Biology News

A substance similar to capsaicin, which gives chili peppers their heat, is generated at the site of pain in the human body

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered the gene that enables an extraordinary worm to regenerate its own body parts after amputation -- including a whole head and brain

A rare and dangerous fungal infection named Cryptococcus gattii has been quietly spreading from British Columbia southward to the U.S. Pacific Northwest. And it's changing as it goes

Bees see the world almost five times faster than humans, according to new research from scientists at Queen Mary, University of London

A 3,000-year record from 52 of the world's oldest trees shows that California's western Sierra Nevada was droughty and often fiery from 800 to 1300, according to new research

In an electrifying first, Stanford scientists have plugged in to algae cells and harnessed a tiny electric current

Although its regular host remains unknown, it was discovered three years ago in Perú when a 44.5 millimeter leech was plucked from the nose of a girl who had recently been bathing in a river

Porphyran, a polysaccharide present in the cell walls of a red algae that is used notably in the preparation of sushi, is broken down specifically by an enzyme called porphyranase

The vivid colors and designs animals use to interact with their environments have awed and inspired since before people learned to draw on the cave wall

A team of researchers has developed a biologic method to tease out which compounds from herbal medicines and medicinal herbal mixtures produce their reputed medicinal benefits.