Biology
Iguanodon shinbone growth may be first evidence of an infected skin ulcer in a dinosaur
Fossilized bones can reveal a wealth of details about animals, including their size, appearance, what they ate and any injuries they may have suffered. In a paper published in the…
How cells teach themselves to move together
Scientists have long wondered how cells organized into sheets begin to move together to form organs, especially when the sheets form closed, sphere-like surfaces and tissues with …
Health record analysis of one million cattle identifies early prevention as key to reducing feedlot respiratory deaths
New research involving more than 1 million Australian feedlot cattle has found that the strongest predictors of death from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are established before …
New 'devil flower' species discovered in Thai national park
Researchers have described a new species of leafless flowering plant found on the forest floor of a national park in western Thailand, and its otherworldly appearance has earned i…
Tracking emperor penguins from space
For the first time, geographers from Durham University have used freely available satellite radar images to track emperor penguins through the polar winter—giving a year-round vie…
US medical groups urge people to get flu and Covid shots in counter to Trump guidance
Top medical groups band together to ease confusion from Trump administration’s changing immunization adviceLeading US medical groups are urging people to get updated flu and Covid…
Exotic pines in the Southern Hemisphere grow faster and are more drought-resistant, study reveals
A new study published in the journal Nature reveals that conifers planted outside their native range in the Southern Hemisphere not only grow up to four times faster than those in…
Electric fish keep from blinding themselves with these brain cells
The brain cells you see in the above image help an African fish decode electric signals to spot prey, scan its murky surroundings and communicate with its fellows. By rigorously m…
Mammalian genes can combine to make previously unknown mRNAs and proteins
For decades, scientists have understood that each of the roughly 20,000 genes in the human body carries instructions for a single kind of protein. Now, researchers at Harvard Medi…
Wind damage can trigger years of forest vulnerability
Windstorms are among the most important natural disturbances in Northern Europe, where they cause extensive tree mortality, timber losses and long-lasting changes in forest struct…
Bio-based plastic turns into fertilizer after use
Plastic waste is one of the world's fastest-growing environmental problems. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Global Plastics Outlook: Poli…
DNA testing shows what's really in Western Australian fish and chip shop 'shark' filets
Shark products sold at Western Australian fish-and-chips shops are often labeled too ambiguously or, in some cases, mislabeled, leaving consumers unsure which species they are buy…
A summer odyssey: Female dotterels seek multiple mates across Northern Europe
On a high Norwegian plateau in late May, patches of bare ground begin to appear through the snow, and with them arrive some of Europe's most approachable birds. Eurasian dotterels…
Beneficial bacteria support tomato growth and suppress disease
Bacterial canker, a vascular infection, can wreak havoc on tomato plants, with symptoms ranging from wilted leaves to the collapse of an entire plant. Clavibacter michiganensis, t…
Seven new species show 250-million-year-old marine group is still evolving
Scientists believed there were only two species of hornerid bryozoans in Aotearoa New Zealand, but new research shows several more have been secretly evolving and thriving in the …
Peacock-like displays outpace antlers and tusks in evolutionary change, model suggests
Many animal species, ranging from peacocks and birds of paradise to some lizards, fish and beetles, display physical features or ornaments that can attract potential mates. These …
Mountains may offer climate refugia for one of North America's most imperiled turtles
As climate warming pushes many species toward cooler environments, high-elevation areas are expected to play an increasingly important role in biodiversity conservation. A new stu…
Bovine stem cells offer new approach to future cultivated steak research
Cultivated meat aims to produce meat from animal cells in the laboratory without needing to raise a living animal for meat production. It has been proposed as a potentially more s…
Eight-letter DNA alphabet is accurately transcribed by a natural enzyme
All known life on Earth uses the same genetic alphabet, consisting of four letters. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego have demonstrated that one of biolog…
Almost half of world’s farmers poisoned by pesticides every year, experts find
Study reveals that pesticide poisoning kills 11,000 people each year, with India accounting for nearly 60% of fatalitiesAlmost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticid…
Scientists discover the key ingredients that make birdsong pretty
What makes birdsong beautiful? Answering this question could help us understand how soundscapes make the natural world relaxing for humans, opening the door to improving parks, up…
Agentic AI accelerates search for crops that can harvest critical minerals
For too long, the United States has relied on foreign sources for most of the raw materials powering its technological future: the essential minerals in every smartphone, battery …
Magnetic beads streamline large-scale analysis of disease-linked glycopeptides
A research team has developed a reliable, economical laboratory method that uses tiny magnetic beads to study proteins with sugar molecules attached to them in blood and tissue sa…
Algorithm improves detection of differentially expressed genes in large single-cell trajectory data sets
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a method for measuring gene expression in individual cells, allowing observation of various cellular processes, including cell differenti…