ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Fungal toxins easily become airborne, creating potential indoor health risk

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 10:15 AM PDT

Toxins produced by three different species of fungus growing indoors on wallpaper may become aerosolized, and easily inhaled. The findings likely have implications for 'sick building syndrome.

Sweet bribes for ants are key to crops bearing fruit, study shows

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 08:05 AM PDT

Some flowering crops, such as beans and cotton, carefully manage the amount and sweetness of nectar produced on their flowers and leaves, to recruit colonizing ants which deter herbivores. This strategy balances their needs for defense and reproduction.

Scientists work to develop heat-resistant 'cow of the future'

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 07:07 AM PDT

More than half the cattle in the world live in hot and humid environments, including about 40 percent of beef cows in the United States. By using genomic tools, researchers aim to produce an animal with superior ability to adapt to hot living conditions and produce top-quality beef.

Tropical viruses: Coming soon to Europe?

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 07:06 AM PDT

The mosquito-borne viral disease Chikungunya is usually found in tropical areas. Researchers have now discovered how climate change is facilitating the spread of the Chikungunya virus. Even if climate change only progresses moderately – as scientists are currently observing – the risk of infection will continue to increase in many regions of the world through the end of the 21st century. If climate change continues unchecked, the virus could even spread to southern Europe and the United States.

Dune ecosystem modelling

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 07:06 AM PDT

Acacia longifolia, which is native to Australia, is a species which was cultivated in Portugal primarily to stabilize dunes and as an ornamental plant; now it has spread out uncontrollably in Portugal and into many ecosystems around the world. Using the acacia as an example, researchers show that the location has an effect on interaction with other species.

Lowering health risks of cannabis use with new public health guidelines

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 07:04 AM PDT

Canada's Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, released with the endorsement of key medical and public health organizations, provide 10 science-based recommendations to enable cannabis users to reduce their health risks. The guidelines are based on a scientific review by an international team of experts.

Plants sacrifice 'daughters' to survive chilly weather

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 05:50 AM PDT

Plants adopt different strategies to survive the changing temperatures of their natural environments. This is most evident in temperate regions where forest trees shed their leaves to conserve energy during the cold season. In a new study, a team of plant biologists found that some plants may selectively kill part of their roots to survive under cold weather conditions.

Protein mingling under blue light

Posted: 23 Jun 2017 05:50 AM PDT

One of the current challenges in biology is to understand rapidly-changing phenomena. Interestingly, only a small fraction of them is due to proteins acting in isolation, the majority of biological events are regulated by proteins acting together in clusters. Researchers have developed a new tool, called "CRY2clust", to trigger protein cluster formation in response to blue light. This new technique has a much faster response rate and higher sensitivity to light than existent methods.

How a single chemical bond balances cells between life and death

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 03:28 PM PDT

With SLAC's X-ray laser and synchrotron, scientists measured exactly how much energy goes into keeping a crucial chemical bond from triggering a cell's death spiral.

A rising star: Researchers dissect the process by which blood vessels shrink, which could have important implications for human health

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 11:30 AM PDT

It's a tiny marine invertebrate, no more than 3 millimeters in size. But closely related to humans, Botryllus schlosseri might hold the key to new treatments for cancer and a host of vascular diseases.

Moth eyes inspire new screen coating, making reading in sunlight a lot easier

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 07:40 AM PDT

Screens on even the newest phones and tablets can be hard to read outside in bright sunlight. Inspired by the nanostructures found on moth eyes, researchers have developed a new antireflection film that could keep people from having to run to the shade to look at their mobile devices.

New insight into a central biological dogma on ion transport

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 07:40 AM PDT

New research results show how active transport of potassium can be achieved by a membrane protein complex that has roots in both ion pump and ion channel super-families. The results shed new light on what define channels and pumps.

'Star dust' wasp is a new extinct species named after David Bowie's alter ego

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 07:40 AM PDT

During her study on fossil insects at China's Capitol Normal University, a student visited the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, USA, carrying two unidentified wasp specimens that were exceptionally well-preserved and 100 million years old. Close examination revealed that both were species new to science. Furthermore, one of them was found to belong to a genus of modern wasps.

The two faces of rot fungi

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 07:38 AM PDT

Yogurt, beer, bread and specialties such as tasty blue cheeses or good wine -- special microorganisms and refining processes first produce the pleasant flavors and enticing aromas of many foodstuffs. Researchers have now investigated the formation of rot in grapes and have shown that when this is caused by certain kinds of mold fungi, the resultant wine can have not only moldy but also floral aromas.

Bug spray accumulation in the home

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 07:38 AM PDT

Pyrethroids, a common household pesticide known to cause skin irritation, headache, dizziness and nausea, persists in the home for up over one year, a new investigation has found.

Look inside your own pantry or fridge to find the top culprit of food waste

Posted: 22 Jun 2017 05:33 AM PDT

Did you know you throw out about 20 pounds of food every month? Nearly 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste. Experts have tips for reducing waste at home, and look at how the food service industry is working to do the same.

Active 24/7 and doing great: New clues to circadian clocks

Posted: 21 Jun 2017 07:31 AM PDT

Circadian clocks control the day-night cycle of many living beings. But what do the pacemakers do in animals whose activities do not follow this pattern? Scientists have now looked into this question.

The rise of giant viruses

Posted: 21 Jun 2017 07:04 AM PDT

Giant viruses acquire genes piecemeal from others, researchers have found. The discovery has implications for bioenergy production and environmental cleanup.

Over 150 Asian Giant Softshell Turtles Return to the Wild

Posted: 21 Jun 2017 07:04 AM PDT

Biologists have just released 150 Endangered Asian giant softshell turtle (Pelochelys cantorii) hatchlings into their natural habitat along the Mekong River.