Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Bird nests attract flying insects and parasites due to higher levels of carbon dioxide
Flying insects and parasites are often vectors for disease, but a mosquito needs to first find someone before they can bite them. In a recent study published in Frontiers in...
Scientists discover new penguin colonies from space
A new study using satellite mapping technology reveals there are nearly 20% more emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica than was previously thought. The results provide an important benchmark for monitoring...
Climate change: Satellites find new colonies of Emperor penguins
A search from space discovers new colonies of the Antarctic bird that has an uncertain future.
Angels in disguise: Angelfishes hybridize more than any other coral reef species
Renowned journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B has a new front cover fish: the marine angelfish. It commands star power due to a new study highlighting the remarkably high...
Monarchs raised in captivity may be worse at migrating than wild monarchs raised outdoors
A hallmark of summer, monarch butterflies are a familiar sight in the Midwest, and many butterfly enthusiasts are eager to do what they can to support the declining monarch population....
New molecule reverses Alzheimer's-like memory decline
A drug candidate previously shown to slow aging in brain cells, successfully reversed memory loss in a mouse model of inherited Alzheimer's disease. The new research also revealed that the...
To read, humans 'recycled' a brain region meant for recognizing objects
Humans began reading just a few thousand years ago, a relatively recent phenomena -- too recent to be supported by brain regions specifically evolved for the activity.
AI may offer a better way to ID drug-resistant superbugs
Biomedical engineers at Duke University have shown that different strains of the same bacterial pathogen can be distinguished by a machine learning analysis of their growth dynamics alone, which can...
Size of fly's eyes and nose reflect its behavior during mating and habitat preferences, says study
The size of a fly's eyes and nose reflect both its behavior during mating and its habitat preferences, according to a new study published today in eLife.
Exposure to common cold coronaviruses can teach the immune system to recognize SARS-CoV-2
A new study shows that memory helper T cells that recognize common cold coronaviruses also recognize matching sites on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The wrong track: How papillomaviruses trick the immune system
Specific antibodies protect us against viral infections - or do they not? Researchers studied the immune response to papillomaviruses in mice and discovered a hitherto unknown mechanism by which the...
AI may offer a better way to ID drug-resistant superbugs
Biomedical engineers have shown that different strains of the same bacterial pathogen can be distinguished by a machine learning analysis of their growth dynamics alone, which can then also accurately...
Studies shed new light on how biodiversity influences plant decay
Scientists have provided new insights on the relationship between plant diversity in forests and the diversity of organisms involved in their decay, such as bacteria and fungi.
An easier way to go veggie: Vitamin B12 can be produced during dough fermentation
Vitamin B12 is an essential micronutrient that is needed for functions such as maintaining the nervous system and forming blood cells. However, B12 is mainly found in food of animal...
Why aren't sea trout thriving anymore?
Sea trout get no peace. They're constantly exposed to new diseases and ailments, many of which are due to climate change and human activity.
Column: California is still showing how to make Obamacare work, even with COVID-19
California's Obamacare exchange will have minimal rate increases next year, despite COVID
Look: Alligator traps residents in elevator at apartment complex
Authorities responded to an apartment complex in Florida when an alligator wandered into a building and trapped some residents inside an elevator.
A normal DNA repair process can become a major source of mutations in cancer
The mechanism unveiled triggers a mutation fog, causing hundreds of mutations in each tumor, which spread through the genome of lung, head-and-neck and breast cancers. Researchers have identified the antiviral...
Key brain region was “recycled” as humans developed the ability to read
Humans began to develop systems of reading and writing only within the past few thousand years. Our reading abilities set us apart from other animal species, but a few thousand years is...
Svalbard Global Seed Vault commences seed experiment that will last 100 years
How long can seeds stay alive? That question is crucial for seed gene banks and research institutes working with plants and seeds. Therefore, a new seed longevity experiment has started...
Humans and flies employ very similar mechanisms for brain development and function
A new study has shown that humans, mice and flies share the same fundamental genetic mechanisms that regulate the formation and function of brain areas involved in attention and movement...
Between shark and ray: The evolutionary advantage of the sea angels
The general picture of a shark is that of a fast and large ocean predator. Some species, however, question this image—for example angel sharks. They have adapted to a life...
Plant size and habitat traits influence cycad susceptibility to invasive species
When humans bring a non-native herbivore to an isolated island, the native trees do not possess traits to craft an operative defense to the new threat, and the results can...
Dolphin calf entangled in fishing line only lived two years following rescue
More than 1,000 bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) live in the Indian River Lagoon year-round. The estuary system along the central east coast of Florida stretches about 250 kilometers and provides...
Tracking and forecasting outbreak risk of dengue, Zika and other Aedes-transmitted diseases
Researchers led by Columbia University's International Research Institute for Climate and Society and the Pan-American Health Organization have developed a system to monitor and forecast the environmental suitability of transmission...
Studies shed new light on how biodiversity influences plant decay
Scientists have provided new insights on the relationship between plant diversity in forests and the diversity of organisms involved in their decay, such as bacteria and fungi.
Between shark and ray: The evolutionary advantage of the sea angels
Angel sharks are sharks, but with their peculiarly flat body they rather resemble rays. An international research team has now investigated the origin of this body shape. The results illustrate...
Energy demands limit our brains' information processing capacity
Our brains have an upper limit on how much they can process at once due to a constant but limited energy supply, according to a new study using a brain...