Feline genetics help pinpoint first-ever domestication of cats
Nearly 10,000 years ago, humans settling in the Fertile Crescent, the areas of the Middle East surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made the first switch from hunter-gatherers to farmers. They developed close bonds with the rodent-eating cats.....»»
Genetics provide key to fight crown-of-thorns starfish
Scientists are one step closer to combating coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish, following a University of Queensland study into the pest's genetics......»»
Researchers breed tomato plants that contain the complete genetic material of both parent plants
In a new study published in Nature Genetics, led by Charles Underwood from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, scientists established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design.....»»
Educational research should pinpoint anti-Black aggressions to build better policy, scholar writes
Educational research has long lumped all people of color together when examining microaggressions perpetrated against them. A University of Kansas scholar has published an article that argues educational research should instead study anti-Black aggre.....»»
This Texas veterinarian helped crack the mystery of bird flu in cows
The first calls that Dr. Barb Petersen received in early March were from dairy owners worried about crows, pigeons and other birds dying on their Texas farms. Then came word that barn cats—half of them on one farm—had died suddenly......»»
More than half of cats on farm died after drinking milk from cows infected with bird flu
In yet another sign that bird flu is spreading widely among mammals, a new report finds more than half of cats at the first Texas dairy farm to have cows test positive for bird flu this spring died after drinking raw milk......»»
Gene seekers discover atypical genes that control multiple valuable soybean traits
A team led by Purdue University soybean geneticist Jianxin Ma has developed a new biotechnological tool for the domestication of desirable traits from wild soybeans, such as resistance to leafhopper insect pests. The use of such tools, called de novo.....»»
Evidence suggests saber-toothed cats held onto their baby teeth to stabilize their sabers
California's state fossil—are familiar to anyone who has ever visited Los Angeles' La Brea Tar Pits, a sticky trap from which more than 2,000 saber-toothed cat skulls have been excavated over more than a century......»»
Cats suffer H5N1 brain infections, blindness, death after drinking raw milk
Mammal-to-mammal transmission raises new concerns about the virus's ability to spread. Enlarge / Farm cats drinking from a trough of milk from cows that were just milked. (credit: Getty | ) On March 16, cows on a Texas d.....»»
New quarantine scheme could reduce risk of rabies reintroduction in the EU following Russian invasion, study finds
Rabies is a major concern to both human and animal health, with rabies in dogs and cats widespread in Eastern Europe, and there are concerns the war in Ukraine could pose a greater risk of rabies being reintroduced to the European Union (EU). A four-.....»»
Automated machine learning robot unlocks new potential for genetics research
University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have constructed a robot that uses machine learning to fully automate a complicated microinjection process used in genetic research......»»
Researchers uncover "parallel universe" in tomato genetics
In a paper appearing in Science Advances, Michigan State University researchers have unraveled a surprising genetic mystery centered on sugars found in what gardeners know as "tomato tar.".....»»
Pressure in the womb may influence facial development
Physical cues in the womb, and not just genetics, influence the normal development of neural crest cells, the embryonic stem cells that form facial features, finds a new study led by UCL researchers......»»
Researchers reveal a hidden trait in Mycobacterium genomes governing stress adaptation
A new study, led by Qingyun Liu, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Genetics, has uncovered a genetic feature known as "transcriptional plasticity," which plays a pivotal role in governing the transcriptional response of Mycobacteria to.....»»
James Webb Space Telescope data pinpoint possible aurorae on a cold brown dwarf
Using new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have discovered methane emission on a brown dwarf, an unexpected finding for such a cold and isolated world. Published in the journal Nature, the findings suggest that thi.....»»
First insights into the genetic bottleneck characterizing early sheep husbandry in the Neolithic period
Modern Eurasian sheep predominantly belong to only two so-called genetic matrilineages inherited through the ewes, so previous research has assumed that genetic diversity must already have decreased rapidly in the early stages of domestication of wil.....»»
Macroalgae genetics study sheds light on 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 independently and during very different time perio.....»»
Microplastic "hotspots" identified in Long Island Sound
Forensic and environmental experts have teamed up to develop a new scientific method to pinpoint microplastic pollution 'hotspots' in open waters. A study by Staffordshire University, The Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, and Central Wyoming College.....»»
Research uncovers why urine sprayed by cats emits a pungent odor
Cats communicate with others through their scents. One of their scent-marking behaviors is spraying urine on vertical surfaces such as walls and furniture. Although spraying plays an essential role in the feline world, it often poses challenges for p.....»»
Pet flea and tick treatments contain pesticides that end up washing into the environment
Responsible owners of the UK's 22 million cats and dogs may well have followed advice from many vets to treat pets with a monthly preventative "spot on" flea and tick treatment. However, these treatments are polluting our rivers and could pose a heal.....»»
New method reveals hidden activity of life below ground
A team of scientists led by researchers at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences have developed an innovative method to link the genetics and function of individual microbes living without oxygen deep below Earth's surface. Measuring both of these at.....»»