Ten years ago, William Fenical of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography isolated from an ocean-living fungus a compound that has since shown the ability to kill cancer cells in the lab. Now, for the first time, MIT chemists have synthesized the compound, an advance that could open the door to new drug treatments for cancer. Continue reading… “Fungal Compound With Anti Cancer Activity”
A group of Amazonian ants have evolved an extremely unusual social system: They are all female and reproduce via cloning. Though their sexual organs have virtually disappeared, they have also gained some extraordinary abilities.
Continue reading… “Rare All-Female Ant Society That Reproduces By Cloning Discovered”
Soybeans may drop off the list of musical fruit. Scientists in Singapore are reporting victory over some consumers’ No. 1 complaint about soy products — the “flatulence factor” caused by indigestible sugars found in soy.
Continue reading… “Soybeans No Longer ‘A Musical Fruit?’”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suvDQoXA-TA[/youtube]
Time lapse video of mushrooms springing to life
Who would have thought that watching mushrooms grow would be so entertaining. Two more videos after the jump.
Continue reading… “Watching Mushrooms Grow”
Ever wondered what make chili peppers have a hot fiery flavor? Well, it’s bugs that put the heat in the fruit which adds spicy flavor to many of our favorite delicacies, says a new study.
Continue reading… “Study Finds Bugs Make Chili Peppers Hot”
What is it about these creatures? In the new $25 million Audubon Insectarium, which opened here in June, you can watch Formosan termites eat through a wooden skyline of New Orleans (as if this city didn’t have enough problems), stick your head into a transparent dome in a kitchen closet swarming with giant cockroaches and watch dung beetles plow their way through a mound of waste. And then you can engage in the museum’s most brilliant interactivity by joining in the line of eager visitors prepared to munch on a handful of crunchy Cajun-fried crickets or scoop up some wax-worm stir fry.
Continue reading… “New Audubon Insectarium Opens In New Orleans”
A drug developed using nanotechnology and a fungus that contaminated a lab experiment may be broadly effective against a range of cancers, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.
Continue reading… “Cancer Drug Developed Using Accidental Fungus”
In what is one of the worst calamities to hit bat populations in the United States, on average 90 percent of the hibernating bats in four caves and mines in New York have died since last winter. Whatever is killing the bats leaves them unusually thin and, in some cases, dotted with a white fungus.
Continue reading… “Bats are Dying and No One Knows Why”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.