ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Biosecurity efforts focused on the top 3% of farms in a particular contact network may significantly cut back cross-species disease dissemination.

Scientists have shown in rats how several brain regions need to work together to acquire a skill and replicate it flawlessly with each rat adding their own personal flair in the form of a 'dance.'

Scientists believe a strategy used to protect popular surfing spots could now be more widely adopted to help preserve endangered coastal environments.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a life-long, chronic condition characterized by sporadic bouts of gut inflammation causing debilitating symptoms. Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis -- the latter affecting around 1 in 400 people - are the two most common types of IBD. Current treatments are ineffective and seriously impact the quality of life of the patients and those of their families.

Scientists have developed a method for tracking the Asian giant 'murder' hornet's presence and possibly accelerating its removal. The researchers identified the major components of the Asian giant hornet queen's sex pheromone, an achievement that could be used as bait to trap and track the insects.

The p53 protein protects our cells from cancer and is an interesting target for cancer treatments. The problem is, however, that it breaks down rapidly in the cell. Researchers have now found an unusual way of stabilizing the protein and making it more potent. By adding a spider silk protein to p53, they show that it is possible to create a protein that is more stable and capable of killing cancer cells.

Researchers focused on the climate of the Pliocene, over 3 million years ago, the last time Earth has seen concentrations of over 400 PPM CO2 in the atmosphere, similar to today's concentrations. The Pliocene prompts a long-standing question: despite the similarity to the present-day, why were dry areas like the Sahel in Africa and Northern China much wetter and greener in the Pliocene than they are today?

In pursuit of better ways to test new therapies and further explore the impacts of the unique genetics associated with Down syndrome, researchers have genetically engineered and characterized what is believed to be the first rat model of Down syndrome.

Researchers have mapped the genome of an iconic Australian seafood species -- that of the Australian black tiger prawn - which may lead to bigger and more disease resistant farmed stock in the future.

A new study estimates that over the next 30 years, 1.4 million street trees will be killed by invasive insects, costing over 900 million dollars to replace.

Higher lead levels in a mother's blood can increase the chance of her bearing male offspring, according to new research.