The H5N1 virus A man-made virus that could wipe out half humanity has been deemed a terrorist threat. And while the scientists behind the Frankenstein-flu hoped their research would help find a cure, critics fear they have developed the ultimate bio-weapon. When virologist Ron Fouchier and his team of scientists first “mutated the hell out of” the H5N1 bird flu virus and presented their findings... 

A psychedelic gecko The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says more than 200 new species have been identified in the great Mekong Region River region of Southeast Asia. According to WWF, on average, a new species is recorded every two days in the area, which includes parts of China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, bigpondnews reported. The latest discoveries include an all-female lizard species that... 

Scientists have recently discovered a new type of cockroach in South Africa, which can jump a distance 48 times the length of its body. The insect was found in the Silvermine Nature Reserve in the Table Mountain National Park of South Africa, Royal Society Publishing journal reported. Scientists say the bug jumps with the help of its extra-long, spring-activated legs, which classifies it as a “leaproach.” According... 

New study shows that tumor cells use protein recycling to fuel their growth. A new research carried out on a variety of human tissues, suggests that recycling of protein in the body could be an important part of tumor formation. According to the report published in Science Translational Medicine, researchers found that protein recycling was accelerated in more than 30 types of cancerous cell. Scientists... 

New finding points to possible malaria vaccine Scientists say they can use their information about how malaria parasite invades human red blood cells to develop an anti-malaria vaccine. Researchers at the Sanger Institute in Cambridge (UK) pinpointed a single receptor for a protein that is critical for the parasite to gain entry into red blood cells before multiplying and spreading. Blocking the receptor... 

The Lumineye technology works by removing some of the brown pigment from the front of the iris, leaving it blue. In this picture the process has been performed on the bottom half of the eye Ever wished you were the blue-eyed boy? You soon could be, after a doctor revealed he can permanently change a person’s eye colour in just 20 seconds. Dr Gregg Homer, from Stroma Medical in California said... 

Most of us forget our dreams when we wake up - but scientists from German's Max Planck institute have demonstrated that it could be possible to 'read' and even record what people are dreaming about. Most of us remember only a tiny fraction of our dreams – but that could soon change. Scientists predict that we could soon use computers to ‘see’ what we have dreamed about... 

Very old age: Dustin Hoffman plays 121-year-old Jack Crabb in Little Big Man Drugs that can slow the ageing process are likely to be available this decade, raising the prospect of people living to 150 or longer. ‘Wonder’ pills that help the body repair itself are in the early stages of development and will help us live well into our second century – while stem cell therapies will... 

Scientists have found a way to prevent HIV from damaging the immune system and say their discovery may offer a new approach to developing a vaccine against AIDS. Researchers from the United States and Europe working in laboratories on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) found it is unable to damage the immune system if cholesterol is removed from the virus’s membrane. “It’s like... 

Scientists have sequenced the DNA of a woman who lived to be 115 years. A study suggests that the elderly woman had protective genes against dementia and diseases associated with old age The oldest woman in the world was found to have rare variations in DNA that can protect against the diseases of aging. Billed as the oldest in the world at the time of her death, she had the mental agility of someone... 

British scientists have developed a new stem cell technique for growing working liver cells which could eventually avoid the need for costly and risky liver transplants. A team of researchers led by the Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge used cutting-edge methods to correct a genetic mutation in stem cells derived from a patient’s skin biopsy, and then grew them into fresh liver... 

The world’s largest virus has been discovered off the coast of Las Cruces, Chile. Appropriately named Megavirus chilensis, it is about 10 to 20 times larger than the average virus and 6.5% bigger than its nearest competitor, the Mimivirus. The Megavirus measures about .7 micrometers (thousandths of a millimeter) in diameter and is an oddity among its virus brethren, which are usually smaller... 

Tim Hemmes operates the mechanical prosthetic arm During an experimental study at the University of Pittsburgh a paralyzed man managed to touch his partner’s hand using a new mind-controlled robotic arm. “It wasn’t my arm but it was my brain, my thoughts. I was moving something,” said Tim Hemmes of Pennsylvania. “I don’t have one single word to give you what I felt at that moment.... 

The expedition and the scientific conference with the participation of Russian and foreign scientists drew to a close in the Kemerovo region of Russia. The events were held to either prove or deny the existence of the Yeti in the region. The press service of the regional administration said that Yeti’s existence was confirmed on the level of 95 percent. Boxer Nikolai Valuev, as well as researchers... 

A group of New Zealand scientists and flu researchers have won a five-year, multi-million-dollar contract to study influenza in an effort to better understand the burden of the virus and how to prevent its spread around the world. New Zealand Health Minister Tony Ryall and the Minister for Science and Innovation Wayne Mapp on Wednesday congratulated the Institute of Environmental Science and Research...