Biology

Jul 26th, 2024 - Bacteria that live inside parasitic wasps eliminate all the male wasps in the population. Now, scientists have discovered one way they do it. Long ago, the bacteria borrowed sex-determining genes from other insects, and now use them to crank out proteins that turn nearly all the male eggs female, a study published in March in the journal Genome Biology found. "When we first identified this female-factor in the bacterial genome, we were really thrilled: this protein explained so many aspects of ... [Read More]

Jul 26th, 2024 - New research shows that 4,642 vertebrate species globally are at risk due to mineral extraction activities such as mining and drilling. This impact is most profound in biodiversity hotspots where materials like lithium and cobalt, essential for clean energy technologies, are mined. The research suggests that mitigating mining pollution could substantially reduce biodiversity loss, providing a practical way forward without compromising the need for essential materials. Global Impact of Mining on ... [Read More]

Jul 26th, 2024 - A new study sheds light on the unexplored diversity of galeommatoidean bivalves, a little-known group of marine mollusks, from the western coast of South Africa. The research , led by Paul Valentich-Scott from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, along with collaborators from the University of Cape Town, Sea Change Trust, Stellenbosch University, and the University of Colorado Boulder, offers a curious glimpse into the habitats, symbiotic relationships, and taxonomy of these interesting ... [Read More]

Jul 26th, 2024 - Research reveals that selective expression of maternal or paternal X chromosomes varies by organ, driven by cellular competition. A new study published today (July 26) in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences has revealed that the contribution of cells expressing maternal or paternal X chromosomes can be selectively skewed in different parts of the body. The study leverages human data from the 1000 Genomes Project combined with mouse models ... [Read More]

Jul 26th, 2024 - Senckenberg researcher Dr. Rachel Racicot and her former student Joyce Sanks from Vanderbilt University have examined the inner ear of the extinct dolphin genus Parapontoporia. In their study, published in the journal The Anatomical Record , they show that the toothed whales had already developed specialized high-frequency hearing in the Miocene. The mammals also colonized rivers, which links them to today's rare and endangered river dolphins. Investigating the sensory systems of toothed whales ... [Read More]

Jul 26th, 2024 - Elephant communication is so much more elaborate than we thought. In a groundbreaking study published last month, researchers showed that elephants have unique names for one another. Now, in a follow-up, they've also showed that elephants use verbs. "If they are using noun-verb combinations together, that is syntax. That is language," the lead author says. In the vast landscapes of Etosha National Park, Namibia, most animals keep an eye out for bull elephants . From 2005 to 2017, another group ... [Read More]

Jul 26th, 2024 - About 38 million years ago, three snakes died while huddled together in what is now Wyoming. For decades, the identity of the fossils has been a mystery. Now, researchers have revealed the snakes are a newly identified species. The fossils were discovered in the White River Formation in 1976, and researchers first described the snakes' clustering behavior in a 1986 study . The snakes may have been clustering for warmth and protection over winter, before being preserved in what became the first ... [Read More]

Jul 25th, 2024 - Research from the University of Washington provides new insights into bat evolution, suggesting a transition from gliding ancestors based on limb morphology analysis of extinct and extant mammals. The study challenges previous concepts of bat limb evolution and calls for more fossils to clarify this transition. In new research published today (July 25) in PeerJ Life & Environment , researchers from the University of Washington , University of Texas at Austin , and Oregon Institute of ... [Read More]

Jul 25th, 2024 - Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst-based New England Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (NEWVEC) have published new findings on Powassan virus, an emerging tick-borne illness that can cause life-threatening encephalitis and meningitis. The study reports that people bitten by black-legged (or deer) ticks that tested positive for the virus did not show signs or symptoms of disease. The research, led by Stephen Rich, NEWVEC executive director and professor of ... [Read More]

Jul 25th, 2024 - The tiger that leapt on Bhadai Tharu in the forests of Nepal took the sight from his left eye with a swipe of a paw. But it also helped the community leader understand that people must leave room for nature while pursuing economic development.  "The tiger attacked me because I went to his home. Otherwise, it never attacks humans," says Tharu, who leads anti-poaching patrols in a forest in the Terai region, a stronghold of the big cats in the foothills of the Himalayas.   Terai is ... [Read More]

Jul 25th, 2024 - Researchers have found New Zealand's endangered flightless birds are seeking refuge in the locations where six species of moa last lived before going extinct. Researchers have found New Zealand's endangered flightless birds are seeking refuge in the locations where six species of moa last lived before going extinct. An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Adelaide, used fossils and computer modelling to make the discovery, shedding light on a mystery with ... [Read More]

Jul 25th, 2024 - Dinosaurs are well known and loved for the immense size these ancient creatures used to reach. But could some have been even bigger than we think? New mathematical modelling suggests that some individuals during the 'Age of Dinosaurs' might have grown to truly monstrous proportions, like massive individuals of animals today. For instance, the average African elephant measures about 4 metres to the shoulder and weighs in at more than 6 tonnes. The largest individual recorded, however, weighed ... [Read More]

Jul 25th, 2024 - Researchers find a unique iron layer keeping Komodo dragons' teeth razor sharp. Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizards, have long fascinated scientists and the public alike with their formidable size and deadly capabilities. Now, their fearsome reputation is further solidified by a new discovery: their teeth are coated with a layer of iron. Scientists from King's College London uncovered this striking feature when they observed an orange pigment on the tips and serrated edges of the ... [Read More]

Jul 24th, 2024 - Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, which lived 166m years ago, 'a piece of the puzzle' explaining mammals' success The remains of a diminutive mouse-like creature that lived 166m years ago could help answer one of biology's biggest questions of why mammals have become so successful, fossil experts say. Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis belongs to the immediate predecessors of mammals and lived alongside the dinosaurs during the middle Jurassic age. But while it was originally known only from individual ... [Read More]

Jul 24th, 2024 - Scientists found an unexpected aging pattern in a mostly intact juvenile mammal skeleton from the paleontological period. Small mammals often live fast and die young. Rodents and shrews mature quickly, mate within months and usually go belly up in a year or two. Some giant rats kick the bucket in just six months. But miniature mammals have not always burned out so quickly. Researchers recently analyzed a pair of fossilized skeletons belonging to a mouse-size mammal relative that lived among ... [Read More]

Jul 24th, 2024 - Two incredibly rare fossils found on Scotland's Isle of Skye are rewriting our understanding of how mammals evolved. While modern small mammals live as little as a year, one of the first to roam the earth, alongside dinosaurs, could reach seven years and beyond, scientists have discovered. Only a handful of fossils of the primitive shrew-like mammal, Krusatodon, have ever been found, including two exceptionally complete skeletons of a juvenile and an adult from Skye. By studying fossils of the ... [Read More]