Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Mystery pathogen is stripping sea urchins of their flesh and turning them to skeletons — and it's spreading fast
A mysterious epidemic that began in the Mediterranean at the start of the year looks set to wipe out all of the Mediterranean and Red Sea’s urchins, and possibly their...
With tools from Silicon Valley, Quinton Smith builds lab-made organs
While volunteering at the University of New Mexico’s Children’s Hospital in Albuquerque, Quinton Smith quickly realized that he could never be a physician. Then an undergrad at the university, Smith was too sad...
Humans evolved to walk with an extra spring in our step, shows foot arch study
A new study has shown that humans may have evolved a spring-like arch to help us walk on two feet. Researchers studying the evolution of bipedal walking have long assumed...
How a Cucamonga Peak hiker survived a 200-foot fall from an icy trail
As winter storms make hiking more dangerous in Southern California, one Cucamonga Peak hiker talks about how she survived a 200-foot fall from an icy trail.
The secret to overcoming hardship? Comedian Aidan Park calls it 'the art of Yay!'
Aidan Park launched the Yay! Foundation to 'bring hope and strength to young adults ages 14-24 in underserved and disenfranchised communities.'
Sloth schedules are surprisingly flexible
Sloths the slowest digestive system of any animal on Earth. It can take the mammals two weeks to digest an entire meal, and they sleep about 20 hours a day to conserve...
How forest fragmentation affects birds depends on their wings
A new study shows why tropical birds are likely to be more vulnerable to forest fragmentation, and suggests conservation policies need to take into account the role of climate in...
A simple model to evaluate skeletal muscle-macrophage interaction during skeletal muscle regeneration
A research group led by Dr. Naoya Kase and Prof. Megumu Saito have successfully established a model to evaluate skeletal muscle regeneration efficiency and determine how macrophages contribute to the...
Australian shelters, pounds kill 50,000 healthy cats and kittens a year: Research suggests there's a way to prevent it
Stray cats are a longstanding problem in Australian towns and cities. Common complaints about roaming cats include nuisance (fighting and urinating), disease risks to humans and other animals, and predation...
What causes decline of tropical seagrass meadows?
Seagrass, a group of aquatic angiosperms, grows in shallow waters in the coastal sea and contributes most of the primary production while participating in many important ecological processes. Heat stress...
New vegetation photosynthetic phenology dataset generated in northern terrestrial ecosystems
Vegetation phenology, the cycle sequence of the vital activities, is a highly sensitive indicator of the climate impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. Most recent studies focus on the structural changes in...
Sympatric sloths adapt to their surroundings in the face of environmental fluctuations
Researchers have shed light on the activity patterns and behavioral adaptations of two sympatric sloth species, Bradypus variegatus and Choloepus hoffmanni. This study, conducted in the lowland rainforests of the...
Bacteria are vital for the diversity and survival of insects, shows new study
Insects are crucial for biodiversity and among the most successful species on the planet. However, until now, it has been unclear how they could exploit such a diversity of food...
Funnel-web spider venom varies depending on circumstances, shows study
Scientists studying the most venomous spider in the world have found the venom of some varies depending on circumstances—which could provide insights into how they could be of use for...
Kanchha Sherpa: The last of the first on Everest
Nonagenarian Kanchha Sherpa is the last surviving member of the 1953 expedition that saw Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa become the first humans to summit the world's highest mountain.
Scientists and indigenous people team up to build a kelp seed bank
Kelps provide food and habitat for myriad coastal creatures. DepositPhotos This article was originally featured on Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com. Kelp is...
How to fool a mouse: 'Chemical camouflage' can hide crops and cut losses by over 60%
For as long as humans have grown our own food, we have battled pest animals that destroy crops and take food for themselves.
Antarctic currents supplying 40% of world's deep ocean with nutrients and oxygen slowing dramatically
Deep ocean currents around Antarctica that are vital to marine life have slowed by 30% since the 1990s and could soon grind to a complete halt, a new study finds.
Bug off! Your scent signature could be key to keeping mosquitoes away
Two studies examined which scents attract mosquitoes in different settings. Results suggest that each person's individual scent signature — which may vary with diet, skin microbiome, lifestyle, and cosmetic products...
A new robot bee flies like its natural counterpart, but it can't land on the ceiling
A robotic insect with four wings is the first to be able to control itself in all three axes of movement like a bee. But landing on the ceiling like...
Death cap mushroom's invasion success may be linked to newly documented variability of toxin genes
It's a cold, wet day in 2015 and Anne Pringle is scouring the understory of a Northern California forest for the unassuming organism that has consumed her research for the...
Scientists changed scales on chicken feet to feathers by tweaking a single gene
By targeting a single gene, scientists successfully turned chickens’ feet from scaly to feathery.
How environmental disturbances can affect predator-prey interactions in the wild
Over thousands of years some animals have specialized to live in environments where the sun never shines: giant squid with eyes the size of volleyballs see even in the darkest...
Barren habitat for sows leaves imprint on piglets' brains
In a new study, researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, together with colleagues from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, have investigated the impact that a barren living environment for...
More efforts are needed to protect orchids in karst forests
Karst forests develop in a karst landform, and have complex vegetation types and high biodiversity, and are rich in endemic species. As one of the important and special plant groups...
Genetics gives fin-tastic insights into Hector's dolphin populations
Scientists are learning more about the diets and groupings of little-studied Hector's dolphins at the top of the South Island.
Zoo’s bird-feeder-like device encourages gorillas to forage for snacks
Recreating gorillas' naturally foraging environments could improve their mental wellbeing and diet. Adam Thompson/Zoo ATL Apart from being naturally cliquey, gorillas are born foragers. In the wild, the great apes are regularly on...
Move over, bees: The lowly weevil is a power pollinator
The weevil Anchylorhynchus trapezicollis is the main pollinator of South American palm Syagrus coronata. Here, the weevil is seen on a female flower, touching the receptive parts and leaving pollen grains in the...