Biology
Can you solve it? Isaac Newton’s tower drop puzzle
The problem that changed the worldToday’s puzzle played a pivotal role in the birth of classical phyics.The tower dropslightly to the westslightly to the eastexactly at the bottom…
Starwatch: Tracking down the faint stars of Pisces
Below the southern edge of the Great Square of Pegasus lie the fishes, linked by two stringsThis week we will track down Pisces, the fishes. Despite being one of the largest zodia…
What the smell of a soil can tell us about soil health
Farmers used to sniff their soil to gauge how healthy it was. According to ecologist Rosa Boone, you can deduce a great deal from its smell: "The fungi and bacteria present in the…
Japan's 2011 tsunami sparked fish hybridization, but species boundaries largely held
How are species boundaries maintained in the face of environmental disturbance? This is not only a fundamental question in evolutionary biology but also an increasingly important …
Finding homes for whales and dolphins when parks close isn't easy—sea sanctuaries aren't the answer
When Marineland Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario, closed in September 2024, it had no regular income to support the care of the 30 belugas and four dolphins housed there. To ensur…
Soil protection measures can make agri-photovoltaics more sustainable
Agri-photovoltaics combines electricity generation and agriculture on the same land—to ensure this works well in the long term, it is worth taking a closer look at the soil. Resea…
DNA reveals chemosynthesis genes in bacteria living on coral reef fish gills
Chemosynthetic bacteria have been documented in various marine environments and in association with invertebrate hosts such as annelid worms and mollusks, but their presence in fi…
Why earwigs infected by parasitic worms head towards water
Earwigs, small, elongated insects with distinctive pincers at the rear of their abdomens, have little reason to enter open water. While many earwig species are attracted to damp e…
Crop protection: A new method for understanding insect sexual communication
A team of INRAE scientists, in collaboration with Université Côte d'Azur and Nanjing Agricultural University in China, has used an innovative AI-based method to identify the sex p…
Molecular 'self-destruct' switch discovered: How stressed cells decide between survival and death
A new study from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) has identified a molecular switch that controls whether stressed human cells activate a survival mechanism or trigger pro…
Guatemala ensures survival of vulnerable 'fossil' fish
In a freshwater canal surrounded by mangroves in southern Guatemala, hundreds of baby tropical gars—a torpedo-shaped fish with an alligator-like snout dubbed the "fossil fish"—are…
A 'library' of bacteria-killing viruses: Harnessing the power of phages
An estimated 38 trillion bacteria live in the human body—and only a small fraction are harmful to our health. However, the harmful ones can cause serious illness, especially when …
Breaking and entering: How parasites prepare host cells for invasion
Before the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can invade a cell, it has to know it has reached the right place. New research from the Whitehead Institute reveals that the parasite doesn't…
How cells rapidly detect viruses that fuse with their membranes
Researchers have figured out a missing piece of the puzzle of how human cells detect invading viruses and mount an immune response within an hour.
Critically endangered species in the heart of Africa: Investigating Hooded Vultures in Chad
Slaughterhouses are places most people never want to go, and might seem like unlikely places to search for rare or endangered species. In West Africa, however, they are among the …
Mitochondrial protein complexes: A single amino acid can jeopardize their stability
Removing a single amino acid can determine whether new proteins assemble into stable complexes within mitochondria. An enzyme carries out this precise trimming at the start of mit…
Natural proteins can guide active ingredients to diseased cells
After taking a pill, the drugs it contains are distributed throughout the body, reaching the tissues and cells affected by disease and performing their intended function. However,…
Previously overlooked protein helps cells divide correctly
Modern technologies have made it possible to uncover a growing "hidden proteome"—proteins encoded by parts of the genome that researchers previously overlooked. Advances in sequen…
Plant root injuries unleash pressure waves that travel long distances
When plant roots are injured—by insects, for example—the pressure inside the root drops, and a pressure wave spreads rapidly throughout the root system. In neighboring roots, tiny…
Earth microbes survive simulated conditions of Saturn moon’s ocean
Experiment suggests organisms could live in harsh environment under Enceladus’s icy crust, strengthening possibility moon could support lifeFrom the moment scientists spotted plum…
Scientists supercharge plant immunity to boost its natural defense response
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a way to "supercharge" a plant's natural immune response.
Molecular network resource identifies unknown compounds for biomarker discovery
Medical researchers, clinicians and pharmaceutical scientists often study small molecules called metabolites, which are produced in living cells through a variety of processes, in…
Spacecraft returns to Earth after rescue mission for ageing Nasa telescope fails
Series of in-flight problems meant Link, a ‘commercial space robot’, could not salvage the Nasa observatoryA spacecraft that was launched in July on a mission to rescue a decaying…
Researchers track emerging pathogens at Arctic bird gathering
Every year, birds migrate north and gather in a single location in the Arctic, and a team of University of Kentucky researchers is collaborating with Alaska Native communities to …