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ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
Unraveling threads of bizarre hagfish's explosive slime Posted: 15 Jan 2019 05:00 PM PST Biologists have modeled the hagfish's gag-inducing defense mechanism mathematically. |
Poisons or medicines? Cyanobacteria toxins protect tiny lake dwellers from parasites Posted: 15 Jan 2019 05:00 PM PST The cyanobacteria blooms that plague western Lake Erie each summer are both an unsightly nuisance and a potential public health hazard, producing liver toxins that can be harmful to humans and their pets. |
Mojave rattlesnakes' life-threatening venom is more widespread than expected Posted: 15 Jan 2019 01:23 PM PST It was thought that Mojave rattlesnakes with hemorrhagic venom only lived in Arizona, but new research documents hemorrhagic and neurotoxic venom types throughout the US and Mexico, and even hybrid venom in which one snake exhibits both types. |
Scientists make strides in creation of clinical-grade bone Posted: 15 Jan 2019 01:23 PM PST A team of scientists has made valuable progress toward creating clinical-grade cells for treatment of bone disease and injury. In their study, the team identified two types of growth media that could support effective expansion of mesenchymal progenitor (MP) cells from stem cells in a clinically compatible, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) setting. |
New conservation practice could reduce nitrogen pollution in agricultural drainage water Posted: 15 Jan 2019 01:23 PM PST In a new study, scientists have estimated that a new conservation practice known as saturated buffers could reduce nitrogen from agricultural drainage by 5 to 10 percent. |
Idled farmland presents habitat restoration opportunities in San Joaquin Desert Posted: 15 Jan 2019 01:23 PM PST Most of the native habitat in California's San Joaquin Desert has been converted to row crops and orchards, leaving 35 threatened or endangered species confined to isolated patches of habitat. A new study looked at the conservation potential of marginal farmland in the San Joaquin Desert and found that restoration of fallowed farmland could play a crucial role in habitat protection and restoration strategies for the blunt-nosed leopard lizard and other endangered species. |
A microbial hot spring in your basement Posted: 15 Jan 2019 01:23 PM PST Microbes that thrive in some of the most extreme places on Earth have discovered another cozy place to live -- inside homes across the United States. |
Genome doubling, cell size and novelty Posted: 15 Jan 2019 01:22 PM PST Scientists have examined the effects of genome doubling on cell biology and the generation of novelty in plants. |
'Outdated' management plan increases risks to Alaska's large carnivores Posted: 15 Jan 2019 11:41 AM PST Alaskan wildlife management that prioritizes reducing bear and wolf populations so hunters can kill more moose, caribou and deer is both backward and lacks scientific monitoring. |
Medical detection dogs help diabetes patients regulate insulin levels Posted: 15 Jan 2019 11:40 AM PST New research has found that the best trained alert dogs have the potential to vastly improve the quality of life of people living with Type 1 diabetes. |
Gene expression study sheds new light on African Salmonella Posted: 15 Jan 2019 11:40 AM PST Scientists have completed one of the largest bacterial comparative gene expression studies to date and taken another step forward in understanding the African Salmonella strain that is currently killing around 400,000 people each year in sub-Saharan Africa. |
Gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 shown to limit impact of certain parasitic diseases Posted: 15 Jan 2019 10:29 AM PST Researchers have successfully used CRISPR/Cas9 to limit the impact of schistosomiasis and liver fluke infection, which affects more than a quarter of a billion people in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America. |
Black mangroves' impact on the salt marsh food web Posted: 15 Jan 2019 10:29 AM PST Warmer temperatures are causing more tropical species to move northward. Among these are black mangroves, whose abundance is steadily increasing in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A new article examines how this tropical species is impacting the salt marsh food web. |
11,500-year-old animal bones in Jordan suggest early dogs helped humans hunt Posted: 15 Jan 2019 10:29 AM PST 11,500 years ago in what is now northeast Jordan, people began to live alongside dogs and may also have used them for hunting, a new study shows. The archaeologists suggest that the introduction of dogs as hunting aids may explain the dramatic increase of hares and other small prey in the archaeological remains at the site. |
Power stations driven by light Posted: 15 Jan 2019 10:28 AM PST The smallest building blocks within the power stations of organisms which get their energy directly from the sun are basically miniature reactors surrounded by collectors which capture photons and forward them to the center. The close correlation between structure and interaction of the components boosts productivity, a strategy which researchers are using for increasing the efficiency of solar technology. |
How Candida albicans exploits lack of oxygen to cause disease Posted: 15 Jan 2019 10:28 AM PST Scientists have shown how the yeast Candida albicans can modulate and adapt to low oxygen levels in different body niches to cause infection and to harm the host. Studying adaption to hypoxic or anoxic niches is particularly fruitful, since it helps us to understand the pathogenicity of C. albicans and promotes the development of better therapy approaches. |
Protein alteration controls cell's response to stress, immunity and lifespan Posted: 15 Jan 2019 09:44 AM PST Scientists have revealed a key mechanism in worms that is involved in controlling the cell's response to stress, a study reports. |
Scientists identify two new species of fungi in retreating Arctic glacier Posted: 15 Jan 2019 09:11 AM PST Two new species of fungi have made an appearance in a rapidly melting glacier on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic, just west of Greenland. |
