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ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
Biological material boosts solar cell performance Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:11 AM PDT Next-generation solar cells that mimic photosynthesis with biological material may give new meaning to the term 'green technology.' Adding the protein bacteriorhodopsin (bR) to perovskite solar cells boosted the efficiency of the devices in a series of laboratory tests, according to an international team of researchers. |
Single mutation dramatically changes structure and function of bacteria's transporter proteins Posted: 22 Oct 2019 09:11 AM PDT Swapping a single amino acid in a simple bacterial protein changes its structure and function, revealing the effects of complex gene evolution, finds a new study. The study -- conducted using E. coli bacteria -- can help researchers to better understand the evolution of transporter proteins and their role in drug resistance. |
Are humans changing animal genetic diversity worldwide? Posted: 22 Oct 2019 08:21 AM PDT Human population density and land use is causing changes in animal genetic diversity, according to new research. The research show that environmental changes caused by humans are leading to changes in genetic variation in thousands of species of birds, fish, insects, and mammals. The evidence for human impacts was most clear for insects and fish species. |
A 'shocking' new way to treat infections Posted: 22 Oct 2019 07:48 AM PDT New research introduces a revolutionary treatment for these infections. The group is utilizing electrochemical therapy (ECT) to enhance the ability of antibiotics to eradicate the microbes. |
Transient and long-term disruption of gut microbes after antibiotics Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:28 AM PDT Antibiotic treatment is known to disrupt the community structure of intestinal microbes -- the 500 to 1,000 bacterial species that have a mainly beneficial influence in humans. A study now has tracked this disruption at the level of a strain of microbes replacing another strain of the same species in 30 individuals -- all of them young, healthy adults who would be expected to have stable microbial communities. |
Dry season increase in photosynthesis in Amazon rain forest Posted: 22 Oct 2019 06:28 AM PDT A new study demonstrated the potential of the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument on board the Copernicus Sentinel-5 Precursor satellite to measure and track chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthesis of tropical forests in the Amazon. |
Ants: Jam-free traffic champions Posted: 22 Oct 2019 05:07 AM PDT Whether they occur on holiday routes or the daily commute, traffic jams affect cars as well as pedestrians. Scientists have demonstrated that ant colonies, however, are spared these problems and circulate easily, even in the event of extremely dense traffic, thus ensuring consistent efficiency in their foraging. |
New study underpins the idea of a sudden impact killing off dinosaurs and much of the other life Posted: 22 Oct 2019 05:07 AM PDT Fossil remains of tiny calcareous algae not only provide information about the end of the dinosaurs, but also show how the oceans recovered after the fatal asteroid impact. |
Fish more tolerant than expected to low oxygen events Posted: 22 Oct 2019 05:07 AM PDT Fish may be more tolerant than previously thought to periods of low oxygen in the oceans, new research shows. |
Amazon's white bellbirds set new record for loudest bird call Posted: 21 Oct 2019 03:33 PM PDT Biologists report that they have recorded the loudest bird calls ever documented, made by dove-sized male white bellbirds as part of their mating rituals in the mountains of the northern Amazon. |
The secret of classic Belgian beers? Medieval super yeasts! Posted: 21 Oct 2019 03:33 PM PDT An international team of scientists has discovered that some of the most renowned classic Belgian beers, including Gueuze and Trappist ales, are fermented with a rare and unusual form of hybrid yeasts. These yeasts combine DNA of the traditional ale yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, with that of more stress-resistant feral yeasts such as Saccharomyces kudriavzevii. |
How rat-eating monkeys help keep palm oil plants alive Posted: 21 Oct 2019 03:33 PM PDT Found as an ingredient in many processed and packaged foods, palm oil is the most widely consumed vegetable oil. Now, researchers have discovered an unlikely ally for palm oil production: pig-tailed macaques. |
New deep-water coral discovered Posted: 21 Oct 2019 01:11 PM PDT A new octocoral species was recently discovered in a biodiversity hotspot and World Heritage Site in Pacific Panama. It inhabits an unexplored and understudied marine ecosystem, under increasing need for protection: the mesophotic coral communities. |
