http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A species of truffle that is considered to be rare has been found for the first time in Finland. Previously it has been thought to exist only in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The truffle was found in Puumala, growing under a pine tree. http://phys.org/news287905890.html Biology Thu, 16 May 2013 06:51:43 EST news287905890 Microscopic algae that live within reef-forming corals scoop up available nitrogen, store the excess in crystal form, and slowly feed it to the coral as needed, according to a study published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. Scientists have known for years that these symbiotic microorganisms serve up nitrogen to their coral hosts, but this new study sheds light on the dynamics of the process and reveals that the algae have the ability to store excess nitrogen, a capability that could help corals cope in their chronically low-nitrogen environment. http://phys.org/news287688302.html Space & Earth Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:02 EST news287688302 (Phys.org) —A multi-institutional team from the Department of Energy's Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) used metagenomic and metaproteomic approaches to provide insight into the symbiotic relationship between leaf-cutter ants, fungi, and bacteria. In doing so, they have mapped the first draft genome of the predominant fungus and clarified its role in lignocellulose degradation in underground fungal gardens tended by the ants. Ultimately, scientists hope that this understanding will help the development of cellulosic biofuels. http://phys.org/news287650387.html Biology Mon, 13 May 2013 08:40:03 EST news287650387 Our gut is home to trillions of bacteria, numbering more than the cells in the rest of our body, and these bacteria help us to digest our food, absorb nutrients and strengthen our immune system. This complex bacterial ecosystem, called the gut microbiota, also helps to prevent bad bacteria from colonising our bodies and making us ill. http://phys.org/news285933873.html Biology Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:04:43 EST news285933873 Two new species of the gorgonian inhabiting barnacles—Conopea saotomensis and Conopea fidelis—have been collected from the area surrounding the historically isolated volcanic islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. The barnacles of this genus are widely spread across the temperate and tropical oceans, but what makes them special is that they occur exclusively in a symbiotic relationship with a gorgonian or black coral hosts. Observations suggest that the barnacles might have a unique ability to recognize and choose a specific host of their preference. The study was published in the open access, peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. http://phys.org/news281183750.html Biology Wed, 27 Feb 2013 10:50:06 EST news281183750 (Phys.org)—After a year of studying up close the symbiotic relationship between a mosquito-sized bug and a fungus, a Simon Fraser University biologist has advanced the scientific understanding of biological diversity. http://phys.org/news279307492.html Biology Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:01 EST news279307492 Researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, have discovered a novel phenomenon that in galls (plant-made nests) formed by some aphid species, the inner gall wall promptly absorbs and removes watery waste that can kill the aphids when accumulated within the galls. http://phys.org/news278672482.html Biology Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:01:35 EST news278672482 Two years ago, a 71-year-old Indiana man impaled his hand on a branch after cutting down a dead crab apple tree, causing an infection that led University of Utah scientists to discover a new bacterium and solve a mystery about how bacteria came to live inside insects. http://phys.org/news272218932.html Biology Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:00:03 EST news272218932 Corals under attack by toxic seaweed do what anyone might do when threatened – they call for help. A study reported this week in the journal Science shows that threatened corals send signals to fish "bodyguards" that quickly respond to trim back the noxious alga – which can kill the coral if not promptly removed. http://phys.org/news271604401.html Biology Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:00:30 EST news271604401 There are approximately one trillion quintillion microbial cells on this planet. That's more than the number of stars in the known universe!  http://phys.org/news270111589.html Biology Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:10:01 EST news270111589 Around 71 per cent of the Earth's surface is made up of salt-water oceans - that's 98 per cent of all water. The ecosystems that exist beneath their surface are diverse and vibrant. Their sheer scale, however, means that there is still a lot to be discovered. And that is exactly what an international team comprising scientists from Europe and the United States have done. Their new discovery - of a symbiosis between tiny single-celled algae and highly specialised bacteria in the ocean - will help scientists to better understand oceans and the important role they play in our lives. http://phys.org/news269499926.html Biology Mon, 15 Oct 2012 06:05:33 EST news269499926 A wind turbine designed to incorporate the bumps on a whale's tale. A fast-growing rice that needs half the normal amount of water to grow, thanks to observation of a hot-spring fungi. A video display inspired by the iridescent wings of a blue butterfly. These are just a few examples of biomimicry, which examines nature to solve human problems, and it could change the world as we know it. http://phys.org/news267901186.html Technology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 20:00:01 EST news267901186 (Phys.org)—Researchers at Oregon State University for the first time have confirmed some of the mechanisms by which overfishing and nitrate pollution can help destroy coral reefs – it appears they allow an overgrowth of algae that can bring with it unwanted pathogens, choke off oxygen and disrupt helpful bacteria. http://phys.org/news267285108.html Space & Earth Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:52:08 EST news267285108 Research from the University of Southampton and the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton has found that an imbalance of nutrients