Biology
The molecular mechanism that regulates TMEM63B lipid scrambling
TMEM63B, a mechanosensitive lipid scramblase, has an autoinhibitory domain in its C-terminal tail that helps keep it inactive under resting conditions, researchers from the Instit…
Biologists may have discovered two of the world's loudest birds
University of Massachusetts Amherst's Jeff Podos and his former graduate student João C.T. Menezes have identified two contenders for the title of world's loudest bird: the bare-t…
Nature-strip gardens boost biodiversity, bugs and social benefits
University of Melbourne researchers have found that planting native gardens on suburban nature strips can boost urban biodiversity, with insect numbers increasing sevenfold and th…
New sound catalog reveals who's who in the world of killer whales
A new open-access catalog of whale calls will help researchers and orca enthusiasts identify distinct killer whale populations, clans and family groups by their vocalizations alon…
Backcountry recreation and roads linked to fewer wolverines in Canadian mountains
Wildlife researchers have found that both recreation and roads affect wolverine populations in Canada's Rocky Mountains and Columbia Mountains.
How bumblebees keep up with a flower that won't stay still
Landing on a moving target is a challenge for all flying animals. For bumblebees, a flower swaying in the wind creates an erratic landing pad. Reaching it means matching its sidew…
Whole genome duplication shaped the evolution of the salmon family
Evolution is driven by changes in DNA that sometimes promote adaptation, altering traits like disease resistance or reproduction. Often, these changes are minuscule, modifying a s…
AI identifies Senegal's smallholder crops 84% of the time using limited training data
Food in Senegal is mostly grown on small-scale, rain-dependent farms, leaving much of the population vulnerable to climate shocks, according to the World Food Programme. However, …
Are household cleaning products damaging our health? – podcast
Our use of cleaning products has increased since the pandemic, but do we understand what they could be doing to our health? The journalist Rebecca Seal recently wrote for the Guar…
When microbial DNA is scarce, new profiling method helps separate genuine signals from contamination
In acute, life-threatening infections, rapidly characterizing the microorganisms in a patient sample can help guide diagnosis and treatment. Computational methods known as taxonom…
Assembly pathway reveals how bacteria build protein coils that extend in acid
The assembly pathway behind refractile-body proteins may have finally been resolved, researchers from Science Tokyo report. Using genetic engineering and several techniques for an…
Avian odysseys: Tracking raptor migrations from Europe to Africa
At the southwest tip of Sweden, the Falsterbo Peninsula stretches into the Baltic Sea, creating a natural bottleneck for hundreds of millions of birds traveling south for the wint…
Mapping the 'social network' of proteins in the cell to understand how genes shape living things
One of biology's fundamental questions is how our genes shape who we are. Adrian Serohijos and Stephen Michnick, professors in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicin…
Changing climate may influence risks from deadly rodent-borne diseases
Changes in rainfall can trigger increases in rodent populations and subsequent spikes in infection, new research has found, revealing how a changing climate could have consequence…
Hibernating bacteria can invade hospitals and survive outer space—but their energy budget reveals a weakness
A spore is a bacterium's survival capsule: dried almost solid and wrapped in protein armor, with its chemical processes shut down. Bacteria enter this state of hibernation when en…
Invasive marine species set to take advantage of rising seas
More than two-thirds of newly flooded coastlines worldwide could become suitable habitat for 122 non-native marine species—including Chinese mitten crabs, Pacific oysters and Asia…
To find a host cricket, this parasitic fly listens to more than the beat
A pregnant female Ormia ochracea fly has a challenging problem to solve. She must listen for the song of a male cricket, locate him in the dark and use him as a host for her devel…
Coast redwoods slow their 'breathing' and 'eating' when temperatures spike
California's iconic coast redwoods are used to growing in cool, coastal areas where the average temperature is around 59 degrees F (15 degrees Celsius). But as average yearly temp…
New tool tracks a hidden protein involved in viral infection and cell cleanup
Viruses such as influenza A and dengue can hijack a cellular system that helps manage protein aggregates. Previous work by FMI emeritus group leader Patrick Matthias and his team …
The Andes were supposed to stop this cacao killer. They didn't.
Black pod disease destroys up to a quarter of the world's cacao every year, roughly 700,000 metric tons worth more than $2 billion. The water mold responsible across the Americas …
Without water, forests lose their ability to absorb CO₂
To survive periods of drought, trees halt photosynthesis, a highly water-intensive process. For every molecule of CO₂ absorbed by a tree leaf, an average of around 400 water molec…
Shared DNA switch turns on genes in both bacteria and yeast
Microbial cell factories that produce pharmaceutical ingredients and other useful compounds include both the bacterium Escherichia coli and yeast, the organism used to leaven brea…
Dengue fever outbreak prompts Florida counties to declare state of emergency
CDC says 392 cases of Dengue were reported for the year so far in the state, along with different county-level dataSeveral Florida counties recently declared a state of local emer…
Blue-light tools let researchers track, redirect and sever cells' transport routes
Light is fundamental to human life—without it, we'd be hungry, cold and blind. But what if the same light that sustains us could also be used to control and observe parts of cells…