Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Timing key in understanding plant microbiomes
Researchers have made a key advance in understanding how timing impacts the way microorganisms colonize plants, a step that could provide farmers an important tool to boost agricultural production.
Beautyberry leaf extract restores drug's power to fight 'superbug'
Laboratory experiments showed that the plant compound works in combination with oxacillin to knock down the resistance to the drug of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
Weaving Indigenous knowledge with scientific research: a balanced approach
Insights from bicultural research can enhance practical applications from a palaeotsunami database to land-use decisions, according to a new review.
Marine drifters: Interdisciplinary study explores plankton diversity
Researchers have combined mathematical models, marine science, and metagenomics to answer a decades-old question - why are there so many species in the ocean?
Simple twist of DNA determines fate of placenta
The development of the mammalian placenta depends upon an unusual twist that separates DNA's classic double helix into a single-stranded form.
Growth rate of common trilobites
If you've ever held a trilobite fossil, seen one in a classroom, or walked by one in a store, chances are it was Elrathia kingii, one of the most common...
Precision trial highlights need for new approach to treating genomically complex cancers
A pioneering lung cancer study has highlighted important factors that will need to be considered in the next wave of precision medicine studies particularly in treating genomically complicated cancers.
Scientists find faster way to count animal sperm using DNA
Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified a quicker and less expensive way to count sperm in lobsters that could help scientists looking at any animal better understand...
Ecuadorian hummingbirds chirp ultrasonic songs of seduction
Perched on a flowering shrub on a windy Andean mountainside, the tiny Ecuadorian Hillstar hummingbird chirps songs of seduction that only another bird of its kind can hear.
Enhanced water repellent surfaces discovered in nature
Through the investigation of insect surfaces, researchers have detailed a previously unidentified nanostructure that can be used to engineer stronger, more resilient water repellent coatings.
Research underscores importance of global surveillance of plant pathogens
First spotted in the United States in 2014, bacterial leaf streak of corn is an emerging disease of corn that has now spread to ten states, including the top three...
Baleen whales have changed their distribution in the Western North Atlantic
Researchers have been using passive acoustic recordings of whale calls to track their movements. They have found that four of the six baleen whale species found in the western North...
Released Siamese crocodile found nesting in the wild
A Siamese crocodile that was released into the wild in 2018 has been recorded nesting in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains. The female crocodile was identified by her tail scute markings as...
Scientists count all the tiny snails in the Arctic
Shell-bearing microgastropods are snails whose size is less than five millimeters. They represent one of the least studied groups of metazoan living organisms in the oceans. Ivan Nekhaev is a...
Video: Engineered surfaces help researchers move bubbles underwater
Novel method for manipulating bubbles could enhance electrochemical reactions or wastewater treatment
Beetle-mounted camera streams insect adventures
Researchers have developed a tiny lightweight video camera that can be carried by a beetle.
When the beach was off-limits to humans, a rare colony of seabirds found a place to nest
When the humans left, the seabirds flocked home.
Predicting the biodiversity of rivers
Biodiversity is severely threatened both in Switzerland and worldwide, and numerous organisms are facing massive declines—particularly in freshwater ecosystems. All the species living in rivers—including fish, bacteria and many different...
Challenging jigsaw puzzles to keep you entertained for hours
You'll be set for days. (Mor THIAM via Unsplash/)Jigsaw puzzles have become increasingly popular as meditative, mindful activities—much like filling in coloring books or baking bread. If your current collection feels too easy,...
Happy 65th Birthday, Disneyland. I'm so glad you're closed
With COVID-19 raging in Florida and California, what does it mean that Disney World is open while Disneyland remains closed even for its 65th birthday?
Researchers Discover Two Paths of Aging and New Insights on Promoting Healthspan
Molecular biologists and bioengineers at the University of California San Diego have unraveled key mechanisms behind the mysteries of aging. They isolated two distinct paths that cells travel during aging...
Ultra-Black Skin Allows Some Fish to Lurk Unseen
If there were a stagehand of the sea, wearing black to disappear into the darkness backstage, it might be the dragonfish. Or the common fangtooth. These fish live in the...
Discovery of new glider species highlights conservation risk
Research by Charles Darwin University has changed what was known about the charismatic nectar-loving sugar glider, finding that they are at more risk than ever, particularly after the recent bushfires...
Cancer-causing dust released by earthworks
Tiny, needle-like fibers that can become airborne if bedrock is disturbed during earthworks has the potential to cause asbestos-type disease and should be investigated, scientists say.
A rare discovery: We found the sugar glider is actually three species, but one is disappearing fast
Most Australians are familiar with the cute, nectar-loving sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), a marsupial denizen of forests in eastern and northern Australia.
Reduction of bushmeat hunting
Extensive wildlife trade not only threatens species worldwide but can also lead to the transmission of zoonotic diseases. It encompasses hundreds of species with significant differences in their conservation status...
eDNA technology more effective in monitoring salmon runs
The annual upriver migration of Pacific wild salmon—integral to B.C.'s coastal ecosystem—is an important sustenance source for numerous animal species and a vital economic and cultural lifeline for Indigenous and...
New tools to study bioactive lipids
NAEs are bioactive lipid molecules that appear to play roles in energy balance, inflammation, stress responses and addiction. How NAE levels are regulated and their precise contributions to biological processes...