ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Dinosaurs lived in greenhouse climate with hot summers, study shows

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT

Researchers have developed an innovative way to use the clumped isotope method to reconstruct climate in the geological past on the seasonal scale. They show that dinosaurs had to deal with hotter summers than previously thought. The results suggest that in the mid latitudes, seasonal temperatures will likely rise along with climate warming, while seasonal difference is maintained. This results in very high summer temperatures.

Researchers' algorithm to make CRISPR gene editing more precise

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new method which makes CRISPR gene editing more precise than conventional methods. The method selects the molecules best suited for helping the CRISPR-Cas9 protein with high-precision editing at the correct location in our DNA, the researchers explain.

New way to 3D-print custom medical devices to boost performance and bacterial resistance

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT

Using a new 3D printing process, researchers have discovered how to tailor-make artificial body parts and other medical devices with built-in functionality that offers better shape and durability, while cutting the risk of bacterial infection at the same time.

Botany: Scent of death attracts coffin flies to pipevine flowers

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:56 AM PDT

Plant researchers have discovered an unusual and previously unknown reproductive strategy in plants: the Greek pipevine species 'Aristolochia microstoma' produces a unique mixture of volatiles that resembles the smell of dead and decaying insects to attract the pollinating fly genus 'Megaselia' (also known as 'coffin flies') to its trap-flowers.

Discovery of ray sperms' unique swimming motion and demonstration with bio-inspired robot

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 10:55 AM PDT

It is generally agreed that sperms 'swim' by beating or rotating their soft tails. However, a research team has discovered that ray sperms move by rotating both the tail and the head. The team further investigated the motion pattern and demonstrated it with a robot. Their study has expanded the knowledge on the microorganisms' motion and provided inspiration for robot engineering design.

Endangered blue whales recorded off southwest coast of India

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT

Underwater recordings show that endangered blue whales are present and singing off the southwest coast of India. This extends the range of a known song type by 1,000 kilometers, into Indian waters. The results suggest that conservation measures should include this region.

Ion and lipid transporters specialize for their niche

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT

Cell viability require that a variety of functions at the cell membrane are maintained properly. P-type ATPases translocate substrates across the membrane, and they have evolved into different types taking care of specific substrates within a diverse range. Now, key structural aspects have been described on how two different types of P-type ATPases -- a Ca2+ transporting Ca2+-ATPase and a lipid transporting P4-ATPase - have adapted to different substrates and physical environments.

Lodgers on manganese nodules: Sponges promote a high diversity

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT

Deep down in the ocean, valuable raw materials are stored, such as nodules of manganese. These resources could help meeting our increasing demand for rare metals. In addition to the nodules, there is another treasure down there: A complex ecosystem we barely understand. Researchers have discovered that sponges settling on the nodules provide a home for many other animals. Without nodules, diversity in these deep-sea regions would be significantly lower.

'Vegan spider silk' provides sustainable alternative to single-use plastics

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:11 AM PDT

Researchers have created a plant-based, sustainable, scalable material that could replace single-use plastics in many consumer products.

How to beat the heat: Memory mechanism allows plants to adapt to heat stress

Posted: 10 Jun 2021 06:10 AM PDT

Researchers have found that plants adapt to heat stress via a specific 'memory' mechanism. The JUMONJI family of proteins can control small heat shock genes, allowing plants to become heat tolerant for better adaptation to future heat stress. This research is applicable to a broad range of scientific fields and understanding this mechanism could contribute to maintaining the food supply under global warming conditions.

How the amphibians got their vertebrae

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 11:34 AM PDT

A group of ancient amphibians called temnospondyls evolved stiffer spinal columns to adapt to aquatic life, contrary to previous hypotheses, according to a new study.

Women's mental health has higher association with dietary factors

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 11:33 AM PDT

Women's mental health likely has a higher association with dietary factors than men's, according to new research.

The impact of double-cropping

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:34 AM PDT

A new study quantifies for the first time the impact that double-cropping had on helping Brazil achieve its national grain boom.

Origin of fairy circles: Euphorbia hypothesis disproved

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 09:34 AM PDT

The fairy circles of the Namib are one of nature's greatest mysteries. Millions of these circular barren patches extend over vast areas along the margins of the desert in Namibia. An early hypothesis by G.K. Theron was that poisonous substances from Euphorbia damarana leaves induced fairy circles. Now new research found the original experiment and, 40 years later, the researchers are able to conclusively disprove this hypothesis.

Hope for critically endangered gorillas in eastern DRC

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT

A new study has updated the global population estimate for the Critically Endangered Grauer's gorillas (Gorilla beringei graueri) -- the world's largest gorilla subspecies -- to 6,800 individuals from a previous global estimate of 3,800 individuals.

Corals' natural 'sunscreen' may help them weather climate change

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT

Scientists are one step closer to understanding why some corals can weather climate change better than others, and the secret could be in a specific protein that produces a natural sunscreen.

Researchers create quantum microscope that can see the impossible

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT

In a major scientific leap, researchers have created a quantum microscope that can reveal biological structures that would otherwise be impossible to see.

A new culprit in antibacterial resistance: Cysteine persulfide

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a new, highly sensitive analytical method that can detect degraded beta-lactam antibacterial agents used in the treatment of bacterial infections. With this method, researchers found that reactive sulfur species produced by bacteria degrade and inactivate beta-lactam antibiotics.

The iron jaws of the bristle worm

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT

Bristle worms have remarkably stable jaws. They are made of a very unusual material containing protein structures and metal atoms. Scientists have now been able to analyze and explain the properties of these structures, which could lead to novel industrially usable materials.

Soil microbes metabolize the same polyphenols found in chocolate, wine

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT

A research team has uncovered new insights into the role of polyphenols in the soil microbiome, known as a black box for its complexity. They proffer an updated theory that soils - much like the human gut - can be food sources for the microbes that live there.

Not just a phase for RNAs

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT

A phenomenon in which an RNA named NORAD drives a protein named Pumilio to form liquid droplets in cells, much like oil in water, appears to tightly regulate the activity of Pumilio. A new study suggests that such RNA-driven 'phase separation,' in turn, protects against genome instability, premature aging, and neurodegenerative diseases, and may represent a previously unrecognized way for RNAs to regulate cellular processes.

Artificial light harming clownfish

Posted: 09 Jun 2021 07:58 AM PDT

Artificial lighting is killing young clownfish living closest to shore. They also found that these clownfish grew 44% more slowly than clownfish living under natural lighting conditions.

Nucleosome breathing from atomistic time snapshots

Posted: 07 Jun 2021 01:12 PM PDT

Computer simulations visualize in atomic detail how DNA opens while wrapped around proteins.