ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| Discovered: 150-year-old platypus and echidna specimens that proved some mammals lay eggs Posted: 12 May 2022 06:13 PM PDT Jars of tiny platypus and echidna specimens, collected in the late 1800s by the scientist William Caldwell, have been discovered in the stores of Cambridge's University Museum of Zoology. |
| Large-scale ocean sanctuaries could protect coral reefs from climate change Posted: 12 May 2022 01:41 PM PDT Earth's oceans are home to some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, but warming temperatures are causing many marine animals, including coral, to die out. |
| Posted: 12 May 2022 01:41 PM PDT The declining body size of North Atlantic right whales may have critical consequences for the future of the species. New research shows that smaller females produce fewer calves. |
| Chemists synthesize psychotropic compound from rainforest tree Posted: 12 May 2022 01:40 PM PDT Scientists found a chemical from a rainforest tree that binds to opioid receptors in the brain and may have utility as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety drug. |
| Jellyfish's stinging cells hold clues to biodiversity Posted: 12 May 2022 11:43 AM PDT The cnidocytes -- or stinging cells -- that are characteristic of sea anemones, hydrae, corals and jellyfish, and make us careful of our feet while wading in the ocean, are also an excellent model for understanding the emergence of new cell types, according to new research. |
| What we're still learning about how trees grow Posted: 12 May 2022 11:43 AM PDT A new study finds that tree growth does not seem to be generally limited by photosynthesis but rather by cell growth. This suggests that we need to rethink the way we forecast forest growth in a changing climate, and that forests in the future may not be able to absorb as much carbon from the atmosphere as we thought. |
| Mind the gap: Space inside eggs steers first few steps of life Posted: 12 May 2022 11:43 AM PDT Imagine sitting at a meeting where the shape of the table and your place at it might impact how you get along with the other members. Cells also communicate with their nearest neighbors, and in embryos, nothing is left to chance in the 'seating plan' for the first few cells. However, questions remain about the how this process is controlled and how it can influence the overall growth of an organism. |
| Bacteria with recording function capture gut health status Posted: 12 May 2022 11:43 AM PDT Researchers have equipped gut bacteria with data logger functionality as a way of monitoring which genes are active in the bacteria. These microorganisms could one day offer a noninvasive means of diagnosing disease or assessing the impact of a diet on health. |
| Massive single-cell atlas across human tissues highlights cell types where disease genes are active Posted: 12 May 2022 11:43 AM PDT Genetic studies have revealed many genes linked to both common and rare disease, but to understand how those genes bring about disease and use those insights to help develop therapies, scientists need to know where they are active in the body. Now researchers have developed a robust experimental pipeline that can profile many more cell types from more tissues than can be studied with other techniques, as well as machine learning methods to put this data together and query the resulting map, or atlas. |
| Using shark teeth to decipher evolutionary processes Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT From embryo to turtle cracker: Palaeobiologists studied the multiple changes in tooth shape in the tiger shark. The study is also central in drawing conclusions about extinct species from the myriad of preserved shark teeth in the field of palaeontology. |
| Water makes tree branches droop at night Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT Terrestrial laser scanning data show that trees move their branches in a diurnal pattern, settling down for the night -- as if falling asleep. Changes in the water status of leaves and branches causes branches to move downward at night, up to 20 cm depending on the tree species. |
| The origin of life: A paradigm shift Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT According to a new concept, it was a novel molecular species composed out of RNA and peptides that set in motion the evolution of life into more complex forms. |
| Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT Anyone walking past a meadow on a mild summer evening is often exposed to an impressive concert. It is the grasshoppers, bush crickets and crickets that create a Mediterranean atmosphere with their chirping. The songs are usually those of males trying to attract females to mate with them. But they can also be rival songs when two males get too close to each other. |
| What caused this megatooth shark's massive toothache? Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT Did the world's largest prehistoric shark need an orthodontist, or did it just have a bad lunch? |
| Vaccine for rare but deadly mosquito-borne viruses shows promise in clinical trial Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT A vaccine for eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) was found to be safe, well-tolerated and induced a neutralizing antibody response in adult volunteers, according to newly published results from a Phase 1 clinical trial. |