Humpback whale population on the rise after near miss with extinction Posted: 21 Oct 2019 01:11 PM PDT A new study finds that the western South Atlantic humpback population has grown to 25,000 whales. Researchers believe this new estimate is now close to pre-whaling numbers. |
GenBank can be trusted, study shows Posted: 21 Oct 2019 12:33 PM PDT Scientists working to identify coral reef organisms analyzed more than 4.7 million animal DNA sequences from GenBank, the most commonly used tool used to identify environmental DNA, and discovered that animal identification errors are surprisingly rare -- but sometimes very funny. |
Song-learning neurons identified in songbirds Posted: 21 Oct 2019 12:15 PM PDT A group of neurons called the corticobasal ganglia projecting neurons are important for vocal learning in young birds, but not in adult birds, according to a new study. |
Butterflies and plants evolved in sync, but moth 'ears' predated bats Posted: 21 Oct 2019 12:15 PM PDT A new study cross-examines classic hypotheses about the coevolution of butterflies with flowering plants and moths with bats, their key predators. The findings show flowering plants did drive much of these insects' diversity, but in a surprise twist, multiple moth lineages evolved 'ears' millions of years before the existence of bats, previously credited with triggering moths' development of hearing organs. |
Animal study shows how stress and mother's abuse affects infant brain Posted: 21 Oct 2019 12:15 PM PDT A new study in rats shows the extent of brain damage in newborn rodents from even short-term abuse by their mother. |
Training parents is key to helping children eat a variety of foods Posted: 21 Oct 2019 12:15 PM PDT Families dealing with the stress and frustration of their child's overly picky eating habits may have a new addition to their parental toolbox. Pediatric researchers recently described a brief group cognitive-behavioral therapy program that provides parents with specific techniques to improve their child's mealtime behaviors and expand the range of foods their children will eat. Although the study size was small, the parents involved reported 'life-changing' improvements. |
Uncovering the principles behind RNA folding Posted: 21 Oct 2019 11:22 AM PDT Using high-throughput next-generation sequencing technology, a researcher found similarities in the folding tendencies among a family of RNA molecules called riboswitches, which play a pivotal role in gene expression. |
Listening in to how proteins talk and learning their language Posted: 21 Oct 2019 10:50 AM PDT A research team has created a third approach to engineering proteins that uses deep learning to distill the fundamental features of proteins directly from their amino acid sequence without the need for additional information. |
Resistance to last resort drug arose in patient over 3 weeks Posted: 21 Oct 2019 10:50 AM PDT French investigators have described development of resistance to one of the last resort therapies used to treat extremely drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. That resistance arose in a single patient over a scant 22 days. They subsequently identified the single nucleotide mutation in P. aeruginosa that caused the resistance. |
Pinpointing biomolecules with nanometer accuracy Posted: 21 Oct 2019 10:50 AM PDT Scientists demonstrate a new approach in fluorescence microscopy that can be used to locate individual biomolecules in 3D space with nanometer-scale precision. |
Large-scale afforestation of African savannas will destroy valuable ecosystems Posted: 21 Oct 2019 10:50 AM PDT Scientists from around the world argue that the suggested afforestation of large areas of Africa to mitigate climate change will destroy valuable ecological, agricultural, and tourist areas, while doing little to reduce global CO2 levels. |
Plant physiology will be major contributor to future river flooding Posted: 21 Oct 2019 09:45 AM PDT Researchers describe the emerging role of ecophysiology in riparian flooding. As an adaptation to an overabundance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, trees, plants and grasses constrict their stomatal pores to regulate the amount of the gas they consume, a mechanism that limits the release of water from leaves through evaporation. This saturates soils and causes more efficient run off and river flooding. |
New CRISPR genome editing system offers a wide range of versatility in human cells Posted: 21 Oct 2019 09:45 AM PDT A team has developed a new CRISPR genome-editing approach by combining two of the most important proteins in molecular biology -- CRISPR-Cas9 and a reverse transcriptase -- into a single machine. |
How the mouse X and Y chromosomes compete with each other to control offspring Posted: 21 Oct 2019 09:45 AM PDT New research presents the first demonstration of a specific difference in sperm function associated with sex ratio skewing. |
