New eDNA method opens doors for environmental research

With a single sample of water or soil, researches can analyze the DNA of everything that is living in that environment. During her research, Ph.D. candidate Beilun Zhao discovered a way to analyze not only the kind of species, ...

Swimmer's Itch: What causes this neglected snail-borne disease?

Cercarial dermatitis, also known as swimmer's itch or clam-digger's itch, is caused by the larvae of blood flukes that are parasites of birds or mammals. When these larvae, called cercariae, penetrate human skin, they trigger ...

30-million-year-old amphibious beaver fossil is oldest ever found

A new analysis of a beaver anklebone fossil found in Montana suggests the evolution of semi-aquatic beavers may have occurred at least 7 million years earlier than previously thought, and happened in North America rather ...

Solving Everest's wildlife mysteries with eDNA

A team of scientists led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Appalachian State University used environmental DNA (eDNA) to document the breadth of high-alpine biodiversity present on Earth's highest mountain, 29,032-foot ...

Fish in a major South African river are full of microplastics

We are living in the plastic age. Plastics are literally everywhere: clothes, furniture, computers, phones and more contain plastic materials. It's no wonder, then, that the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air ...

How do plants adapt to aquatic environments?

The theory that life began in the ocean is widely accepted. The public, however, does not acknowledge the reality that many aquatic organisms are descendants of terrestrial organisms. Whales and dolphins are marine mammals ...

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