| Unusually fast beaked whale has special deep-sea hunting strategy Posted: 12 May 2022 09:19 AM PDT Biologists have successfully used biologgers to reveal insights into the lifestyle and hunting behaviur of the little-known species Sowerby's beaked whale. The team's first results show that these dolphins have a surprisingly different, much faster lifestyle than related species. |
| People choose healthier food when with outsiders for fear of being negatively judged Posted: 12 May 2022 09:18 AM PDT People are more likely to choose a healthy food option than an unhealthy food option among people from different social groups because they fear being judged negatively for their choices. |
| A first: Scientists grow plants in soil from the Moon Posted: 12 May 2022 09:18 AM PDT Scientists have, for the first time, grown plants in soil from the Moon. They used soil collected during the Apollo 11, 12 and 17 missions. In their experiment, the researchers wanted to know if plants would grow in lunar soil and, if so, how the plants would respond to the unfamiliar environment, even down to the level of gene expression. |
| Posted: 12 May 2022 09:18 AM PDT New research examines how cavefish, surface-dwelling river fish that flooded into underground cave systems over 100,000 years ago, developed unique metabolic adaptations to survive in nutrient-scarce environments. The study created a genome-wide map of liver tissue for two independent colonies of cavefish along with river fish to understand how cavefish metabolism evolved and how this may be applicable for humans. |
| 'Nanobodies' from llamas could yield cell-specific medications for humans Posted: 12 May 2022 09:16 AM PDT In 'proof of concept' experiments with mouse and human cells and tissues, researchers say they have designed tiny proteins, called nanobodies, derived from llama antibodies, that could potentially be used to deliver targeted medicines to human muscle cells. |
| Effectively removing emerging contaminants in wastewater treatment plants Posted: 12 May 2022 06:27 AM PDT Water treatment and environmental decontamination experts have reviewed current and emerging water treatment technologies. Through this review, the team determined the removal efficiency of a particular type of contaminant that causes hormonal disruption: endocrine disruptors. |
| Posted: 12 May 2022 06:26 AM PDT An algorithm that can speed up by years the ability to identify from among thousands of possibilities, two or more drugs that work synergistically against a problem like cancer or a viral infection has been developed by bioinformatics experts. |
| Climate change increases risks of tree death Posted: 12 May 2022 06:26 AM PDT All of that carbon in trees and forests worldwide could be thrown back into the atmosphere if the trees burn up in a forest fire. Trees also stop scrubbing carbon dioxide from the air if they die due to drought or insect damage. The likelihood of those threats impacting forests is increasing nationwide, making relying on forests to soak up carbon emissions a much riskier prospect. |
| Sweet discovery could drive down inflammation, cancers and viruses Posted: 12 May 2022 06:26 AM PDT Researchers have identified a new enzyme involved in controlling cell death, in findings that could lead to better treatment options for a range of inflammatory conditions, cancers and viruses. |
| Sugar aversion hampers cockroach coupling Posted: 12 May 2022 06:26 AM PDT How does a cockroach's aversion to sugar turn into an aversion to mating? Researchers discover the mechanism behind this behavior. |
| Algae-powered computing: Scientists create reliable and renewable biological photovoltaic cell Posted: 12 May 2022 06:21 AM PDT Researchers have used a widespread species of blue-green algae to power a microprocessor continuously for a year -- and counting -- using nothing but ambient light and water. Their system has potential as a reliable and renewable way to power small devices. |
| Higher wheat yields and protein content on the horizon Posted: 11 May 2022 11:23 AM PDT A team of international researchers has discovered a way to produce higher quality wheat. The scientists have identified a genetic driver that improves yield traits in wheat, which unexpectedly can also lead to increasing protein content by up to 25 per cent. |
| A nontoxic glue for plywood -- from glucose, citric acid Posted: 11 May 2022 05:57 AM PDT The go-to materials for building home furniture, décor and floors are composite wood products that come in large sheets. But the glues and resins holding together particleboard, fiberboard and plywood usually contain formaldehyde and could release this probable carcinogen into the air. To develop a nontoxic adhesive, researchers have combined glucose and citric acid -- sugar and an orange juice ingredient -- into a strong, water-resistant wood glue for plywood. |
| Clues about concussions from the gut Posted: 10 May 2022 12:15 PM PDT Scientists suggest telltale signs of concussions might be found in the gut. By taking blood, stool and saliva samples from 33 football players, the researchers were able to examine the diagnostic potential of the gut's microbiome. They say their findings demonstrate that a simple, objective diagnostic test could be developed to track the impact of concussions and signal when it's safe to return to action. |
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