How seaweed became multicellular
A deep dive into macroalgae genetics has uncovered the genetic underpinnings that enabled macroalgae, or 'seaweed,' to evolve multicellularity. Three lineages of macroalgae developed multicellularity...
View ArticleCell's 'garbage disposal' may have another role: Helping neurons near skin...
The typical job of the proteasome, the garbage disposal of the cell, is to grind down proteins into smaller bits and recycle some of those bits and parts. That's still the case, for the most part, but...
View ArticleEven the simplest marine organisms tend to be individualistic
Sport junkie or couch potato? Always on time or often late? The animal kingdom, too, is home to a range of personalities, each with its own lifestyle. Biologists report on a surprising discovery: even...
View ArticleNewly sequenced genome reveals coffee's prehistoric origin story -- and its...
A new study charts the family history of Arabica, the world's most popular coffee species, through Earth's heating and cooling periods over the last millennia.
View ArticleTropical forests can't recover naturally without fruit-eating birds
Natural forest regeneration is hailed as a cost-effective way to restore biodiversity and sequester carbon. However, the fragmentation of tropical forests has restricted the movement of large birds...
View ArticleEvolution's recipe book: How 'copy paste' errors cooked up the animal kingdom
A series of whole genome and gene duplication events that go back hundreds of millions of years have laid the foundations for tissue-specific gene expression, according to a new study. The 'copy-paste'...
View ArticleDigging up new species of Australia and New Guinea's giant fossil kangaroos
Palaeontologists have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo from Australia and New Guinea, finding them more diverse in shape, range and hopping method than previously thought....
View ArticleUnlocking the 'chain of worms'
An international team of scientists has published a single-cell atlas for Pristina leidyi (Pristina), the water nymph worm, a segmented annelid with extraordinary regenerative abilities that has...
View ArticleCan animals count?
Researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery regarding number sense in animals by confirming the existence of discrete number sense in rats, offering a crucial animal model for investigating the...
View ArticleTwisted pollen tubes induce infertility
Plants with multiple sets of chromosomes, known as polyploids, are salt-tolerant or drought-resistant and often achieve higher yields. However, newly formed polyploid plants are often sterile or have...
View ArticleSeed ferns: Plants experimented with complex leaf vein networks 201 million...
According to a research team led by palaeontologists, the net-like leaf veining typical for today's flowering plants developed much earlier than previously thought, but died out again several times....
View ArticlePlastic pollution can kill variety of ocean embryos
High levels of plastic pollution can kill the embryos of a wide range of ocean animals, new research shows.
View ArticleNew tagging method provides bioadhesive interface for marine sensors on...
Tagging marine animals with sensors to track their movements and ocean conditions can provide important environmental and behavioral information. Existing techniques to attach sensors currently largely...
View ArticleHuge database gives insight into salmon patterns at sea
A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their different...
View ArticleReproductive success improves after a single generation in the wild for...
Researchers who created 'family trees' for nearly 10,000 fish found that first-generation, wild-born descendants of hatchery-origin Chinook salmon in an Oregon river show improved fitness.
View ArticleResearchers uncover human DNA repair by nuclear metamorphosis
Researchers have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.
View ArticleMaking crops colorful for easier weeding
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts....
View ArticleTracking a protein's fleeting shape changes
Researchers have developed a powerful, new technique to generate 'movies' of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second.
View ArticleCopper beads in pig feed reshape swine gut microbiome
Copper is a natural antimicrobial material that, when added to pig feed, may promote the growth and health of the animals. Since pigs can tolerate high levels of the metal, researchers recently...
View ArticleUnique field study shows how climate change affects fire-impacted forests
During the unusually dry year of 2018, Sweden was hit by numerous forest fires. A research team has investigated how climate change affects recently burnt boreal forests and their ability to absorb...
View ArticleDog attacks on mountain tapirs highlight a growing threat to endangered wildlife
Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened wildlife.
View ArticleNew class of antimicrobials discovered in soil bacteria
Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors in their crowded microbial communities, especially...
View ArticleMountain chickadees have remarkable memories. A new study explains why
Mountain chickadees have among the best spatial memory in the animal kingdom. New research identifies the genes at play and offers insight into how a shifting climate may impact the evolution of this...
View ArticleGuidance on energy and macronutrients across the lifespan
In the long history of recommendations for nutritional intake, current research is trending toward the concept of 'food as medicine' -- a philosophy in which food and nutrition are positioned within...
View ArticleHow blue-green algae manipulate microorganisms
A research team discovers previously unknown gene that indirectly promotes photosynthesis Protein regulator NirP1 influences the coordination of the nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism 'Such protein...
View ArticleMarine microbial populations: Potential sensors of the global change in the...
Animal and plant populations have been extensively studied, which has helped to understand ecosystem processes and evolutionary adaptations. However, this has not been the case with microbial...