MANF identified as a rejuvenating factor in parabiosis Posted: 15 Jan 2019 09:11 AM PST Older mice who are surgically joined with young mice in order to share a common bloodstream get stronger and healthier, making parabiosis one of the hottest topics in age research. Researchers now report that MANF (mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor) is one of the factors responsible for rejuvenating the transfused older mice. Researchers also show the naturally occurring, evolutionarily conserved repair mechanism protects against liver damage in aging mice and extends lifespan in flies. |
Big genome found in tiny forest defoliator Posted: 15 Jan 2019 09:10 AM PST Scientists have sequenced the genomes of the European gypsy moth and its even more destructive cousin, the Asian gypsy moth. |
Genomic study finds Haida Gwaii's northern goshawks are highly distinct and at-risk Posted: 15 Jan 2019 08:20 AM PST Haida Gwaii's small population of northern goshawks -- already of great concern to conservationists -- are the last remnant of a highly distinct genetic cluster of the birds, according to a new genomic analysis. |
Animals may get used to drones Posted: 15 Jan 2019 08:19 AM PST A new study shows that over time, bears get used to drones. Previous work indicated that animals behave fearfully or show a stress response near drone flights. Using heart monitors to gauge stress, however, researchers here found that bears habituated to drones over a 3 to 4-week period and remained habituated. |
Bear necessities: New study highlights importance of water resources for Andean bears Posted: 15 Jan 2019 07:48 AM PST A new study highlights the importance of water for Andean bears living in the mountain forests of Peru. The study found that bears exhibit tree-rubbing behavior on shrubs and trees that are located on trails near water holes. The discovery that this behavior occurs near water holes could have implications for future conservation programs. |
Study: 'Post-normal' science requires unorthodox communication strategies Posted: 14 Jan 2019 01:11 PM PST Proposals to fight malaria by 'driving' genes that slow its spread through mosquitoes is a high-risk, high-reward technology that presents a challenge to science journalists, according to a new report aimed at stimulating a fruitful, realistic public discussion of 'post-normal' science and technology. |
Honey bee parasites, varroa mites, feed on fatty organs, not blood Posted: 14 Jan 2019 01:11 PM PST Among the many threats to honey bee colonies around the world, one stands alone: the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor. For decades, researchers assumed that varroa mites feed on blood, like many of their mite and tick cousins. But new research suggests that varroa mites have a voracious appetite for a honey bee organ called the fat body, which serves many of the same vital functions carried out by the human liver. |
Marine bacterium sheds light on control of toxic metals Posted: 14 Jan 2019 01:11 PM PST An ocean-dwelling bacterium has provided fresh insights into how cells protect themselves from the toxic effects of metal ions such as iron and copper. Although essential to life, metal ions can also generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) -- highly reactive molecules that damage cells as they try to form bonds with other molecules. In humans, reactive oxygen species are linked to aging and also to diseases such as cancers. |
Central Texas salamanders, including newly identified species, at risk of extinction Posted: 14 Jan 2019 01:11 PM PST Biologists have discovered three new species of groundwater salamander in Central Texas, including one living west of Austin that they say is critically endangered. They also determined that an already known salamander species near Georgetown is much more endangered than previously thought. They warn that more severe droughts caused by climate change and increasing water use in Central Texas have left groundwater salamanders 'highly vulnerable to extinction.' |
History of North African date palm Posted: 14 Jan 2019 01:11 PM PST Genome analysis reveals that North African date palms are a hybrid between cultivated date palms from the Middle East and a different, wild species of palm that grows on the island of Crete and in small areas of Southern Turkey. These findings shed new light on the evolutionary history of one of the crop. |
Teen brain volume changes with small amount of cannabis use, study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2019 10:08 AM PST At a time when several states are moving to legalize recreational use of marijuana, new research shows that concerns about the drug's impact on teens may be warranted. The study shows that even a small amount of cannabis use by teenagers is linked to differences in their brains. |
Store craft beer in a cool place and consume it as fresh as possible Posted: 14 Jan 2019 08:42 AM PST A new study shows that craft beer should be kept cool and consumed as fresh as possible. After three months, cold stored beer already loses more than one third of an important hop odorant which characterizes the typical aroma of many craft beers. Storage at room temperature causes the concentration of this substance to decrease even more significantly. |
A new study shows that wine experts differ by geographic region Posted: 14 Jan 2019 08:35 AM PST Canadian vintners, sommeliers, journalists and other wine experts judge and rate wines differently depending on where in the country they are located. The two regions studied, British Columbia and Quebec, both come from different wine-tasting traditions and this is reflected in how they appraise wine. |
Real-time detection of cholesterol in liver-on-chip cultures of human liver cells Posted: 11 Jan 2019 06:51 AM PST Researchers have developed a novel microfluidic device for measuring in real-time the cholesterol secreted from liver tissue-chip containing human hepatocytes. This innovation can help researchers employing microfluidic cultures to study the effects of drugs such as statins on lowering cholesterol in real-time. |
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