Sea urchin spines are made mostly of calcite, but the spines are much more durable than this raw material alone. The reason for their strength is the way that nature optimises materials using a brick wall-style architecture. ...
Nanomaterials
Nov 30, 2017
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24
The mechanisms by which new species arise are still not fully understood. What are the evolutionary processes that drive the evolution of new species? Evolutionary biologists traditionally assumed that geographical barriers ...
Evolution
Aug 14, 2019
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13
There are flowering plants that have the ability to self-pollinate, meaning that they can fertilize themselves without a partner. A biological advantage of self-pollination, also known as "selfing", is that one individual ...
Evolution
Jun 16, 2023
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11
Evolutionary biologists from the University of Konstanz have resolved a century-old question regarding the asymmetric genitals of internally fertilizing fishes of the family Anablepidae. Surprisingly, the direction of genital ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 8, 2020
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181
The evolution of a new species by hybridization from two already described species without a change in chromosome number is very rare in the animal kingdom. So far, only a few accepted empirical examples exist for this spontaneous ...
Evolution
Oct 11, 2022
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213
Birds, fish and bacteria often gather into groups or swarms. This so-called collective behaviour requires all group members to continuously and reciprocally adapt their movements. It can be a challenging task, however, for ...
General Physics
Apr 4, 2019
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55
In the movie "A Fish Called Wanda," the villain Otto effortlessly gobbles up all the occupants of Ken`s fish tank. Reality, however, is more daunting. At least one unfortunate fan who re-enacted this scene was hospitalized ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2021
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10
When do bees sting and how do they organize their collective defense behavior against predators? An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Universities of Constance and Innsbruck has provided new insights into these ...
Plants & Animals
May 26, 2021
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17
A network of chemists at the University of Konstanz has developed an innovative method to study protein structures by means of magnetic labels. The ingenious thing about it is that the magnetic labels are directly incorporated ...
Biochemistry
Jan 28, 2014
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0
How do new species arise, and how quickly does this happen? Evolutionary biologist Professor Axel Meyer from the University of Konstanz and his team have come one decisive step closer to answering fundamental questions in ...
Ecology
Oct 28, 2020
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