in reef waters can increase the bleaching susceptibility of reef corals. http://phys.org/news264554978.html Space & Earth Sun, 19 Aug 2012 13:10:01 EST news264554978 Scientists have discovered two viruses that appear to infect the single-celled microalgae that reside in corals and are important for coral growth and health, and they say the viruses could play a role in the serious decline of coral ecosystems around the world. http://phys.org/news261244942.html Biology Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:00:01 EST news261244942 In a mutualistic relationship between an ant species and a carnivorous plant, the ants contribute to both prey capture and prey digestion of their host-plant and provide significant amounts of nutrients derived from their wastes. This offers the plant distinct growth advantages, according to research published May 9 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. http://phys.org/news255783722.html Biology Wed, 09 May 2012 17:00:01 EST news255783722 (PhysOrg.com) -- Leafcutter ants, the tiny red dots known for carrying green leaves as they march through tropical forests, are also talented farmers that cultivate gardens of fungi and bacteria. Ants eat fungi from the so-called fungal gardens, but the bacteria's role has been unclear until now. http://phys.org/news249819542.html Biology Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:19:09 EST news249819542 (PhysOrg.com) -- Species that are mutually dependent on each other can, in some cases, become separated and reconnect again over distances of thousands of miles, a new study from UC Berkeley has found. http://phys.org/news234694380.html Biology Thu, 08 Sep 2011 09:53:15 EST news234694380 (PhysOrg.com) -- Bacteria generally have a bad reputation – they’re good only for causing disease, and are best avoided. But Spencer Nyholm of the molecular and cell biology department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences sees things differently. http://phys.org/news229180873.html Biology Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:21:39 EST news229180873 The development of agriculture was a significant event in human cultural evolution, but we are not the only organisms to have adopted an agricultural way of life. In a study published online today in Genome Research, researchers have sequenced the genome of a fungus farming leaf-cutting ant, revealing new insights into the genetics and molecular biology behind this unusual lifestyle. http://phys.org/news228587657.html Biology Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:34:39 EST news228587657 (PhysOrg.com) -- Like mutual back-scratching, two common bacteria involved in what was thought to be only a marginally important relationship actually help each other thrive when grown together in bioreactors, Cornell scientists have discovered. http://phys.org/news226902715.html Chemistry Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:33:26 EST news226902715 They can defuse bombs, help decontaminate nuclear power plants, even vacuum the living room floor without bashing into the furniture or knocking over a vase. http://phys.org/news224490492.html Electronics Fri, 13 May 2011 07:29:25 EST news224490492 Survival in the depths of the tropical rainforest not only depends on a species' ability to defend itself, but can be reliant on the type of cooperation researchers discovered between ants and tropical trees. The research, published in Biotropica, reveals how the ants use chemical signals on their host tree to distinguish them from competing plant species. Once a competing plant is recognised the ants prune them to defend their host. http://phys.org/news224395241.html Biology Thu, 12 May 2011 05:01:05 EST news224395241 Bacteria in the human gut may not just be helping digest food but also could be exerting some level of control over the metabolic functions of other organs, like the liver, according to research published this week in the online journal mBio. These findings offer new understanding of the symbiotic relationship between humans and their gut microbes and how changes to the microbiota can impact overall health. http://phys.org/news218134894.html Medicine & Health Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:30:01 EST news218134894 (PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of Australian and Israeli coral geneticists, including scientists from University of Queensland, has found that corals, among the simplest of Earth's creatures, have some curiously human-like attributes, thanks to shared genes. http://phys.org/news214735155.html Biology Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:39:35 EST news214735155 When a field of tubeworms was unexpectedly discovered on the side of a large underwater mountain 50 miles off the coast of Cyprus this summer, the finding was notable both for the discovery itself and for the process of the discovery. http://phys.org/news211542668.html Space & Earth Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:30:21 EST news211542668 It has been a basic principle of evolution for more than a century that plants and animals can adapt genetically in ways that help them better survive and reproduce. http://phys.org/news197815556.html Biology Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:00:07 EST news197815556 (PhysOrg.com) -- Massey biologists have uncovered for the first time the complete set of gene messages that define the symbiotic interaction between a fungal endophyte and its grass host. http://phys.org/news197741945.html Biology Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:40:01 EST news197741945 In Guiana, symbiosis between Azteca ants and the Cecropia tree (or trumpet tree) is frequent. However, a surprising discovery has been made: one species of ant (Azteca andreae) uses the "Velcro" principle to cling on firmly to the leaves of Cecropia and thus capture very large prey. http://phys.org/news196959160.html Biology Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:53:04 EST news196959160 How is it that some people who apparently freeze to death, with no heart rate or respiration for extended periods, can be brought back to life with no long-term negative health consequences? New findings from the laboratory of cell biologist Mark B. Roth, Ph.D., of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, may help explain the mechanics behind this widely documented phenomenon. http://phys.org/news195406718.html Biology Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:39:13 EST news195406718