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Biology news
Why so many mollusks sound Greek—their naming evolves at a snail's pace
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Juliet Capulet in William Shakespeare's famous play. And the same is presumably true for mollusks, albeit with different odors. When you think about the scientific names ...
Plants & Animals
1 hour ago
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A light-controlled 'muscle' could give synthetic cells a new way to move
Engineers interested in creating artificial cells to deliver drugs to unhealthy parts of the body face a key challenge: for a cell-like system to move, change shape, or divide, it needs a way to generate force on command.
Biotechnology
13 hours ago
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This protein-engineering breakthrough generates over 10M data points and turbocharges AI in just three days
Protein engineering is a field primed for artificial intelligence research. Each protein is made up of amino acids; to optimize a protein function, researchers modify proteins by switching out one of 20 different amino acids ...
Molecular & Computational biology
20 hours ago
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Your local fishing hole is getting browner, changing which fish species thrive and which ones struggle
The lakes, streams, and ponds you've visited for years are likely looking more brown than they used to. And people who are fishing those waters are likely catching different species and sizes of fish than in the past.
Ecology
18 hours ago
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174
'Protected' seagrass meadows aren't necessarily healthy, because pollution doesn't stop at the shoreline
I spent last summer wading through seagrass meadows across Northern Ireland, from the sheltered waters of Strangford Lough to the exposed coast at Waterfoot Bay. I was collecting seagrass leaves and testing them for nitrogen ...
Ecology
14 hours ago
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Moroccan dinosaur's fearsome tail spikes evolved much earlier than we thought—new discovery
In the heart of the Middle Atlas Mountains in central Morocco, a global team of paleontologists and geologists has discovered new remains of a very unusual dinosaur. It belonged to the group called ankylosaurs, plant eaters ...
Paleontology & Fossils
15 hours ago
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Chernobyl's radioactive landscape is testament to nature's resilience and survival spirit
On contaminated land that is too dangerous for human life, the world's wildest horses roam free.
Ecology
20 hours ago
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How poison frogs built a chemical weapons system one evolutionary step at a time
Poison frogs are small and brightly colored amphibians that originate from Central and South America. As suggested by their name, these frogs can release highly toxic chemicals from their skin, which deter and neutralize ...
Raven personalities shape survival as human pressure grows at the Dead Sea
Along the stark and shimmering coastline of the Dead Sea, where desert cliffs meet one of the world's most extreme environments, a quiet drama is unfolding in the skies above. Fan-tailed ravens, intelligent, adaptable, and ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 18, 2026
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PFAS detected in dolphin milk may pass from mothers to calves
Researchers have found that a group of chemicals known as PFAS can be transferred from mother dolphins to their nursing calves, adding to the evidence that these persistent contaminants can be transferred from mothers to ...
Ecology
Apr 18, 2026
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How to feed your garden birds without spreading disease
The outbreak of a mysterious and deadly disease in finches in British gardens in 2005 set alarm bells ringing for conservationists. A decade later, the extent of that disease in greenfinches and chaffinches was reported. ...
Ecology
Apr 18, 2026
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128
DNA cracks nutmeg's hidden past, revealing a South Moluccas origin and a prehuman journey north
A sprinkle of nutmeg powder on baked goodies or mashed potatoes can immediately lift the flavor with its warm and sweet aroma. Even though it is used globally, not much is known about the true origins of the nutmeg spice ...
Antioxidant glutathione discovered to play a key role in proper protein folding
In the past several years, Rockefeller University's Kivanç Birsoy and his team in the Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Genetics have revealed remarkable details about the antioxidant glutathione, which plays many essential ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 17, 2026
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Parrots are not just mimicking words—they use proper names like humans to identify individuals
Like many animals, parrots make sounds that suggest they are talking with each other, maybe even calling out to a specific parrot. But do they truly have names in the same way people do? To find out, Lauryn Benedict, a biology ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 17, 2026
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836
Two bacteria join forces to turn chemical signals into electricity, opening up low-cost sensing options
Bacterial sensors usually rely on emitting light to transfer information about what they're sensing, but that method isn't practical in many settings. That's why most information transmission is done via electricity. And ...
Biotechnology
Apr 17, 2026
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53
Warmer streams may be draining river food webs by sending more carbon into the air
Rising stream temperatures may be weakening the foundation of river food webs by altering how carbon moves through these watery ecosystems. In a new study published in the journal Ecosphere, researchers from Northern Arizona ...
Ecology
Apr 17, 2026
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Want to restore oyster reefs? Find a site where they don't wash away or become buried under the sand
Restoring once abundant oyster reefs in temperate marginal seas such as the North Sea is a challenging task. New research by NIOZ marine ecologist Zhiyuan Zhao and colleagues shows that it is necessary to consider the short-term ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 17, 2026
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Saving coral reefs will require ruthless selection over generations to beat future heat waves
Assisted evolution could help corals survive future heat waves, but careful trait choice and strong repeated selection will be needed for it to be effective. As global temperatures rise, marine heat waves are becoming more ...
Evolution
Apr 17, 2026
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As modern crops turn 'lazy' underground, old sorghum may hold key to future food security
A greater focus on roots during plant breeding could ensure staple grain crops continue to feed the world as recycled nutrients substitute conventional fertilizers in the future, a University of Queensland study published ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Apr 17, 2026
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Shrink, remove and modify: Team successfully 'trims' wheat chromosomes
For the first time, a research team at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has succeeded in reducing the size of, or even completely removing, chromosomes in plants with large genomes, such ...
Biotechnology
Apr 17, 2026
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More news
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If birds are fancy dancers, are they smarter, too?
Catching a scramblase in the act could pave the way to improved blood disorder and cancer treatments
One of the world's rarest mice is adapting to climate change
Key gene enables tomato seed germination under high-temperature conditions
Bird and tortoise fossil tracks on South Africa's coast: Latest findings are world firsts
Polymer physics reveals DNA loops are formed by single molecular motors
Other news
Sulfur-rich Mercury magmas behave differently than Earth's do
Flat optics move toward market with 300-per-second metalens production
Warm-bodied sharks and tunas face 'double jeopardy' in warming seas
Sex pheromone of a sandgrain-sized insect deciphered
Temperature shifts change plant proteins that power photosynthesis
Preconception radiation exposure alters offspring mitochondrial DNA in an organ-specific manner