DNA-reeling bacteria yield new insight on how superbugs acquire drug-resistance Posted: 21 Oct 2019 08:49 AM PDT A study has revealed a protein's role in helping bacteria 'reel in' DNA from their environment to acquire new traits, such as antibiotic resistance. |
Posted: 21 Oct 2019 08:48 AM PDT Centromeres are the chromosomal domains at which the kinetochore, a protein complex required for the correct separation of chromosomes during mitosis and meiosis, is assembled. The incorporation of the histone variant CenH3 into centromeric nucleosomes is a prerequisite for the proper assembly and function of the kinetochore. A new study describes the chaperone protein NASPSIM3 and how it affects the depositioning of CenH3. |
Exploring the effect of fasting on age-related diseases Posted: 21 Oct 2019 08:18 AM PDT There are many indications that fasting promotes longevity. In recent years, much attention has been devoted to so-called caloric restriction mimetics (CMRs), substances that simulate the health-promoting effects of fasting without the need of life-style change. A study reports the identification of a novel candidate CRM. The substance may prove useful in the further research for the treatment of age-related diseases. |
Bacteria must be 'stressed out' to divide Posted: 21 Oct 2019 08:18 AM PDT Bacterial cell division is controlled by both enzymatic activity and mechanical forces, which work together to control its timing and location. |
Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries Posted: 21 Oct 2019 08:18 AM PDT Researchers examined 31 peatlands across Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia and continental Europe to assess changes in peatland surface wetness during the last 2,000 years. |
No place like home: Species are on the move, but many have nowhere to go Posted: 21 Oct 2019 07:49 AM PDT Since the 1970s, insects in the warmer half of Britain have been flying, hopping and crawling northwards at an average rate of around five metres per day. However, a new study has analysed 25 million recorded sightings of 300 different insect species and found there is huge variation in the rates at which they are moving and that not all species are able to keep pace with the warming conditions. |
Immune reaction causes malaria organ damage Posted: 21 Oct 2019 07:49 AM PDT Immune cells can be the body's defenders and foes at the same time. |
Bioprinting: Living cells in a 3D printer Posted: 21 Oct 2019 07:39 AM PDT A high-resolution bioprinting process has been developed: Cells can now be embedded in a 3D matrix printed with micrometer precision -- at a printing speed of one meter per second, orders of magnitude faster than previously possible. Tissue growth and the behavior of cells can be controlled and investigated particularly well by embedding the cells in a delicate 3D framework. This is achieved using so called 'bioprinting' techniques. |
Biodiversity of insects modeled from space satellite data Posted: 21 Oct 2019 07:39 AM PDT With freely available radar data from satellites, biodiversity in forests can be analysed very well. Researchers now report that biodiversity even of tiny insects can be reliably modeled from space. |
Toad disguises itself as deadly viper to avoid attack Posted: 21 Oct 2019 06:40 AM PDT The first study of a toad mimicking a venomous snake reveals that it likely imitates one of Africa's largest vipers in both appearance and behavior. |
Gimme six! Researchers discover aye-aye's extra finger Posted: 21 Oct 2019 05:28 AM PDT The world's weirdest little primate has gotten even weirder, thanks to the discovery of a tiny extra digit. Aye-ayes possess small 'pseudothumbs' -- complete with their own fingerprints --- that may help them grip objects and branches as they move through trees. This is the first accessory digit ever found in a primate. |
Real texture for lab-grown meat Posted: 21 Oct 2019 05:27 AM PDT Researchers have grown rabbit and cow muscles cells on edible gelatin scaffolds that mimic the texture and consistency of meat, demonstrating that realistic meat products may eventually be produced without the need to raise and slaughter animals. |
California's crashing kelp forest Posted: 21 Oct 2019 05:27 AM PDT First the sea stars wasted to nothing. Then purple urchins took over, eating and eating until the bull kelp forests were gone. The red abalone starved. Their fishery closed. Red sea urchins starved. Their fishery collapsed. And the ocean kept warming. This ecological horror story movie took place between 2013-2017, with lasting impacts. This study chronicles the catastrophic shift in 2014 from a robust bull kelp forest to a barren of purple sea urchins. |
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