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Magellanic penguins, like most other species of the flightless birds, are having their survival challenged by wide variability in conditions and food availability, a biologist has found.

Researchers have now precisely defined an important drug target in influenza. A new high resolution image details a crucial protein domain that allows the virus to hijack human cells and multiply in them.

Researchers have developed a new technique using sensors to constantly monitor the health of bacteria critical to wastewater treatment facilities and have verified a theory that copper is vital to the proper functioning of a key enzyme in the bacteria.

In the late 1990s the Finnish Yorkshire pig population was threatened by a genetic defect which spread at an alarming rate and led to infertility. The defective gene has now been mapped. Sequence analysis of the candidate gene KPL2 revealed the presence of an inserted retrotransposon, a DNA sequence which moves around independently in the host genome.

Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids protect the liver from damage caused by obesity and the insulin resistance it provokes. This research should give doctors and nutritionists valuable information when recommending weight-loss diets and help explain why some obese patients are more likely to suffer some complications associated with obesity. Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in canola oil and fish.

Scientists have studied nacre's growing mechanism of gastropods, a step for the artificial reproduction of this material in laboratories which could make possible its use in biomedicine. Although molluscs have been producing nacre for million years, humans have not been able to reproduce it artificially. One of its possible applications would be the regeneration of human bones.

Raw fruits and vegetables are good for you but may also send you to the doctor. New research highlights the fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are increasingly recognized as a source of food poisoning outbreaks in many parts of the world.

Scientists have begun to solve some of the mysteries of the common cold by putting together the pieces of the genetic codes for all the known strains of the human rhinovirus. The researchers say this work provides a powerful tool that may lead to the development of the first effective treatments against the common cold. The study also sheds light on the suspected cause of asthma and acute asthma attacks.

Researchers have identified a link between the diversity of crops grown in farmlands and the pollution they create in lakes and rivers. Ecologists show that when the biodiversity of crops is high, less dissolved nitrogen is found exiting the surrounding watersheds.

A new study finds that a botanical drug could provide the key to new treatments for peanut allergies.

Chinstrap penguins and fur seals showed persistent preferences for particular foraging areas even after a storm reduced the availability of food of choice in those areas, according to a new study. The research shows that the spatial distribution of fur seals and foraging chinstrap penguins did not change after a near gale, despite substantial changes in the abundance and distribution of their prey, Antarctic krill.

Our ability to conserve and protect wildlife is at risk because we are unable to accurately gauge how our environment is changing over time, says new research.

A stark warning was given by a U.K. expert on high ecological price paid for cheap roses.

Researchers have demonstrated that it might be possible to treat genetic diseases, including some forms of cancer, by "rescuing" the misshapen, useless proteins produced by some mutant genes. The researchers demonstrate that manipulating the cellular amounts of a protein called Hsp70, they can give mutants another shot at refolding. The researchers believe it may be a means of hacking the natural biochemistry of cells to restore proteins otherwise lost to mutation.

Fish oil replacements for farmed fish feeds may help reduce the aquaculture industry’s dependence on wild fisheries for their essential omega-3 requirements. This move may also help overcome existing barriers that impede the industry’s expansion. A new study focuses on the effects of fish oil replacement in finfish nutrition on feed quality, fish performance, feed efficiency, lipid metabolism, final eating quality and related economic aspects.