ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| River flows linked to the ups and downs of imperiled Chinook salmon population Posted: 21 Jan 2022 11:54 AM PST A study has discovered that sufficient water flows during summer can be critical to a Chinook salmon population in the interior of British Columbia. |
| Mange outbreak decimated a wild vicuna population in Argentina Posted: 21 Jan 2022 11:54 AM PST Mange has decimated the population of wild vicunas and guanacos in an Argentinian national park that was created to conserve them, according to a new study. The findings suggest domestic llamas introduced to the site may have been the source of the outbreak. Cascading consequences for local predator and scavenger species are expected. |
| Balanced diet can mitigate negative impact of pests for bumblebees Posted: 21 Jan 2022 09:48 AM PST Bumblebees are important pollinators because they pollinate many different plant species and are extremely resilient. They can still manage to fly at temperatures that are too cold for other pollinators. Like many other insects, they are in sharp decline. This makes it even more important to find out what bumblebees need to reproduce successfully. A team has shown that a diverse landscape and a diverse pollen diet, which the bumblebees collect as a protein source to nourish their offspring, play a significant role in this. A more diverse diet could even mitigate negative effects of infestation with parasitic wax moth larvae. |
| Scientists build 'valves' in DNA to shape biological information flows Posted: 21 Jan 2022 06:43 AM PST Scientists have developed new biological parts that are able to shape the flow of cellular processes along DNA. |
| Novel microscopic picoshell particles developed Posted: 20 Jan 2022 01:51 PM PST Bioengineers have created a new type of petri dish in the form of microscopic, permeable particles that can dramatically speed up research and development (R&D) timelines of biological products, such as fatty acids for biofuels. Dubbed PicoShells, the picoliter (trillionth of a liter), porous, hydrogel particles can enable more than one million individual cells to be compartmentalized, cultured in production-relevant environments, and selected based on growth and biomass accumulation traits using standard cell-processing equipment. |
| Just what is a ‘resilient’ forest, anyway? Posted: 20 Jan 2022 11:07 AM PST What does a 'resilient' forest look like in California's Sierra Nevada? A lot fewer trees than we're used to, according to a study of frequent-fire forests. |
| Scientists identify new genus and species of legume, now mysteriously extinct Posted: 20 Jan 2022 11:07 AM PST Researchers have described a new legume tree from flowers embedded in several lumps of amber recovered from deep within an amber mine in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. |
| Branching worm discovered in Japan named after Godzilla’s nemesis Posted: 20 Jan 2022 11:07 AM PST Branching marine worms are bizarre creatures with one head but a body that branches over and over again into multiple posterior ends. Until now, only two species of these curious beasts, thought to be extremely rare, were known. However, a third species has now been discovered and described. The worm, named Ramisyllis kingghidorahi after King Ghidorah, Godzilla's monster enemy, was discovered in Japan. |
| An all-in-one approach to diabetes treatment Posted: 20 Jan 2022 10:51 AM PST A team of researchers has come up with a new approach to streamline the process that people with diabetes use to estimate the carbohydrate content of a meal, draw blood to measure current blood glucose levels, and calculate and deliver the correct insulin dose. |
| The cellular response that protects pigs from COVID-19 Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:54 AM PST Studies since the start of the pandemic have noted that pigs exposed to the coronavirus don't show clinical signs of disease nor do they transmit the virus to other animals. Scientists have uncovered important clues that shed light on why pigs don't get sick, and the discovery could lead to better treatments for COVID-19 in humans. |
| Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:54 AM PST A new study is providing insight into North Atlantic right whale calf survival, growth rates, and life history, demonstrating the power of genetic sampling for this critically endangered species. |
| Drug mimics beneficial effects of fasting in mice Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:54 AM PST An investigational cancer drug that starves tumors of their energy supply also shows evidence of improving whole body metabolism, leading to improved weight control, according to a new study in mice. |
