Pigmentation is a biological process by which cells synthesize, package, and distribute pigments that confer color to tissues, organs, or whole organisms, typically via specialized cells such as melanocytes, chromatophores, or pigment-containing plastids. It involves regulated pathways of pigment biosynthesis (e.g., melanin, carotenoids, ommochromes), intracellular transport and sequestration within organelles, and spatial-temporal control of pigment cell differentiation and activity. Pigmentation contributes to photoprotection, camouflage, signaling, and physiological regulation, and is modulated by genetic programs, developmental cues, endocrine factors, and environmental variables such as light exposure, temperature, and nutrient availability.
White barn owls are effective killing machines. They fly silently through the night air and swoop down on unsuspecting prey with their sharp talons. But they have something you would think goes against being a stealth predator: ...
From snow white and jet black to golden brown, domestic chickens display a wider range of plumage colors than almost any other livestock species. A new international study, with researchers from Leipzig University playing ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 12, 2026
0
16
Scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) have uncovered for the first time the "ingenious" biological strategies that allow blue-tailed damselflies to produce strikingly vivid, angle-independent colors. The ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 9, 2026
0
15
Bright colors in animals are beautiful but often considered risky because they are more obvious to predators. However, conspicuous colors can also serve defensively, signaling toxicity or even luring predators away from more ...
Plants & Animals
May 29, 2026
0
17
An international research team has discovered that the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) is biofluorescent. A study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science shows that the salamander reflects turquoise light ...
Plants & Animals
May 27, 2026
0
17
If the eastern red-backed salamander has an equivalent of Usain Bolt, Sophia Zaslow is determined to find it. Since her undergraduate years, the Binghamton University doctoral student in biological sciences has conducted ...
Plants & Animals
May 26, 2026
0
14
A colorful and diverse garden brings joy to any gardener, but the increased popularity of non-native plants in place of native species has brought about unprecedented changes in the local wildlife.
Plants & Animals
May 19, 2026
0
10
An experiment conducted in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, has concluded that yellow trout can grow larger than the wild strain, which is the most commonly farmed phenotype of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The yellow, ...
Plants & Animals
May 6, 2026
0
14
Scientists have shown that evolution has been using the same genetic "cheat sheet" for over 120 million years, suggesting that life on Earth may be more predictable than first imagined. The international team, led by scientists ...
Ecology
Apr 30, 2026
0
203
They already have the bill of a duck, the tail of a beaver, lay eggs like reptiles and have venom like snakes.
Plants & Animals
Apr 25, 2026
3
3309
