Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Knock-knock? Who's there? How coral let symbiotic algae in
Biologists have solved a longstanding marine science mystery that could aid coral conservation. The researchers identified the type of cell that enables a soft coral to recognize and take up...
Fighting fish synchronize their combat moves and their gene expression
When two betta fish are fighting for dominance, not only do their attacks mirror each other, but the gene expression in their brain cells also starts to align. The new...
Researchers develop diversity intelligence scale for organizations
University of Arkansas researchers have developed the first diversity intelligence scale that employers can use to ensure and improve diversity, inclusion and equity within their organizations.
Gut bacteria may modify behavior in worms, influencing eating habits
Gut bacteria are tiny but may play an outsized role not only in the host animal’s digestive health, but in their overall well-being. According to a new study in Nature,...
Study Reveals DNA Secrets of 100 Tomato Types
When Pulitzer Prize and Grammy award winner Kendrick Lamar rapped “I got millions, I got riches buildin’ in my DNA,” he almost certainly wasn’t talking about the humble tomato. But...
Premature epigenomic aging acts like a ‘sleeper cell’ that is awaken by Western-style diet
The epigenome is sometimes referred to as the “software” or “operating system” of the genome. It comprises small chemical modifications to DNA and the proteins that make up our chromosomes,...
How does our brain trigger different sighs?
One group of neurons controls various types of sighing, but they receive their instructions from different areas of the brain depending on the reason for the sigh, according to a...
Hummingbirds can see colors we can’t even imagine
Human color vision depends on three types of cones—special cells sensitive to red, blue, or green light. However, many birds, reptiles, and fish have an additional kind of cone that can pick...
Fighting fish synchronize their combat moves and their gene expression
When two betta fish are fighting for dominance, not only do their attacks mirror each other, but the gene expression in their brain cells also starts to align. The new...
A changing mating signal may initiate speciation in populations of Drosophila mojavensis
When choosing a mate, females of different subspecies of Drosophila mojavensis recognize the right mating partners either mainly by their song or by their smell. This was discovered by researchers...
Light-activated 'CRISPR' triggers precision gene editing and super-fast DNA repair
In a series of experiments using human cancer cell lines, scientists say they have successfully used light as a trigger to make precise cuts in genomic material rapidly, using a...
Oocyte collection and embryo creation in southern white rhinos
In order to prevent the extinction of species such as the northern white rhino, experts are developing new methods and technologies for conservation.
A Neanderthal woman from Chagyrskaya Cave
Until now, the genomes of only two Neanderthals have been sequenced in high quality: one from Vindjia Cave in modern-day Croatia and one from Denisova Cave in Siberia's Altai Mountains....
Detecting antibodies with glowing proteins, thread and a smartphone
To defend the body, the immune system makes proteins known as antibodies that latch onto the perceived threat, be it HIV, the new coronavirus or, as is the case in...
Scientists construct high-quality graph-based soybean genome
Soybean oil is one of the world's most important vegetable oils and soybeans are a key protein feed crop. Cultivated soybeans were domesticated from wild relatives in China approximately 5,000...
Weed's wily ways explained in Illinois research
Like antibiotic-resistant bacteria, some herbicide-resistant weeds can't be killed by available chemicals. The problem affects more than just the errant weed in our driveways; herbicide-resistant weeds threaten our food supply,...
Researchers develop easier and faster way to quantify, explore therapeutic proteins
Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology in collaboration with Ohio University and Merck & Co. Inc. recently developed a new efficient method for targeted protein analysis—one they say could...
How the giant sequoia protects itself
The giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) has developed effective strategies to protect itself against external influences in its natural environment in the Sierra Nevada. Its bark ensures that the tree survives...
A Neandertal from Chagyrskaya Cave
The researchers extracted the DNA from bone powder and sequenced it to high quality. They estimate that the female Neandertal lived 60,000-80,000 years ago. From the variation in the genome...
Lead-Seq: A new high-throughput structure mapping method for RNA
Researchers from Bochum and Münster have developed a new method to determine the structures of all RNA molecules in a bacterial cell at once. In the past, this had to...
Gut bacteria may modify behavior in worms, influencing eating habits
Gut bacteria are tiny but may play an outsized role not only in the host animal's digestive health, but in their overall well-being. According to a new study in Nature,...
How the giant sequoia tree protects itself
A three-dimensional network of fibers makes the bark resistant to fire and rock fall.
DNA study reveals Ireland's age of 'god-kings'
A genetic survey of ancient remains from Ireland reveals the existence of a Stone Age social elite.
Blennies show scientists how fish leave water, adapt to land
Jack of all trades fish are better equipped to make the transition from water to land, but a new survey of blennies, a diverse group of small fish, suggests specialization...
Red squirrels making comeback as return of pine marten spells bad news for invasive grey squirrel
The number of red squirrels is on the increase in Ireland thanks to the return of the pine marten, a native carnivore, a new survey has found.
How fish got onto land, and stayed there
Research on blennies, a family of fish that have repeatedly left the sea for land, suggests that being a 'jack of all trades' allows species to make the dramatic transition...
Earth's species have more in common than previously believed
The Earth hosts an abundance of life forms—from well-known animals and plants to small, more hardy life forms such as archaea, viruses and bacteria. These life forms are fundamentally different...
Red squirrels making comeback as return of pine marten spells bad news for invasive grey squirrel
The number of red squirrels is on the increase in Ireland thanks to the return of the pine marten, a native carnivore, a new survey led by NUI Galway has...