| Research in mice identifies neurons that control locomotion Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:54 AM PST For more than a century, scientists have known that while the commands that initiate movement come from the brain, the neurons that control locomotion once movement is underway reside within the spinal cord. Researchers now report that, in mice, they have identified one particular type of neuron that is both necessary and sufficient for regulating this type of movement. These neurons are called ventral spinocerebellar tract neurons (VSCTs). |
| Old neurons can block neurogenesis in mice Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:54 AM PST Destroying senescent cells in the aging stem cell niche enhances hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function in mice, researchers report. |
| Researchers simulate behavior of living 'minimal cell' in three dimensions Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:53 AM PST Scientists report that they have built a living 'minimal cell' with a genome stripped down to its barest essentials -- and a computer model of the cell that mirrors its behavior. By refining and testing their model, the scientists say they are developing a system for predicting how changes to the genomes, living conditions or physical characteristics of live cells will alter how they function. |
| Here’s why whales don’t drown when they gulp down food underwater Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:53 AM PST Ever wondered whether whales can burp, and why they don't drown when they gulp down gallons of water and krill? New research may just hold the answer. Researchers found that lunge-feeding whales have an 'oral plug', a fleshy bulb in their mouths that moves backwards to seal off the upper airways during feeding, while their larynx closes to block the lower airways. |
| Fickle sunshine slows down Rubisco and limits photosynthetic productivity of crops Posted: 20 Jan 2022 09:53 AM PST A team of researchers discovered an imperfection in how Rubisco functions in cowpea and how they can improve it across crops to increase productivity. |
| Posted: 20 Jan 2022 07:34 AM PST Faulty DNA damage repair can lead to many types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and other serious disorders. Investigators have developed high-throughput microscopy and machine learning systems that can identify and classify DNA repair factors. The investigators have identified nine previously unknown factors involved in the process of cellular DNA repair. |
| Scientists build bioreactors and engineer bacteria to advance biofuel research Posted: 20 Jan 2022 07:33 AM PST Researchers from the University of Kent's School of Biosciences have designed and built equipment that can be used to investigate bacterial biofuel production at a fraction of the cost of commercial systems. This technology was then used to demonstrate that bacterial genetic engineering could be used to enhance biofuel production. |
| Black eyed peas could help eliminate need for fertilizer Posted: 20 Jan 2022 06:11 AM PST Black eyed peas' ability to attract beneficial bacteria isn't diminished by modern farming practices, new research shows. Planting it in rotation with other crops could help growers avoid the need for costly, environmentally damaging fertilizers. |
| First clinical-grade transplant of gene-edited pig kidneys into brain-dead human Posted: 20 Jan 2022 06:11 AM PST Researchers have announced the first peer-reviewed research outlining the successful transplant of genetically modified, clinical-grade pig kidneys into a brain-dead human individual, replacing the recipient's native kidneys. These positive results demonstrate how xenotransplantation could address the worldwide organ shortage crisis. |
| English Channel stops new rockpool species reaching UK Posted: 19 Jan 2022 04:40 PM PST The English Channel prevents many rockpool species 'making the jump' from Europe to the UK, new research shows. |
| Kombucha water filters can resist clogging better than commercial options Posted: 19 Jan 2022 12:52 PM PST Commercially available ultrafiltration membranes that purify water are expensive and get clogged easily by particles and microorganisms. Recently, living filtration membranes were reported as an alternative sieving material. Grown from kombucha cultures, the filters are dense, stacked sheets of bacterial cellulose. Now, researchers show that these living membranes are more resistant to clogging and biofouling, making them more efficient and less expensive to use than conventional ones. |
| Shifting ocean closures best way to protect animals from accidental catch Posted: 17 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST A new analysis looks at how effective fishing closures are at reducing accidental catch. Researchers found that permanent marine protected areas are a relatively inefficient way to protect marine biodiversity that is accidentally caught in fisheries. Dynamic ocean management -- changing the pattern of closures as accidental catch hotspots shift -- is much more effective. |
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