ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Animals' ability to adapt their habitats key to survival amid climate change

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 12:35 PM PDT

A research group of scientists from North America, Europe and Africa concluded that animals' ability to respond to climate change likely depends on how well they modify their habitats, such as nests and burrows.

Footprints discovered from the last dinosaurs to walk on UK soil

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Footprints from at least six different species of dinosaur -- thought to be the very last dinosaurs to walk on UK soil 110 million years ago -- have been found in Kent.

Evolution: Two routes to the same destination

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Fruit flies have found at least two solutions to the problem of sorting their sex chromosomes: a matter of life and death.

Scientists detect signatures of life remotely

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:39 AM PDT

It could be a milestone on the path to detecting life on other planets: Scientists detect a key molecular property of all living organisms from a helicopter flying several kilometers above ground. The measurement technology could also open up opportunities for remote sensing of the Earth.

The end of Darwin's nightmare at Lake Victoria?

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:39 AM PDT

Lake Victoria, which came under the spotlight in 2004 by the documentary 'Darwin's nightmare', is not only suffering from the introduction and commercialization of the Nile perch: A study has highlighted other worrying phenomena, particularly climatic ones, which have an equally important impact on the quality of the lake's waters.

Researchers translate a bird's brain activity into song

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:17 AM PDT

It is possible to re-create a bird's song by reading only its brain activity, shows a first proof-of-concept study. The researchers were able to reproduce the songbird's complex vocalizations down to the pitch, volume and timbre of the original. The study is a first step towards developing vocal prostheses for humans who have lost the ability to speak.

Mountain fires burning higher at unprecedented rates

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:17 AM PDT

Forest fires have crept higher up mountains over the past few decades, scorching areas previously too wet to burn, according to researchers. As wildfires advance uphill, a staggering 11% of all Western US forests are now at risk.

Vaccination, previous infection, protect against COVID-19 gamma/P.1 variant in animal model

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:16 AM PDT

In a new study using variant virus recovered from one of the original travelers, researchers in the US and Japan have found that vaccination with an mRNA vaccine induces antibody responses that would protect humans from infection with the gamma/P.1 variant.

Sacred natural sites protect biodiversity in Iran

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:16 AM PDT

How much do traditional practices contribute to the protection of local biodiversity? Why and how are sacred groves locally valued and protected, and how can this be promoted and harnessed for environmental protection? Researchers have examined the backgrounds of this form of local environmental protection in Baneh County, Iran.

New study finds SARS-CoV-2 can infect testes

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:16 AM PDT

Researchers have found SARS-CoV-2 in the testes of infected hamsters. The authors think this may represent what could occur in men with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease.

Greenhouse gas data deep dive reaches new level of 'reasonable and true'

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:16 AM PDT

For the most accurate accounting of a product's environmental impact, scientists look at the product's entire life cycle, from cradle to grave. It's a grand calculation known as a life cycle assessment (LCA), and greenhouse gas emissions are a key component. For corn ethanol, most greenhouse gas emissions can be mapped to the fuel's production, transportation, and combustion, but a large portion of the greenhouse gas calculation can be traced right back to the farm.

'Nanodecoy' therapy binds and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 virus

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 01:35 PM PDT

Nanodecoys made from human lung spheroid cells (LSCs) can bind to and neutralize SARS-CoV-2, promoting viral clearance and reducing lung injury in a macaque model of COVID-19. By mimicking the receptor that the virus binds to rather than targeting the virus itself, nanodecoy therapy could remain effective against emerging variants of the virus.

Yellow fever mosquitoes evolve different strategies to resist pesticides

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 11:36 AM PDT

The yellow fever mosquito spreads multiple untreatable viruses in humans and is primarily controlled using a pesticide called permethrin. However, many mosquitoes are evolving resistance to the pesticide. A new study identifies mutations linked to different permethrin resistance strategies, which threaten our ability to control disease outbreaks.

'Mosquito smoothie' innovation boosts future malaria vaccine potential

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 10:38 AM PDT

A faster method for collecting pure malaria parasites from infected mosquitos could accelerate the development of new, more potent malaria vaccines.

New beetle-dwelling roundworm species discovered in Japan

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 08:55 AM PDT

A new species of nematode (roundworm), named Cryptaphelenchus abietis, was isolated from bark beetles from a dead log collected in Nagano, Japan. The females of this newly described species can be identified based on the size of the post-uterine sac and the conical tail with an elongate posterior part. The males have seven genital papillae and a narrow bursal flap-like extension. The culturability of this species means it may be useful in further nematode research.

Highly sensitive test for SARS-CoV-2 may enable rapid point-of-care testing for COVID

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 07:36 AM PDT

Researchers have created an intelligent nanopore system sensitive enough to detect single SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. By training a machine-learning algorithm, the platform was able to identify between various coronaviruses in just five minutes. This work may lead to fast and accurate point-of-care testing for COVID and other communicable diseases.