Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Land use changes may increase disease outbreak risks
Global changes in land use are disrupting the balance of wild animal communities in our environment, and species that carry diseases known to infect humans appear to be benefiting, finds...
Algal symbiosis could shed light on dark ocean
New research has revealed a surprise twist in the symbiotic relationship between a type of salamander and the alga that lives inside its eggs. A new paper reports that the...
Whiteness of AI erases people of color from our 'imagined futures', researchers argue
The overwhelming 'Whiteness' of artificial intelligence—from stock images and cinematic robots to the dialects of virtual assistants—removes people of colour from the way humanity thinks about its technology-enhanced future.
Study clarifies kinship of important plant group
Asterids comprise around 100,000 flowering plants, from heather to tomatoes. Up to now, their family relationships had not yet been fully clarified. A new study by the University of Bonn,...
Study reveals long-term human impacts on reef fish
Resource fishes—species targeted for human consumption—play a key role in reef ecosystems long before they end up on the dinner table. In Hawai'i, subsistence and recreational fishing of local resource...
Study clarifies kinship of important plant group
Asterids comprise around 100,000 flowering plants, from heather to tomatoes. Up to now, their family relationships had not yet been fully clarified. A new study has now somewhat closed this...
New light on how ovarian cancer grows and evolves
Medical researchers provide new insights into how ovarian cancer grows and evolves within a person.
Discovery shows promise for treating Huntington's Disease
Scientists have identified a new enzyme called 'TBK1' that plays a central role in regulating the degradation and clearance of the huntingtin protein and introduces chemical modifications that block its...
Gut microbes shape our antibodies before we are infected by pathogens
Because the microbiota is so complex, containing hundreds of different bacterial species, it is not known how the presence of microbes in the intestine shaped the antibodies that are present...
No Air, No Problem: How Parasites Survive Without Oxygen Inside Host
Around one billion people on the planet are infected with parasitic helminths, round worms that live in soil and colonize human guts through dirty water. The helminths owe their ability...
Dinosaur relative's genome linked to mammals: Curious genome of ancient reptile
Biologists have sequenced the genome of the tuatara, a lizard-like creature that lives on the islands of New Zealand.
Algal symbiosis could shed light on dark ocean
New research has revealed a surprise twist in the symbiotic relationship between a type of salamander and the alga that lives inside its eggs. A new paper in Frontiers in...
Scientists find how clock gene wakes up green algae
A team of researchers from Nagoya University, Japan, has found the mechanism of the night-to-day transition of the circadian rhythm in green algae. The findings, published in the journal PLOS...
Trifluoroacetic acid acts as trifluoromethylating agent in arene C-H functionalization
Researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a catalytic system that directly installs the trifluoromethyl group onto arenes. The new reaction...
Land use changes could increase risk of infectious disease outbreaks
When land use changes disrupt ecosystems, new research suggests species known to carry diseases that infect humans benefit from the disruptions.
An inventory providing information on more than 200 viruses that infect plants in Brazil
A Brazilian scientist has produced an inventory of 219 pathogens that infect plants in Brazil, including many agriculturally important species. The annotated list, published in Biota Neotropica, is the largest...
City growth favours animals 'more likely to carry disease'
Turning wild spaces into farmland or cities creates opportunities for diseases to cross into humans.
Belgian scientists name mantis after Attenborough
Belgian scientists have named a new "very large and robust" Vietnamese sub-species of praying mantis after British television naturalist David Attenborough.
How microbes in 'starter cultures' make fermented sausage tasty
Microbes in "starter cultures" impart a distinctive tang and longer shelf life to food like sourdough bread, yogurt and kimchi through the process of fermentation. To get a better grasp...
Consumers, quats and COVID-19: Are disinfectant products safe?
In the face of a persistent global pandemic, disinfectants are more important than ever. These products sometimes rely on quaternary ammonium compounds, or "quats," to kill bacteria and viruses on...
Bali sea turtles set free after poacher arrests
Around two dozen green turtles were released back to the wild in Bali on Wednesday after the endangered creatures were rescued from poachers on the Indonesian holiday island.
'Thermal displacement' reflects how far species must go to follow preferred temperatures
Marine heatwaves across the world's oceans can displace habitat for sea turtles, whales, and other marine life by 10s to thousands of kilometers. They dramatically shift these animals' preferred temperatures...
Land use changes may increase disease outbreak risks
Global changes in land use are disrupting the balance of wild animal communities in our environment, and species that carry diseases known to infect humans appear to be benefiting, finds...
Scientists find how clock gene wakes up green algae
Researchers have found the mechanism of the night-to-day transition of the circadian rhythm in green algae. The findings could be applied to green algae to produce larger amounts of lipids,...
Comedy Central orders 'Ren & Stimpy Show' reboot
Comedy Central announced on Wednesday a new reboot of classic Nickelodeon animated series, "The Ren & Stimpy Show."
The Weeknd to release song with Juice Wrld on Thursday
The Weeknd teased a posthumous collaboration with Juice Wrld, who died at age 21 in December.
Trade and climate change increase pest threat to Europe’s forests
Europe’s forests face a growing threat from pests due to global trade and climate change, but scientists are developing techniques that can give an early warning of infestations to help combat...
The role of Chinese cultural values in illegal wildlife trade interventions
A new study by the University of Kent's Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) suggests that utilizing Confucianist, Daoist, and Buddhist belief messaging in targeted campaigns could effectively change...