Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Gene therapy could be used as birth control for cats, small study suggests
A new study shows that gene therapy could be an effective form of birth control for cats.
Pulling its weight: Team identifies protein key to chromosome movement during cell division
During cell division, chromosomes, i.e., molecules containing our genetic material, must be properly replicated and segregated so that each daughter cell receives a complete and accurate set. Now, in an...
New knowledge of ancient grain: Researchers map complete millet genome to help with food security
An international team of researchers has unlocked a large-scale genomic analysis of Setaria or foxtail millet, an important cereal crop. The study, led by researchers at the Chinese Academy of...
Study: Octopuses use RNA editing to rapidly respond to temperature changes by altering protein function
Each cell comes with a finite set of instructions encoded in its DNA. Life, however, is unpredictable, and when circumstances change, animals need flexibility to acclimate. New research led by...
When water temperatures change, the molecular motors of cephalopods do too
Cephalopods are a large family of marine animals that includes octopuses, cuttlefish and squid. They live in every ocean, from warm, shallow tropical waters to near-freezing, abyssal depths. More remarkably,...
Octopuses rewrite their own genes to survive freezing temperatures
The California two-spot octopus (Bimaculoides) is the first octopus species to have its genome sequenced and is very helpful for studying cephalopods. Roger T. Hanlon Octopuses can do it all, from their signature...
A tracking device that uses animal movements as a power source
A team of zoologists, animal behaviorists and engineers from the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the Technical University of...
Researchers discover a new way to develop drugs without side effects
Have you ever wondered how drugs reach their targets and achieve their function within our bodies? If a drug molecule or a ligand is a message, an inbox is typically...
Team finds reliable predictor of plant species persistence, coexistence
Like many ecological scientists, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign plant biology professor James O'Dwyer has spent much of his career searching for ways to measure and predict how specific plant communities...
Researchers find structures that enable rapid transmission of nerve impulses in insects
An animal's brain consists of two different types of cell: neurons, which process and transmit information, and glial cells, which support the neurons in a variety of ways. In 1871,...
50 years ago, flesh-eating screwworms pushed scientists to mass produce flies
Fly factory planned for Mexico — Science News, June 2, 1973 A ‘fly factory’ whose product is living flies — 300 million of them every week — is to be built in...
In unusual orca sighting, tour spots at least 20 killer whales off San Francisco
An uncommonly large grouping of orcas for Northern California—roughly two dozen killer whales—were spotted by a whale watching tour off the coast of San Francisco last month, likely gathered together...
Ancient genomes show that the farming lifestyle in northwestern Africa was ignited by oversea-migrants from Iberia 7,400 years ago
A genomic analysis of ancient human remains from Morocco in northwest Africa revealed that food production was introduced by Neolithic European and Levantine migrants and then adopted by local groups.
Gradual supported release of primates into the wild shown to be effective
Gradually re-introducing primates into the wild with post-release support has, for the first time, been scientifically shown to improve their well-being.
Artificially modulating stomatal development may improve crop stress tolerance
Two MYB transcriptional regulators, FLP and its paralogous AtMYB88, redundantly regulate the symmetric division of guard mother cells and the abiotic stress response in Arabidopsis thaliana. Only one orthologue gene...
Researchers outline best practices for understanding life on the ocean's vast seafloor
Resource managers and policymakers need robust data about marine ecosystems for decision-making and setting sound policies. However, data about marine life can be challenging to collect, integrate, and analyze. Invertebrate...
Birds and bats enhance yields for cacao farmers in northern Peru, study finds
Healthy bat and bird populations don't only help to keep the endangered tropical dry forests of northern Peru in equilibrium. For the region's farmers of cacao—the main ingredient in chocolate—these...
Study: Low-traffic neighborhoods in London borough cut daily driving among residents by 1.3 km
Residents in the London Borough of Lambeth started driving less once their area became a low traffic neighborhood (LTN) relative to those living in surrounding areas, according to a new...
Vaquitas still exist, but barely: sea 'panda' survey
The vaquita, a small porpoise on the verge of extinction, is still hanging in there, said scientists Wednesday who had spotted about a dozen specimens of Mexico's "panda of the...
Researchers identify role of introgression during radiation of Triplophysa adapted to Tibetan Plateau
Adaptive radiation, a process in which many new species explode and occupy different ecological niches in a short time, can rapidly promote speciation and enrich species diversity. Genomic analyses have...
Our oceans are in deep trouble—a 'mountains to sea' approach could make a real difference
The rapidly declining health of New Zealand's marine environment raises serious questions about how we care for and manage the oceans.
Lingering effects of Neanderthal DNA found in modern humans
Recent scientific discoveries have shown that Neanderthal genes comprise some 1 to 4% of the genome of present-day humans whose ancestors migrated out of Africa, but the question remained open...
Knowledge coproduction: Working together to solve a complex conservation problem
A new publication from a team of scientists at USGS, Point Blue Conservation Science, and Conservation Biology Institute shows how knowledge coproduction—the collaborative creation of actionable information by scientists, resource...
Giant tree-kangaroos once lived in unexpected places all over Australia, according to major new analysis
Kangaroos are an enduring symbol of Australia's uniqueness. To move, they do what no other large mammals do: they hop along on oversized hind legs. So you may be surprised...
Detection dog can sniff out highly endangered great crested newts
A trained detection dog was highly accurate at finding great crested newts underground or at a distance, which might aid conservation efforts for this highly-endangered species, according to a study...
Coral disease tripled in the last 25 years. Three-quarters will likely be diseased by next century
Deadly coral disease is spreading as global temperatures warm, and it's likely to become endemic to reefs the world over by the next century, according to new research.
Development of communication in chimpanzees echoes that of human infants
Young chimpanzees combine different gestures, vocalisations and facial expressions in a way which echoes the development of communication in human infants, according to new research.
Do you really need to wear a lead apron to get an X-ray?
Lead aprons were designed to protect reproductive organs from radiation. But are they actually necessary?