View ArticleHow tardigrades can survive intense radiation
Researchers have discovered that tardigrades -- microscopic animals famed for surviving harsh extremes -- have an unusual response to radiation.
View ArticleNew butterfly species created 200,000 years ago by two species interbreeding
Researchers have shown that an Amazonian butterfly is a hybrid species, formed by two other species breeding together almost 200,000 years ago. Researchers have shown that an Amazonian butterfly is a...
View ArticleWhy can zebrafish regenerate damaged heart tissue, while other fish species...
A heart attack will leave a permanent scar on a human heart, yet other animals, including zebrafish, can clear cardiac scar tissue and regrow damaged muscle as adults. Biologists sheds new light on how...
View ArticleSurf clams off the coast of Virginia reappear -- and rebound
The Atlantic surfclam, an economically valuable species that is the main ingredient in clam chowder and fried clam strips, has returned to Virginia waters in a big way, reversing a die-off that started...
View ArticleLemur's lament: When one vulnerable species stalks another
What can be done when one threatened animal kills another? Scientists studying critically endangered lemurs in Madagascar confronted this difficult reality when they witnessed attacks on lemurs by...
View Article'Itinerant breeding' in East Coast shorebird species
A study has found direct evidence of a species -- the American woodcock, a migratory shorebird from eastern and central North America -- that overlaps periods of migration and reproduction, a rare...
View ArticleKey protein regulates immune response to viruses in mammal cells
Researchers have revealed the regulatory mechanism of a specific protein, TRBP, that plays a key role in balancing the immune response triggered by viral infections in mammal cells. These findings...
View ArticleNew compound from blessed thistle promotes functional nerve regeneration
Blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus) is a plant in the family Asteraceae. For centuries, it has been used as a medicinal herb as an extract or tea, e.g. to aid the digestive system. Researchers have now...
View ArticleInvasive species sound off about impending ecosystem changes
Anticipating changes to ecosystems is often at best an educated guess, but what if there was a way to better tune into possible changes occurring? Researchers have discovered that the silent growth of...
View ArticleNo bull: How creating less-gassy cows could help fight climate change
A new study has revealed breeding less-flatulent cows and restoring agricultural land could significantly reduce rising methane emission levels, which play a considerable role in climate change.
View ArticleScientists discover the cellular functions of a family of proteins integral...
In a scientific breakthrough, researchers have revealed the biological mechanisms by which a family of proteins known as histone deacetylases (HDACs) activate immune system cells linked to inflammatory...
View ArticleBioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study. The study focuses on an ancient...
View ArticleHow parasites shape complex food webs
A new study sheds light on how parasites, often overlooked, can dramatically affect the balance between predator and prey populations. Researchers developed a groundbreaking mathematical framework that...
View ArticleGiant viruses infect deadly parasite
The single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri ranks among the deadliest human parasites. Researchers have now discovered viruses that infect this harmful microbe. Named Naegleriavirus, these belong to...
View ArticleArtificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change
Scientists are using artificial intelligence software to analyze plant root systems, laying out a protocol that can be applied to gather data on crop and model plant phenotypes (physical...
View ArticleLight show in living cells
Observing proteins precisely within cells is extremely important for many branches of research but has been a significant technical challenge -- especially in living cells, as the required fluorescent...
View ArticleFrog species evolved rapidly in response to road salts
When we think of evolution, we think of a process that happens over hundreds or thousands of years. In research recently published, a species of frog that has evolved over the course of merely 25...
View ArticleScientists unveil genetics behind development of gliding
Researchers explain the genomic and developmental basis of the patagium, the thin skin membrane that allows some mammalian species to soar through the air.
View ArticleResearchers uncover 'parallel universe' in tomato genetics
Researchers have made a breakthrough for evolutionary biology of the Solanaceae family, which includes peppers, potatoes and petunias.
View ArticleAfter spinal cord injury, neurons wreak havoc on metabolism
Conditions such as diabetes, heart attack and vascular diseases commonly diagnosed in people with spinal cord injuries can be traced to abnormal post-injury neuronal activity that causes abdominal fat...
View ArticleWith hybrid brains, these mice smell like a rat
Mice lacking an olfactory system have had their sense of smell restored with neurons from rats, the first time scientists have successfully integrated the sensory apparatus of one species into another.
View ArticleCuriosity promotes biodiversity
Cichlid fishes exhibit differing degrees of curiosity. The cause for this lies in their genes, as reported by researchers. This trait influences the cichlids' ability to adapt to new habitats.
View ArticleFood in sight? The liver is ready!
What happens in the body when we are hungry and see and smell food? A team of researchers has now been able to show in mice that adaptations in the liver mitochondria take place after only a few...
View ArticleUnveiling the mysteries of cell division in embryos with timelapse photography
The beginning of life is shrouded in mystery. While the intricate dynamics of mitosis is well-studied in the so-called somatic cells -- the cells that have a specialized function, like skin and muscle...
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