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Biology news
Cracking sleep's evolutionary code: Neuron protection traced back to jellyfish and sea anemones
A new study from Bar-Ilan University shows that one of sleep's core functions originated hundreds of millions of years ago in jellyfish and sea anemones, among the earliest creatures with nervous systems. By tracing this ...
Evolution
49 minutes ago
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Shelled amoeba crawls like an octopus, shifting tactics on the go
An international team of researchers led by Hokkaido University has characterized the unique mechanics that enable Arcella, a shelled, single-celled amoeba, to move skillfully across different surfaces.
Cell & Microbiology
30 minutes ago
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Americans generally like wolves, except when we're reminded of our politics
Management of gray wolves (Canis lupus) has a reputation for being one of the most contentious conservation issues in the United States. The topic often conjures stark images of supporters versus opponents: celebratory wolf ...
Plants & Animals
9 minutes ago
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Ticking time bomb: Some northeastern US farmers report as many as 70 tick encounters over a 6-month period
Finding one tick on your body is scary enough—tick-borne diseases are serious—but what if you found more than 10 on yourself in just one month? That's the plight of some farmers as the threat of ticks and tick-borne diseases ...
Plants & Animals
50 minutes ago
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New tools turn grain crops into living biosensors
A collaborative team of researchers from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, the University of Florida, Gainesville and University of Iowa have developed tools that allow grasses—including major grain crops like corn—to ...
Biotechnology
2 hours ago
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Dentin inside wolffish teeth is a rare material: When compressed along its length—it also shrinks in width
The Atlantic wolffish is known for its powerful bite, capable of crushing hard-shelled prey with ease. Now, researchers have discovered that the fish's teeth don't just withstand these extreme forces, they respond in a way ...
Biotechnology
2 hours ago
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How a biological version of rock-paper-scissors determines if lizard colors are maintained or lost
Two new studies into lizard colors reveal how one species maintains its colorful diversity while others are losing their ancient colors. And the changes are being driven by the biological equivalent of rock-paper-scissors.
A speeding clock could solve Darwin's mystery of gaps in animal fossil records
The oldest fossilized remains of complex animals appear suddenly in the fossil record, and as if from nowhere, in rocks that are 538 million years old.
Paleontology & Fossils
2 hours ago
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'Stomata in-Sight' system allows scientists to watch plants 'breathe' in real-time
For centuries, scientists have known that plants "breathe" through microscopic pores on their leaves called stomata. These tiny valves are the gatekeepers that balance the intake of carbon dioxide into the leaf for photosynthesis ...
Biotechnology
3 hours ago
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Study overturns long-held model of how plants coordinate immune responses
Plants mobilize their immune defenses far earlier than scientists have believed for decades—and through a previously overlooked early signaling mechanism—according to a new study published in Nature Plants.
Molecular & Computational biology
10 hours ago
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Science army mobilizes to map US soil microbiome
Johns Hopkins University geneticists and a small army of researchers across the country, including students, are working to catalog the vast and largely unknown soil microbiome of the United States.
Ecology
2 hours ago
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From pint to plate, scientists brew up a new way to grow meat
Yeast left over from brewing beer can be transformed into edible "scaffolds" for cultivated meat—sometimes known as lab-grown meat—which could offer a more sustainable, cost-effective alternative to current methods, according ...
Biotechnology
4 hours ago
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Orange pigments in birds and human redheads prevent cellular damage, study shows
A pigment that makes feathers and hair orange helps prevent cellular damage by removing excess cysteine from cells. Pheomelanin is an orange-to-red pigment that is built with the amino acid cysteine and found in human red ...
Evolution
5 hours ago
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Climate change accelerates tree deaths across Australian forests, study finds
Australia's forests are losing trees more rapidly as the climate warms, a new study examining decades of data said Tuesday, warning the trend was likely a "widespread phenomenon."
Ecology
5 hours ago
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House sparrows can help us save endangered species: A mathematical framework for genomic prediction
Researchers are trying to understand why some wild species do better than others over time, as the environment changes.
Evolution
5 hours ago
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The (metabolic) 'cost of life': New method quantifies hidden energy costs of maintaining metabolic pathways
There are "costs of life" that mechanical physics cannot calculate. A clear example is the energy required to keep specific biochemical processes active—such as those that make up photosynthesis, although the examples are ...
Cell & Microbiology
15 hours ago
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Researchers sustainably produce triacetic acid lactone from sugarcane
Triacetic acid lactone (TAL) has the potential to serve as a bioderived platform chemical for commercial products, including sorbic acid. However, TAL currently lacks a global market as its chemical synthesis is prohibitively ...
Biotechnology
5 hours ago
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A rare whale is having an encouraging season for births. Scientists warn it might still go extinct
One of the world's rarest whale species is having more babies this year than in some recent seasons, but experts say many more young are needed to help stave off the possibility of extinction.
Plants & Animals
10 hours ago
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Indonesia's panda cub Rio thriving 40 days after birth
Indonesia's conservation park on Tuesday released a video showing the progress of a giant panda cub, 40 days after his birth in the country.
Plants & Animals
5 hours ago
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Orlando confirms avian flu to blame for Lake Eola swan deaths as toll hits 19
The number of swans that have died in the avian flu outbreak at Orlando's Lake Eola Park has spiked to 19, city officials said Monday.
Ecology
6 hours ago
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More than 250,000 Australians don't have access to a vet
