The evolution of mucus: How did we get all this slime?
From the slime coating slugs to the saliva in our mouths, many slippery bodily fluids contain mucus. So how did this marvel of biology evolve?
From the slime coating slugs to the saliva in our mouths, many slippery bodily fluids contain mucus. So how did this marvel of biology evolve?
Evolution
Aug 26, 2022
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171
A team of researchers at Universidade de São Paulo has found that bird species that have a central position in frugivory networks tend to belong to more stable lineages over macroevolutionary time scales. In their paper ...
Parents, you might know the feeling. When kids get pushy and demanding, it's a tempting fantasy to shove them out of the house and let them survive on their own. Of course, we'd never put our babies in harm's way, but according ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 16, 2020
1
133
New research suggests that the first dinosaurs laid soft-shelled eggs—a finding that contradicts established thought. The study, led by the American Museum of Natural History and Yale University and published today in the ...
Archaeology
Jun 17, 2020
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360
People want to help each other, even when it costs them something, and even when the motivations to help don't always align, a new study suggests.
Social Sciences
Jun 3, 2020
9
921
Almost any grocery store is filled with products made from corn, also known as maize, in every aisle: fresh corn, canned corn, corn cereal, taco shells, tortilla chips, popcorn, corn sweeteners in hundreds of products, corn ...
Archaeology
Jun 3, 2020
1
1117
(PhysOrg.com) -- It seems we may have parasites to thank for the existence of sex as we know it. Indiana University biologists have found that, although sexual reproduction between two individuals is costly from an evolutionary ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2011
3
0
A component of the human intestinal flora that has been little studied to date is the focus of a new study from Germany. Plasmids are small extrachromosomal genetic elements that frequently occur in bacterial cells and can ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 16, 2024
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104
Researchers have shown that inedible species of butterfly that mimic each others' color patterns have also evolved similar flight behaviors to warn predators and avoid being eaten.
Evolution
Feb 26, 2024
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34
Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the most common and most dangerous bacterial pathogens impacting humans, causing infections of the gastrointestinal tract, pneumonia, wound infections, and even blood poisoning.
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 20, 2024
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23