Biology Discoveries

NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet, microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries and innovations that began with NSF support.

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		Life Leaves Subtle Signature on Lay of the Land Living things bring out the planet's softer side Released  January 31, 2006
		Science, Education and Community: Organically Grown Community gardens are sowing more than seeds, thanks to a project bringing students, educators, researchers and neighbors together to cultivate food and science together. First introduced in 11 U.S. cities, Garden Mosaics is now going global. Released  November 18, 2005
		RISE Program Proves that Undergraduate Research Experiences Help Recruit Minority Scientists Mentorship is thriving at Arkansas State University, where geochemist Robyn Hannigan has established a program to immerse minority and female students in the study of environmental science. The result has been a double success for science and education. Released  November 8, 2005
		New Sensor Based on Human Organ Is No Tin Ear Precision micromachining yields life-size, precise, artificial cochlea Released  November 3, 2005
		Fantastic Fungus: Plant Biologist Discovers Natural Antimicrobial in Honduran Jungle Montana State University professor Gary Strobel travels the world in search of exotic plants and the mysterious fungi that live inside them. Among his discoveries: a smelly white fungus that acts as a natural antimicrobial. Released  October 5, 2005
		Modified Collagen Could Be a Boon for Medicine Altered protein could help shape the growth of engineered tissue Released  September 20, 2005
		Molecules in Motion: Computer Simulations Lead to a Better Understanding of Protein Structures A California researcher is using the world's most powerful supercomputers to simulate the behavior of molecules. The work could have significant health benefits. Released  July 29, 2005
		Snake Attack on Frog Eggs Provokes Premature Hatching Developing tadpoles dive to stay alive Released  June 3, 2005
		Vaults: From Biological Mystery to Nanotech Workhorse? Natural nano-capsules show promise for drug delivery, electrical switches and circuits Released  May 11, 2005
		Frozen Frogs Don't Croak "Freeze-tolerant" amphibians hold promise for organ transplant technology Released  April 26, 2005
		News of This Speedy Mole Travels Fast Researchers need high-speed camera to catch the star-nosed mole devouring its food. Released  March 8, 2005
		New Method Will Aid Genome Researchers Computer program helps scientists perform genome-wide analyses systematically and fast Released  February 10, 2005
		Of Microbes and Mars Desert microbe discovery has extraterrestrial implications Released  December 17, 2004
		Stickleback Study Sheds Light on Species Formation As a boy growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jeffrey McKinnon collected threespine stickleback fish. The biologist's fascination became a global scientific pursuit, which today is helping to explain how ecology drives species formation. Released  October 20, 2004
		Geomagnetic Landmarks Give Turtles Sense of Where They Are, Where to Go How sea turtles navigate across vast expanses of featureless ocean to reach feeding and breeding sites has long been a mystery. Now, clues are surfacing to indicate turtles rely partly upon invisible landmarks created by the Earth’s magnetic field. Released  July 30, 2004
		RNA Lariat May Tie Up Loose Ends to Decades-Old Mystery of Retrovirus Life Cycle Studies on common baker's yeast have led to the discovery of what may be a long-sought mechanism in the life cycle of retroviruses, a finding that could help pinpoint targets for new classes of drugs to fight HIV. Released  July 30, 2004
		Scientists Use Seals as "Underwater Eyes" By employing Weddell seals as "spies" through novel use of technology, Antarctic researchers have gained new insights into the behavior of two little-known fish species. Released  July 30, 2004
		Tracking the Black Rosy-Finch: Hidden Treasure and Higher Learning in North America's Alpine Zone Climbing for science above 10,000 feet, a University of Wyoming student makes a rare discovery that yields new genetic data about one of North America's highest breeding species. Released  July 30, 2004
		Young Birds' Flapping May Explain How Dinosaurs Learned to Fly Two-legged dinosaurs may have used their forelimbs as wing-like structures to propel themselves up steep inclines long before they could fly. This theory may link two current and opposing explanations for how reptiles evolved into flying birds. Released  July 30, 2004
		Pterosaur Heads Were Uniquely Adapted for Flight Taking a high-tech look at fossil skulls, scientists examined the brains of ancient pterosaurs. They found key structures to be specialized and enlarged, a discovery that could revise views of how vision, flight and the brain itself evolved. Released  July 30, 2004
		A Small Plant's Genome Has Huge Impact Completing the first-ever plant genome means knowing plants well, really well. Released  July 23, 2004
		Baboon Fathers Really Do Care About Their Kids In a finding that surprised researchers, a recent three-year study of five baboon groups at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya reveals that baboon fathers overwhelmingly side with their offspring when intervening in disputes. Released  July 20, 2004
		Virtual Display Beams Images Directly into the Eye Researchers have developed a display that beams full-color images directly onto your retina. Released  June 3, 2004
		Shining Light on the Nanoscale In 2003 researchers created the highest-resolution optical image up to that point, revealing structures as small as nanotubes just a few billionths of an inch across. The new method should shed light on objects as small as proteins in a cell membrane. Released  May 17, 2004
		Spider Venom Could Yield Eco-Friendly Insecticides You could call Glenn King "The Spider Man." The University of Connecticut research scientist is mapping spider toxins at the molecular level. His work may result in an insecticide that takes out agricultural pests without harming other insects. Released  May 3, 2004
		Bacteria May Thrive in Antarctica's Buried Lake Vostok Two investigations suggest that bacteria may thrive in Lake Vostok, a suspected lake thousands of meters below the Antarctic ice sheet -- and that microbes could thrive in similarly hostile solar system outposts, such as Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. Released  December 9, 2003
		Researchers Find Trigger for Devastating Digestive Disease and Propose a Possible Treatment Researchers discover what triggers severe inflammation of the intestine in people with celiac sprue, a common genetic disease that, if untreated, can lead to malnutrition and worse, and they propose a potential treatment. Released  July 25, 2003