Biology is the branch of science dealing with the study of life. It is concerned with the characteristics, classification, and behaviors of organisms, how species come into existence, and the interactions they have with each other and with the environment. Biology encompasses a broad spectrum of academic fields that are often viewed as independent disciplines. However, together they address phenomena related to living organisms (biological phenomena) over a wide range of scales, from biochemistry to ecology. All concepts in biology are subject to the same laws that other branches of science obey, such as the laws of thermodynamics and conservation of mass.

At the organism level, biology has explained phenomena such as birth, growth, aging, death and decay of living organisms, similarities between offspring and their parents (heredity) and flowering of plants which have puzzled humanity throughout history. Other phenomena, such as lactation, metamorphosis, egg-hatching, healing, and tropism have been addressed. On a wider scale of time and space, biologists have studied domestication of animals and plants, the wide variety of living organisms (biodiversity), changes in living organisms over time (evolution), extinction, speciation, social behaviour among animals, etc.

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PLoS Medicine: New Articles

Influenza in Africa
Maria Yazdanbakhsh et al. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0000
Maria Yazdanbakhsh and Peter Kremsner argue that there needs to be better awareness, surveillance, and clinical management of common febrile diseases in Africa, especially influenza.
A “One Health” Approach to Address Emerging Zoonoses: The HALI Project in Tanzania
Jonna A. K. Mazet et al. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0000
Jonna Mazet and colleagues describe their work in the Tanzania-based HALI Project, which adopts the “One Health” approach to address emerging zoonoses and that recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.
School Playground Surfacing and Arm Fractures in Children: A Cluster Randomized Trial Comparing Sand to Wood Chip Surfaces
Andrew W. Howard et al. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0000
In a randomized trial of elementary schools in Toronto, Andrew Howard and colleagues show that granitic sand playground surfaces reduce the risk of arm fractures from playground falls when compared with wood fiber surfaces.
Immediate Risk for Cardiovascular Events and Suicide Following a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Prospective Cohort Study
Katja Fall et al. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0000
Katja Fall and Fang Fang and colleagues find that men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer are at increased risk of cardiovascular events and suicide.
The Global Spread of Hepatitis C Virus 1a and 1b: A Phylodynamic and Phylogeographic Analysis
Gkikas Magiorkinis et al. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0000
Using phylodynamic and phylogeographic methods, Angelos Hatzakis and colleagues find that the global spread of Hepatitis C virus coincided with widespread use of transfused blood and with the expansion of intravenous drug use.
Blindness in Childhood in Developing Countries: Time for a Reassessment?
Parikshit Gogate et al. Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:00:00 -0000
Paul Courtright and colleagues argue that the changing patterns of global childhood blindness suggest a need to reassess research, training, and programmatic requirements.

EurekAlert! - Biology

Thermochemical nanolithography now allows multiple chemicals on a chip
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
(Georgia Institute of Technology) Scientists at Georgia Tech have developed a nanolithographic technique that can produce high-resolution patterns of at least three different chemicals on a single chip at writing speeds of up to one millimeter per second. The nanopatterns can be designed with any shape and are stable enough to be stored for weeks and used elsewhere.
Researchers discover novel method for detecting MIRCERA
Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
(Wiley-Blackwell) Austrian researchers have successfully developed a new electrophoretic method for detecting MIRCERA and other erythropoietins (EPO) in the blood. The technique, using SARCOSYL-PAGE, has specifically enhanced sensitivity for MIRCERA, but does not alter the performance characteristics of SDS-PAGE for detecting other EPOs. Details of this study, funded by a grant from the World Anti-Doping Agency, appear in the latest issue of Drug Testing and Analysis published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Texas A&M researcher plays key role in NASA's greenhouse gas project
Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500
(Texas A&M University) Researchers studying climate now have a new tool at their disposal: daily global measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor in a key part of Earth's atmosphere. The data are courtesy of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft and confirm the mainstream scientific view that large changes in the climate are likely over the next century.

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