Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Researchers study myxobacteria's ability to distinguish self from non-self
A fundamental question in biology is how individual cells within a multicellular organism interact to coordinate diverse processes.
Wildlife scientists examine the great 'human pause'
Tracking wildlife before, during and after lockdown will aim to analyse the slowdown in human activity.
COVID-19 lockdown reveals human impact on wildlife
An international team of scientists is investigating how animals are responding to reduced levels of human activity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hamsters develop protective immunity to COVID-19 and are protected by convalescent sera
In an animal model for COVID-19 that shares important features of human disease, scientists show that prior infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus provides protection against reinfection, and treatment with convalescent...
Helping to protect the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world
As China upgrades pangolins to the highest protected status level, an alternative approach to using long standing forensic methods is helping wildlife crime investigators disrupt poachers and animal traffickers in...
Bread mold avoids infection by mutating its own DNA
Whilst most organisms try to stop their DNA from mutating, scientists from the UK and China have discovered that a common fungus found on bread actively mutates its own DNA...
When planting trees threatens the forest
The first-of-its-kind study reveals that subsidies for the planting of commercially valuable tree plantations in Chile resulted in the loss of biologically valuable natural forests and little, if any, additional...
Undergraduate student discovers 18 new species of aquatic beetle in South America
An undergraduate student has just published a description of 18 new species of aquatic water beetle from the genus Chasmogenus.
This enigmatic protein sculpts DNA to repair harmful damage
Sometimes, when something is broken, the first step to fixing it is to break it even more. Scientists have discovered this is the case for a DNA-repairing enzyme that marks...
Synthetic materials mimic living creatures
Researchers have developed a family of soft materials that imitates living creatures. When hit with light, the film-thin materials come alive -- bending, rotating and even crawling on surfaces.
Protecting natural forest in oil palm plantations crucial for conservation
A study has found that patches of protected forest on oil palm plantations play an important role in helping to conserve endangered species including hornbill birds and dipterocarp trees.
Parallel evolution in three-spined sticklebacks
A group of researchers used novel and powerful methods to disentangle the patterns of parallel evolution of freshwater three-spined sticklebacks at different geographic scales across their distribution range. The group...
White House scales back COVID-19 temperature checks
The White House allowed visitors Monday to enter the complex without a temperature check to control the spread of COVID-19 for the first time since mid-March.
What does the 'love hormone' do? It's complicated
Much of what we know about the actions of neuromodulators like oxytocin comes from behavioral studies of lab animals in standard lab conditions. These conditions are strictly controlled and artificial,...
Are protected areas effective at maintaining large carnivore populations?
A recent study used a novel combination of statistical methods and an exceptional data set collected by hunters to assess the role of protected areas for carnivore conservation in Finland.
Artificial night sky poses serious threat to coastal species
A study shows the presence of artificial light originating from cities several kilometers away (also known as artificial skyglow) disrupts the lunar compass species use when covering long distances.
The First Gene on Earth May Have Been a Hybrid
A new experiment suggests DNA and RNA may have formed together before the origin of life -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
300-million-year-old fish resembles a sturgeon but took a different evolutionary path
A re-examination of a 300-million-year-old fish, Tanyrhinichthys mcallisteri, revealed that its lifestyle more closely resembled that of the bottom-dwelling sturgeon, rather than the stealthy pike, as was previously believed.
Are protected areas effective at maintaining large carnivore populations?
A recent study, led by the University of Helsinki, used a novel combination of statistical methods and an exceptional data set collected by hunters to assess the role of protected...
Super-resolution microscopy reveals a twist inside of cells
If you want to understand the underlying mechanisms of cellular motility and division, then the centriole is the organelle of interest. Each cell has a pair of centrioles which help...
Click... Resistant bacteria caught in the act
As humanity fights against the coronavirus, the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria continues. Scientists at UCLouvain have succeeded in capturing unique images of protein soldiers that help bacteria resist drugs. This...
Experimental peptide targets Covid-19
The research described in this article has been published on a preprint server but has not yet been peer-reviewed by scientific or medical experts. Using computational models of protein interactions, researchers at the...
Parallel evolution in three-spined sticklebacks
A group of researchers from the University of Helsinki used novel and powerful methods to disentangle the patterns of parallel evolution of freshwater three-spined sticklebacks at different geographic scales across...
Student discovers 18 new species of aquatic beetle in South America
It would be striking for a seasoned entomologist with decades of fieldwork to discover such a large number of species unknown to science. But for University of Kansas student Rachel...
Tsetse flytraps: Biotechnology for Africa's rural population
The tsetse fly occurs in large regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The flies feed on human and animal blood, transmitting trypanosoma in the process—small, single-cell organisms that use the flies as...
COVID-19 lockdown reveals human impact on wildlife
In an article published in Nature Ecology & Evolution today, the leaders of a new global initiative explain how research during this devastating health crisis can inspire innovative strategies for...
Bread mould avoids infection by mutating its own DNA
Whilst most organisms try to stop their DNA from mutating, scientists from the UK and China have discovered that a common fungus found on bread actively mutates its own DNA...
Helping to protect the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world
As China upgrades pangolins to the highest protected status level, an alternative approach to using long standing forensic methods is helping wildlife crime investigators disrupt poachers and animal traffickers in...