ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Key early steps in gene expression captured in real time

Posted: 27 May 2021 01:34 PM PDT

Scientists have observed early RNA transcription dynamics by recording where, when and how RNA polymerase enzymes kick off transcription by binding to a DNA sequence.

Partners in crime: Agricultural pest that relies on bacteria to overcome plant defenses

Posted: 27 May 2021 12:54 PM PDT

The oral secretions of herbivorous insects can activate plant defense mechanisms that protect plant cells from being digested. However, scientists have discovered that some larvae 'partner up' with bacteria that help interrupt these plant defense mechanisms. This disrupts the plant's defenses before the digestive proteins that the larvae smear on them. These findings may help agricultural scientists devise countermeasures that protect important agricultural species from the larvae.

Managing global climate change--and local conditions--key to coral reefs' survival

Posted: 27 May 2021 12:02 PM PDT

According to a new study, what's key to coral reefs surviving climate-driven heatwaves and subsequent bleaching is managing global climate change -- and local conditions.

Parasites as fountains of youth: Study finds infected ants live much longer

Posted: 27 May 2021 12:01 PM PDT

According to the results of a multi-year scientific study, ants of the species Temnothorax nylanderi show exceptionally high survival rates when infected with a tapeworm.

Aging: Clinical trial on potential reversal of epigenetic age using a diet and lifestyle

Posted: 27 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT

A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted among 43 healthy adult males between the ages of 50-72. The 8-week treatment program included diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation guidance, and supplemental probiotics and phytonutrients.

Biologists construct a 'periodic table' for cell nuclei

Posted: 27 May 2021 11:52 AM PDT

One hundred fifty years after Dmitri Mendeleev's periodic table classified atomic nuclei, biologists have created a new classification system for cell nuclei - and shown how they can be transmuted from one type into another.

Fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria has a glowing new weapon

Posted: 27 May 2021 11:52 AM PDT

In the perpetual arms races between bacteria and human-made antibiotics, there is a new tool to give human medicine the edge, in part by revealing bacterial weaknesses and potentially by leading to more targeted or new treatments for bacterial infections.

Global microbiome study discovers thousands of new species, maps urban antimicrobial resistance and reveals new drug candidates

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:26 AM PDT

About 12,000 bacteria and viruses collected in a sampling from public transit systems and hospitals around the world from 2015 to 2017 had never before been identified, according to a new study.

Gene research on brassicas provides potential for making better crops

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:26 AM PDT

Scientists have used gene technology to understand more about the make-up of the evolution of brassicas - paving the way for bigger and more climate resilient yields from this group of crops that have been grown for thousands of years.

Fish adapt to ocean acidification by modifying gene expression

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:25 AM PDT

To survive in a reduced pH environment, marine organisms have to adjust their physiology which, at the molecular level, is achieved by modifying the expression of genes. The study of such changes in gene expression can aid in revealing the adaptive mechanisms of life under predicted future ocean acidification conditions.

How New Zealand's cheeky kea and kaka will fare with climate change

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:25 AM PDT

With global warming decreasing the size of New Zealand's alpine zone, a new study found out what this means for our altitude-loving kea.

Mathematical model developed to prevent botulism

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:24 AM PDT

Food producers can use a mathematical model to ensure their products do not cause botulism.

New study confirms noble false widow spiders bites can result in hospitalization

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:24 AM PDT

Scientists have published a new study showing that Noble False Widow spiders can deliver a bite that requires hospitalization. The threat posed by the Noble False Widow spider has been debated among spider and healthcare specialists for many years. This new study confirms that some bite victims experience symptoms very similar to the true black widow spiders and some severe cases require hospitalization.

Vaccine target for devastating livestock disease could change lives of millions

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:24 AM PDT

The first ever vaccine target for trypanosomes, a family of parasites that cause devastating disease in animals and humans, has been discovered. By targeting a protein on the cell surface of the parasite Trypanosoma vivax, researchers were able to confer long-lasting protection against animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) infection in mice.

Some forams could thrive with climate change, metabolism study finds

Posted: 27 May 2021 08:24 AM PDT

With the expansion of oxygen-depleted waters in the oceans due to climate change, some species of foraminifera (forams, a type of protist or single-celled eukaryote) that thrive in those conditions could be big winners, biologically speaking.

Fungus fights mites that harm honey bees

Posted: 27 May 2021 06:14 AM PDT

A new fungus strain bred in a lab could provide a chemical-free method for eradicating mites that kill honey bees. Varroa destructor mites play a large role in Colony Collapse Disorder, which destroys thousands of bee colonies every year.

Inhaled nanobodies protect hamsters from COVID-19, study finds

Posted: 26 May 2021 12:02 PM PDT

Inhalable nanobodies targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 can prevent and treat severe COVID-19 in hamsters, according to new research.

Neotropical river otters in Brazil communicate in a rich vocal range

Posted: 26 May 2021 12:01 PM PDT

Solitary river otters in Brazil use a rich repertoire of vocalizations during play and conflict, according to a new study.

Novel sensor discovered that helps bacteria detect and respond to formaldehyde

Posted: 26 May 2021 12:00 PM PDT

Bacteria called methylotrophs can use methane and methanol as fuel; in doing so, they produce large amounts of formaldehyde during growth, but until recently no one knew how they detected and responded to this toxic compound. Researchers describe their discovery of a novel formaldehyde sensor in the bacterium Methylorubrum extorquens, and other methylotrophs.

Dive bombing killer flies are so fast they lose steering control

Posted: 26 May 2021 08:55 AM PDT

Killer flies can reach accelerations of over 3g when aerial diving to catch their prey - but at such high speeds they often miss because they can't correct their course.

How 'non-professional' cells can trigger immune response

Posted: 26 May 2021 06:30 AM PDT

Researchers are finding new details on the complex dynamics involved in how organisms sense an infection from pathogens. The researchers found that worms can sense changes in their metabolism in order to unleash protective defenses, even if they don't directly sense an incursion from pathogens.

How army ants' iconic mass raids evolved

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:38 PM PDT

Researchers combine phylogenetic reconstructions and computational behavioral analysis to show that army ant mass raiding evolved from group raiding through the scaling effects of increasing colony size. The transition evolved tens of millions of years ago and is perfectly correlated with a massive increase in colony size.