China a competitive edge in biotechnology, a strategic field it sees as ripe for "indigenous innovation."
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 4, 2015
Study reveals famous California redwood is 777 years young
A new study to determine the age of iconic old-growth redwoods in California's Muir Woods has revealed that one of the tallest and most famous trees in the forest is much younger than many assumed given its massive size, scientists said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 4, 2015
Mysterious deep-sea oarfish washes up in California
A dead oarfish, a mysterious and serpent-like creature that swims deep below the ocean's surface, has washed up on a Southern California island and a university biologist will study the remains, officials said on Wednesday.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 2, 2015
Florida scientists document 'virgin births' of endangered sawfish
Scientists have documented in Florida a series of "virgin births," reproduction without mating, in a critically endangered sawfish species pushed to the brink of extinction by overfishing and habitat destruction.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji