Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Launch of mobile app that controls the perfect amount of fertilizers and water
Fertigation allows for simultaneously applying the necessary water and fertilizers via irrigation systems. It offers significant advantages compared to other traditional methods, though it requires precise calculations in order to...
Global turtle study highlights extinction risk and roadmap to recovery
A Western Sydney University researcher has contributed to the first global and comprehensive assessment of the world's turtle and tortoise species. The study found half of all 360 turtle and...
New technique allows scientists to measure mitochondrial respiration in frozen tissue
Scientists led by Dr. Orian Shirihai, director of the metabolism theme at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, have developed a method for restoring oxygen-consumption activity to previously...
Research reveals how mating influences females' life history and ageing
New University of Otago research provides insight into how males influence their mates' health, growth and fertility.
Dawn song of the male great tit attracts other males rather than females
Female great tits (Parus major) stay clear of territories with better singing males while competing males are attracted to the territories with better singers. This unexpected conclusion was reached by...
Experiment shows it is possible for fish to migrate via ingestion by birds
A team of researchers from the Danube Research Institute and the National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre, both in Hungary, and Estación Biológica de Doñana, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas...
Lizards need their coffee, too: Could caffeine help bring threatened species back from the brink?
In an article just published in Conservation Physiology, Macquarie University's Simon Clulow and colleagues reveal a new sperm freezing and revival technique that shows considerable promise—and involves a surprising ingredient.
Watch: 'Into the Unknown': New documentary series explores the making of 'Frozen 2'
Disney has released a new trailer for "Into the Unknown," which will chronicle the making of "Frozen 2."
New study reveals use of antibiotics on crops is more widespread than previously thought
The world is aware of the overuse of antibiotics and the development of resistance in bacterial populations. This has led to calls for greater control and monitoring of their use...
Chronobiology: Researchers identify genes that tell plants when to flower
How do plants know when it is time to flower? Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have studied this question and identified two genes that are key to this...
Bacteria are always at war. Understanding their use of weapons may lead to antibiotic alternatives
A small glimmer of light passes from one bacterium to another. Under the microscope it might not look like much, but there's a deadly battle underway: the second cell has...
Bacteria are always at war. Understanding their use of weapons may lead to antibiotic alternatives
by Ian Le Guillou A small glimmer of light passes from one bacterium to another. Under the microscope it might not look like much, but there’s a deadly battle underway: the...
The virus hunter who got Covid
Professor Peter Piot, one of the world’s top infectious disease experts, was hit by Covid-19.
Researchers study myxobacteria's ability to distinguish self from non-self
A fundamental question in biology is how individual cells within a multicellular organism interact to coordinate diverse processes.
Wildlife scientists examine the great 'human pause'
Tracking wildlife before, during and after lockdown will aim to analyse the slowdown in human activity.
COVID-19 lockdown reveals human impact on wildlife
An international team of scientists is investigating how animals are responding to reduced levels of human activity during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hamsters develop protective immunity to COVID-19 and are protected by convalescent sera
In an animal model for COVID-19 that shares important features of human disease, scientists show that prior infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus provides protection against reinfection, and treatment with convalescent...
Helping to protect the most illegally trafficked mammals in the world
As China upgrades pangolins to the highest protected status level, an alternative approach to using long standing forensic methods is helping wildlife crime investigators disrupt poachers and animal traffickers in...
Bread mold avoids infection by mutating its own DNA
Whilst most organisms try to stop their DNA from mutating, scientists from the UK and China have discovered that a common fungus found on bread actively mutates its own DNA...
When planting trees threatens the forest
The first-of-its-kind study reveals that subsidies for the planting of commercially valuable tree plantations in Chile resulted in the loss of biologically valuable natural forests and little, if any, additional...
Undergraduate student discovers 18 new species of aquatic beetle in South America
An undergraduate student has just published a description of 18 new species of aquatic water beetle from the genus Chasmogenus.
This enigmatic protein sculpts DNA to repair harmful damage
Sometimes, when something is broken, the first step to fixing it is to break it even more. Scientists have discovered this is the case for a DNA-repairing enzyme that marks...
Synthetic materials mimic living creatures
Researchers have developed a family of soft materials that imitates living creatures. When hit with light, the film-thin materials come alive -- bending, rotating and even crawling on surfaces.
Protecting natural forest in oil palm plantations crucial for conservation
A study has found that patches of protected forest on oil palm plantations play an important role in helping to conserve endangered species including hornbill birds and dipterocarp trees.
Parallel evolution in three-spined sticklebacks
A group of researchers used novel and powerful methods to disentangle the patterns of parallel evolution of freshwater three-spined sticklebacks at different geographic scales across their distribution range. The group...
White House scales back COVID-19 temperature checks
The White House allowed visitors Monday to enter the complex without a temperature check to control the spread of COVID-19 for the first time since mid-March.
What does the 'love hormone' do? It's complicated
Much of what we know about the actions of neuromodulators like oxytocin comes from behavioral studies of lab animals in standard lab conditions. These conditions are strictly controlled and artificial,...
Are protected areas effective at maintaining large carnivore populations?
A recent study used a novel combination of statistical methods and an exceptional data set collected by hunters to assess the role of protected areas for carnivore conservation in Finland.