Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Genetic tradeoffs do not stop evolution of antibiotic resistance
Bacteria can still develop antibiotic resistance even in the face of challenging genetic tradeoffs, or compromises, associated with varying antibiotic concentrations, says a new study published today in eLife.
Botswana probes mysterious death of 12 elephants
Botswana is probing the mysterious deaths of a dozen elephants in the country's famed Okavango Delta, the tourism ministry said Tuesday, ruling out poaching because the animals' valuable tusks were...
Bee species rediscovered after scientists thought it may no longer exist
A species of bee from Florida that scientists thought might no longer exist was rediscovered earlier this spring, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
An open-access tool to accelerate drug discovery
Knowledge of how a molecule interacts with the organism is crucial in order to consider its therapeutic potential. Headed by ICREA researcher Patrick Aloy, the Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology...
Microbe with taste for stale bread finds its calling
Researchers are enlisting mighty microbes in the fight against food waste.
Hunting for the next generation of conservation stewards
Millions of acres of natural habitat in the U.S. and the wildlife that inhabit these large swaths of private and public lands depend on people who support a myriad of...
Artificial pieces of brain use light to communicate with real neurons
Researchers have created a way for artificial neuronal networks to communicate with biological neuronal networks. The new system converts artificial electrical spiking signals to a visual pattern than is then...
How some insects manage to halt their own growth in harsh conditions
The life cycle of insects consists of specific developmental stages. But, in response to adverse conditions such as harsh winters, some insects arrest their own development at a particular stage....
X-ray Experiments Zero in on COVID-19 Antibodies
As scientists across the globe race to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, an international team led by Davide Corti at Vir Biotechnology and David Veesler at...
Faster breeding sea urchins: A comeback animal model for developmental biology
For some, sea urchins are a pretty addition to an aquarium, while for others they are simply an ingredient in a common type of sushi. However, for developmental biologists, they...
Deciphering the fine neuroendocrine regulatory system during development
Development, growth and reproduction are highly regulated in all animals. One of the key components of these processes is the precise action of steroid hormones. In a new study, researchers...
Madagascar copals turn out to be resin
Together with an international team, Senckenberg scientist Mónica Solórzano Kraemer examined the age and origin of the Madagascar copal. In their study, published today in the scientific journal PLOS ONE,...
Anammox bacteria allow wastewater to be used for generating electricity
Anammox bacteria can be persuaded to generate electricity from wastewater if they are grown on electrodes in the absence of nitrite. The finding is the result of new research carried...
MicroRNA: The 'junk' genetic material with huge potential to fight cancer and dementia
Only 1.1% of the nearly 3 billion molecules that make up our genome actually provide genetic instructions. When scientists first worked out what the sequence of letters in our genome...
Identifying cell types from single-cell RNA sequencing data automatically
Identifying different types of cells within a tissue or an organ can be very challenging and time-consuming. Methods to identify cell types from single-cell RNA sequencing data have been proposed,...
Scientists shake up balancing act of plant metabolism
Step outside and spring is in full bloom, from red tulips, to pink magnolias to purple lilacs, but how do plants create all that color? The alluring hues that attract...
Tiny bacteria help plants shrink their booze output
Plants offset their alcohol output by attracting methanol-munching bacteria onto their roots, a new study shows.
Understanding changing insect appetite crucial in protecting food sources of the future
Like humans, insects are more likely to change their diet and try new things when in a new location, a new study has found. This discovery, led by the University...
Technology makes brain and other tissues elastic and lasting for easier imaging
By making brain and other tissues reversibly stretchable or compressible, a new technology called 'ELAST' allows labeling probes to infuse more quickly.
Jurassic stick insect performed mimicry to defend against predators
Phasmatodea, commonly known as stick insects and leaf insects, are icons of crypsis and primary defense specialization, exhibiting a wide range of remarkable morphological and behavioral modifications associated with camouflage....
Lysosome to mitochondria communication regulates longevity
As people get older, they often feel less energetic, mobile or active. This may be due in part to a decline in mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside of our cells,...
Here’s a clue to how this tube worm’s slime can glow blue for days
Predators that tread on a colony of parchment tube worms may find themselves slimed. When threatened, these ocean creatures exude a sticky mucus that can glow blue for days (SN: 7/28/14). This sort of...
A new epigenetic editing tool is developed to activate silenced genes
Although all cells in an organism have the same genetic information, not all perform the same function, being as not all of them have the same active genes. Part of...
Animals have mysterious ways of finding their way back home
An inch-long bogong moth covers hundreds of miles of Australian terrain to return to its birthplace. (Ajay Narendra/)For some species, neighborhood pride is more about survival than sentiment. Many creatures travel hundreds of...
Location, location, location: The cell membrane facilitates RAS protein interactions
Many cancer medications fail to effectively target the most commonly mutated cancer genes in humans, called RAS. Now, Salk Professor Geoffrey Wahl and a team of scientists have uncovered details...
Why cats have more lives than dogs when it comes to snakebite
Cats are twice as likely to survive a venomous snakebite than dogs, and the reasons behind this strange phenomenon have been revealed by University of Queensland research.
Lab Develops 3D-Functional Bone Tissues
Scientists in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University are leading research in developing new biomaterials to advance the field of 3D bioprinting functional tissues. Associate Professor Akhilesh K. Gaharwar...
Bizarre new species discovered... on Twitter
A new species of fungus has been discovered via Twitter and christened accordingly -- Troglomyces twitteri. This unique fungal parasite grows around the reproductive organs of millipedes.