ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Palaeontologists have discovered remarkable new evidence that pterosaurs, the flying relatives of dinosaurs, were able to control the color of their feathers using melanin pigments.

Researchers have developed global forecasts that can provide up to a year's notice of marine heatwaves, sudden and pronounced increases in ocean temperatures that can dramatically affect ocean ecosystems.

New evidence from a zebrafish model of epilepsy may help resolve a debate into how seizures originate, according to investigators. The findings may also be useful in the discovery and development of future epilepsy drugs.

Elephant herds do not slow down for mothers who've just given birth, according to new research.

In experiments on mice, researchers show that non-essential amino acids act as appetite suppressants and promote the urge to move. Their research provides insight into the neural mechanism that controls this behavior.

Scientists used pharmacogenetic techniques to identify a dedicated neural circuit comprising the central nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. The activation of this circuit in the first few hours of sepsis induces anxious behavior two weeks after the infection has cleared. This behavior observed in mice mimics the post-traumatic stress disorder observed in patients recovering from sepsis.

An international team has discovered that the cellular balance of lipid droplets can impact the recycling of damaged mitochondria. These results have importance for cell survival and nervous system dysfunction.

An analysis of health and dietary data for more than 8,500 pregnant women found that greater adherence to a Mediterranean-style eating plan was associated with a lower risk of preeclampsia, which is a pregnancy complication characterized by severe high blood pressure that can be serious or even fatal for both mother and child. The reduction in risk of preeclampsia was greatest among Black women -- a population at high risk for preeclampsia.