Biology
Tribal members saw pinyon-juniper woodlands declining, new study confirms
Pinyon pines and juniper trees spread across the mid-elevation slopes of the American West, including California's Eastern Sierra. These hardy, short-statured trees are one of the…
Dressed for danger: Venomous snakes are more likely to stand out
Researchers at the University of Galway in Ireland have found that venomous snakes are significantly more likely than nonvenomous species to have colors that stand out against the…
Starwatch: how to spot Saturn as it makes it closest approach to Earth this year
The planet looks like a moderately bright, creamy-white object and is easily visible to the naked eyeThis week offers an excellent opportunity to track down Saturn. The giant plan…
‘This is dangerous’: slime moulds and the bitter debate over the nature of intelligence – podcast
Scientists are battling over whether supposedly simple organisms should be considered ‘intelligent’. The outcome could reshape our understanding of the natural world – and our own…
Nature-strip gardens are a paradise for pollinators in your street
In front of most Australian houses, between the sidewalk and the road, runs a strip of land most people never really think about. In Australia, it's called the nature strip, but i…
Too many males to choose from can overwhelm female frogs—and change who gets to mate
If you've ever felt overwhelmed by menu options at a restaurant, cereal varieties at the grocery store or potential partners while scrolling through dating apps, you've experience…
One giant clam contains a month‑by‑month diary of the Great Barrier Reef's climate 200 years ago
When you swim through the azure waters of the Great Barrier Reef, there is one creature on the seafloor that's almost impossible to miss: the giant clam. Its huge, fluted shell fr…
Do humans really have a ‘lizard brain’ lurking beneath our rational minds?
It’s a powerful analogy that captured the popular consciousness, but the biological reality may be quite differentHumans have a cognitive quirk for the number three. Think of the …
New imaging technologies offer a clearer view of coral reef change
From a drone flying above the waves to a camera just inches from the seafloor, University of Miami researchers are transforming how scientists observe coral reefs and measure chan…
Newly discovered hair cells on squid may offer clues to understanding hearing loss in humans
Scientists have known for years that squid have cells with bundles of tiny, hairlike protrusions on their heads and arms, similar to those buried deep inside the human ear that al…
A short breath extends the mating calls of male tokay geckos
Tokay geckos (Gekko gecko), large and mostly nocturnal geckos native to parts of Asia, are among the few nonbird reptiles that make sounds to attract potential mates, defend their…
Energy production, virus defenses and toxin loading emerge as vulnerabilities in resistant bacteria
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the world's top public health threats. Often termed a silent pandemic, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria have caused millions of deaths annually.…
Scientists search for answers as baby whales wash up dead in Argentina
Investigators in Argentina are trying to solve the mystery of baby whales washing up dead in unusually high numbers along the country's Patagonian coast.
Marine biologists discover new plankton off Oregon coast
Nearly every morning when she was a doctoral student in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), Nicole Nakata, Ph.D. '23 (biology), would cross the street from the Oregon Institut…
Mowing less, spraying smarter give pollinators a boost
Roadsides may not look like wildlife habitat, but a few simple changes to how they are maintained could turn them into much better places for pollinators. A new uOttawa-led study …
American beech trees may carry genetic resistance to deadly leaf disease
A study led by scientists at the Holden Arboretum has found evidence that beech leaf disease (BLD) symptom development is genetically controlled, providing the first evidence that…
Plasma-activated water tests show concentration matters for effective bacterial disinfection
In a study published in npj Clean Water, researchers from EPFL investigated how Escherichia coli responds to different concentrations of plasma-activated water (PAW) under nutrien…
Why a food poisoning bacterium can cause severe wound infections
The toxin NheABC, produced by Bacillus cereus, is particularly active in the pH conditions found in open wounds. Researchers at Umeå University found that the toxin damages both c…
Computer-designed protein targets immune receptor linked to inflammation at new 'undruggable' site
To sense their environment and respond accordingly, cells enlist membrane proteins as communication hubs, receiving molecular messages from outside and triggering responses inside…
New algorithm makes maps of gene activity easier to compare while preserving cell-level detail
Spatial transcriptomics can reveal where thousands of genes are active across a tissue, creating molecular maps at single-cell resolution. But comparing two such maps is difficult…
Animals may have evolved vastly earlier than fossil evidence suggests
The earliest animals may have evolved hundreds of millions of years before their first unmistakable fossils appear in the fossil record, according to a new study led by the Univer…
Millions of years of evolution guide AI search for pollution-fighting enzymes
Databases around the world contain information on millions upon millions of enzymes that have the potential to degrade pollutants like plastic. Scientists at Murdoch University's …
Q&A: Why are red squirrels endangered—and can we save them?
The red squirrel was once a familiar sight across Britain. Today, it has disappeared from much of its former range. Dr. Kat Hamill, senior lecturer in zoology at Nottingham Trent …
A 'reality check' for lab-grown human embryo models
University of Sydney researchers have developed a new way to test how closely lab-grown biological models resemble real human embryos, finding that while some models perform well,…