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Biology news
A spider named for Stephen Colbert has a genome about 50% larger than ours
Many spiders reach their maximum size about this time of year, having spent the summer eating, which helps explain their starring role in Halloween decorations. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have found ...
Plants & Animals
43 minutes ago
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Islands harbor nearly 20% of Earth's biodiversity, yet remain overlooked in conservation strategies
Although they account for just 7% of the Earth's land surface, island ecosystems harbor almost 20% of the world's biodiversity. From sea-level rise to biological invasions, islands are facing multiple pressures associated ...
Plants & Animals
1 hour ago
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Extracellular vesicle discovery may shed light on how cancer spreads
A team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center (The Institute) have discovered a new type of extracellular vesicle released by migrating cancer cells, revealing a previously unknown way in which ...
Cell & Microbiology
2 hours ago
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Ants prioritize brain energy during starvation, echoing pattern seen in humans
The human brain accounts for roughly 2% of total body weight but uses approximately 20% of our body's energy. Relative to our body size, human brains are much larger than those of other mammals and take a lot of energy to ...
Plants & Animals
5 hours ago
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DNA analysis identifies root-dwelling fungi as potential keystone species in forest microbial communities
Beneath the forest floor extends a vast ecosystem where a diverse array of microorganisms inhabit soil and root systems. Here, fungi and bacteria play pivotal roles in processes such as nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration. ...
Ecology
9 hours ago
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Amber fossils reveal how ancient Australian landmass helped seed Southeast Asia's tropical forests
A landmass that broke away from northwestern Australia about 150 million years ago and drifted north for the next 100 million years helped lay the foundations for Southeast Asia's extraordinarily diverse tropical forests, ...
Ecology
4 hours ago
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New feed supplement addresses honey bee declines after blueberry pollination
Washington produces more blueberries than any other U.S. state, but farmers sometimes struggle to obtain honey bees to pollinate the plants and produce fruit. That's in part because beekeepers are reluctant to provide bees ...
Ecology
5 hours ago
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When consumers search 'cyclospora,' bagged salad sales take the hit
This year, the U.S. saw its highest annual count of confirmed Cyclospora cases, roughly 20,000, according to the CDC. New research published in Risk Analysis examines outbreaks from 2018 to 2022 and finds that the retail ...
Agriculture
5 hours ago
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Fishmeal alternative aims to protect marine wildlife from overfishing
Technology that transforms organic waste into animal feed could help ease an overreliance on fishmeal in aquaculture. University of Queensland researchers have developed a production process that converts organic waste into ...
Ecology
6 hours ago
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Dead tree branches rise and fall with changing humidity, laser scans reveal
Dead tree branches are by no means static but move throughout the day. Geoinformatics researchers at Heidelberg University tracked these movements in a study conducted in cooperation with the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute ...
Ecology
7 hours ago
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Launch of global seed platform to tackle native seed bottleneck holding back nature restoration
On Oct. 13, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) launched the Seed Portal for Online Data (SeedPOD), a new open-access platform designed to tackle bottlenecks affecting global ecological restoration, by making native ...
Ecology
3 hours ago
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Japan's genome-editing law sets a global ethics challenge
A Hiroshima University researcher contends that Japan's newly enacted law regulating human genome-edited embryos and germ cells marks a significant advance in the governance of reproductive genome editing. Tsutomu Sawai, ...
Biotechnology
3 hours ago
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Earwax is both slippery and sticky—this weird combo might lead to safer insect repellents
What has the consistency of both toothpaste and dough, can absorb twice its weight in water and still remain sticky, was used by medieval artists as a binder in paint and has been hypothesized by physicians to repel insects? ...
Ecology
4 hours ago
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What makes us human? Researchers compare brain development in humans and great apes
How did the human brain become so much larger than that of our closest evolutionary relatives? Part of the answer lies not in new genes, but in how humans and non-human apes use the genes they share. Using brain organoids ...
Evolution
22 hours ago
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Rice plants can fight off devastating disease after gene editing with AI-designed tool
University of Missouri researchers have created rice plants that resist bacterial blight, a devastating disease that threatens one of the world's most important food crops. The advance could help farmers in parts of Asia ...
Biotechnology
22 hours ago
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Same species, different climate risks: Why plant conservation needs regional strategies
A study analyzing the effects of climate change on vascular plants in the United States finds that the fate of individual plant species tends to be a regional phenomenon.
Plants & Animals
22 hours ago
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Paleontologists reveal the hidden role of eye pigments in vertebrate evolution
Paleontologists at University College Cork have discovered that the evolution of fish is linked to the shape, location and abundance of tiny melanin-rich granules called melanosomes. These features survive in 300-million-year-old ...
Evolution
23 hours ago
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New biodiversity framework estimates what landscapes could support, not just what lives there
A flower strip is established along the edge of a field. A wetland is restored. More seminatural habitats are created. The expectation is simple: give nature more space, and biodiversity will increase. But reality is often ...
Ecology
23 hours ago
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Brambles are a problem weed in South Africa, but researchers are closer to finding a natural enemy to manage them
Invasive alien brambles have been spreading across South Africa since the early 1900s, having come from North America and Europe. All brambles fall within the genus Rubus. Their common names in South Africa are braam (Afrikaans), ...
Ecology
16 hours ago
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Researchers discover why some frogs have escaped the current amphibian mass extinction
Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates on Earth, with 41% of species facing extinction. In the highlands of Central and South America, a killer fungus has wiped out much of the once-abundant amphibian diversity. Yet ...
Ecology
17 hours ago
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More news
GenoBridge streamlines plant trait prediction with a simplified genomic analysis pipeline
121-million-year-old fossils suggest Longipteryx had no tail feathers
Bonobo females hunt more than males, decade-long study reveals
A dinosaur fossil that looks like a mini T. rex just sold for a giant $47 million
Why male mosquitoes are attracted to the sound of female wingbeats
Q&A: Why does the right side of the brain control the left side of the body?
Avian influenza threatens vulture populations worldwide
Marine molecule may help combat 'brain-eating' amoeba
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Why hugs become memorable
Sound-levitated particles reveal how static charge builds up
When simulations fall short, this spectrometer learns for itself
Slow-motion electron camera reveals light-driven quantum jumps in graphene
Does the future of food production start in the lab?
Backward motion is easier to judge at walking speed
