Latest science news in Biology & Nature
US wildlife agency rejects protections for rare fish species
U.S. wildlife officials on Wednesday plan to reject special protections for a rare, freshwater fish species that's been at the center of a long-running legal dispute.
Snowshoe hare carcasses feed more than usual predator suspects, study shows
Snowshoe hare carcasses may provide a vital food source for a wide variety of species in Canada's boreal forest—including lynx, ravens, flying squirrels and even other hares, according to a...
Computationally classifying fungal lifestyles
As a proof of concept, researchers developed an algorithm that "taught" a computer how to classify 101 representative genomes of Dothideomycetes, the largest class of fungi, by lifestyles. The machine...
Giant whale washes up on Indonesian beach
A giant 23-metre (75-foot) whale briefly washed up near a beach in Indonesia but it was unclear how the enormous marine mammal died, a conservation official said Wednesday.
Lifeguards with drones keep humans and sharks safe
A teenager in New South Wales recently died after a fatal shark bite, adding to four other unprovoked shark-related deaths this year. These tragic events send shockwaves through the community...
Giant Sunfish larva identified for the first time
Australian and New Zealand scientists have, for the first time, successfully identified the tiny larva of the giant Bump-head Sunfish (Mola alexandrini). Led by sunfish expert, Dr. Marianne Nyegaard from...
Spider monkey groups use collective computation to forage for food
When foraging for food, spider monkey groups utilize collective computation to organize the hunt for fruit-filled trees.
DNA analysis confirms a zooplankton community border along Baja California
Marine ecosystems don't recognize national boundaries—but they do sometimes have invisible borders of their own. Thanks to metabarcoding, a sweeping DNA analysis technique, MBARI researchers explored these watery borderlands along...
DNA shows southwestern Australia's largest parasitic plant adapts to climate
A closer look at DNA from southwestern Australia's native Nuytsia floribunda, known as the WA Christmas Tree, has found that temperature, rather than rainfall, impacts the tree's resilience and reproductive...
Scientists make wine and cheese using weeds
Scientists at South Ural State University (SUSU) have discovered that the extract of a common weed plant, Bidens pilosa, is a promising source of enzymes for the food industry. According...
Plastics found in sea-bed sharks
Microplastics have been found in the guts of sharks that live near the seabed off the UK coast. University of Exeter scientists studied four species of demersal (seabed-dwelling) shark.
Life in the shallows becomes a trap for baby sharks
Scientists can now explain how baby reef sharks tolerate living in the sometimes-extreme environments of their nurseries—but, they also say these habitats face an uncertain future which may leave newborn...
Column One: Coronavirus has torn this tight-knit Texas valley apart: 'We're in hell right now'
On the Texas border, a culture of hard work and family gatherings helped spread coronavirus since the state reopened, filling hospitals and morgues.
Spider monkey groups as collective computers
New research shows that spider monkeys use collective computation to figure out the best way to find food.
Life in the shallows becomes a trap for baby sharks
Baby reef sharks tolerate living in the sometimes-extreme environments of their nurseries -- but these habitats face an uncertain future which may leave newborn sharks 'trapped'.
Crown-of-thorns enhance their growth by switching diets early
Crown-of-thorns starfish are renowned for eating coral and destroying coral reefs—but when juvenile crown-of-thorns first settle in reef environments they start out by eating rock-hard coralline algae. In a new...
Popular seafood species in sharp decline around the world
Fish market favorites such as orange roughy, common octopus and pink conch are among the species of fish and invertebrates in rapid decline around the world, according to new research.
Lab-made virus mimics COVID-19 virus
Researchers have created a virus in the lab that infects cells and interacts with antibodies just like the COVID-19 virus, but lacks the ability to cause severe disease. This safer...
A developmental clock with a checkpoint function
The group of Helge Grosshans characterized the "C. elegans oscillator", over 3,700 genes that are rhythmically expressed during the larval development of C. elegans. They demonstrated the coupling of the...
Spider monkeys use groups to develop knowledge of their environment, study finds
The wild spider monkeys living in a protected area near Punta Laguna, Mexico, collectively figure out good ways to divide up and conquer the forest. These monkeys live in a...
The hair-raising reason for goosebumps is revealed
If you’ve ever wondered why we get goosebumps, you’re in good company — so did Charles Darwin, who mused about them in his writings on evolution. Goosebumps might protect animals...
Ultra-small, parasitic bacteria found in groundwater, moose... and you
Inside your mouth right now, there is a group of bacteria whose closest relatives can also be found in the belly of a moose, in dogs, cats, and dolphins, and...
How adding green tea extract to prepared foods may reduce the risk for norovirus
Infusing prepared foods with an edible coating that contains green tea extract may lower consumers' chances of catching the highly contagious norovirus by eating contaminated food, new research suggests.
Neural vulnerability in Huntington’s disease tied to release of mitochondrial RNA
In the first study to comprehensively track how different types of brain cells respond to the mutation that causes Huntington’s disease (HD), MIT neuroscientists found that a significant cause of...
Watch: Bear approaches woman in ecological park, appears in selfie
A visitor to a park in Mexico captured video of a black bear approaching a young woman and sniffing her hair as she snapped a selfie with the wild animal.
Study shows highly reproducible sex differences in aspects of human brain anatomy
A scientific analysis of more than 2,000 brain scans found evidence for highly reproducible sex differences in the volume of certain regions in the human brain. This pattern of sex-based...
Droplet biosensing method opens the door for faster identification of COVID-19
Researchers have developed an ultrasensitive biosensing method that could dramatically shorten the amount of time required to verify the presence of the COVID-19 virus in a sample.
New study takes closer look at how environment affects daily life of sloths
Scientists studying brown-throated three-toed sloths, where predators are extinct and food is more accessible, have found that the animals adapt to have a primarily diurnal, or daytime, schedule.