How a Carnivorous Mushroom Poisons Its Prey
Scientists have known for decades that oyster mushrooms feasted on roundworms—and they’ve finally figured out how their toxins work -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Single gene causes stinging cell to lose its sting
When scientists disabled a single regulatory gene in a species of sea anemone, a stinging cell that shoots a venomous miniature harpoon for hunting and self-defense shifted to shoot a sticky thread that entangles prey instead, according to a new stud.....»»
Narwhals" climate-vulnerable winter feeding crucial for survival: study
Narwhals are likely more dependent on fat reserves and abundant prey in climate-threatened winter habitats than previously thought, researchers said Wednesday, warning of severe risks posed by global warming......»»
Songbird species work together to mob predator owls, but only strike when the time is right
Fleeing isn't the only way by which songbirds can protect themselves against predators. Many songbird species are known to engage in mobbing, where they gather aggressively around a bird of prey, flying rapidly while making stereotypic movements and.....»»
Optical tweezers untangle chemotherapy agent"s impact on DNA
New Cornell research is providing a fresh view into the ways a common chemotherapy agent, etoposide, stalls and poisons the essential enzymes that allow cancer cells to flourish......»»
By learning to hunt otters, wolves decimate a deer population
On an Alaskan island, wolves adapted to hunt an unexpected aquatic prey. Enlarge / So cute yet—for some animals—so tasty. (credit: Arthur Morris) People love otters, wolves, and deer. Respectively, they’re crafty,.....»»
New method can determine how much a predatory fish eats, which can contribute to more sustainable fishing
Imagine that in the future, we know exactly how many fish we can catch without negatively impacting either the stock of predatory fish or their prey—and that we can actually regulate the amount of fish if an excess of, say, cod suddenly occurs in a.....»»
Carnivorous oyster mushrooms can kill roundworms with “nerve gas in a lollipop”
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry ID'd the culprit as the volatile ketone 3-octanone. Enlarge / Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) serenely growing on a tree trunk in a forest. But nematodes beware! These oyster mushrooms.....»»
Island tiger snakes" skulls adapt to eat large sea bird chicks
A study by researchers from the University of Adelaide and other institutions has found that in a population of island tiger snakes, the bones in their jaws increase in length after feeding on large prey, while their mainland counterparts show no cha.....»»
China"s giant chip ambitions fall prey to Covid turmoil
For years, China was the world's biggest spender on chip incentives, a scale unmatched from Washington to Tokyo. Now, the effort to combat Covid and deal with the threat of a global recession is depleting state coffers and forcing Beijing to rethink.....»»
Up close and personal: Dolphin POV caught on camera while hunting tasty fish
Accompanying audio recorded dolphins squealing in victory when they captured prey. Enlarge / "I spy with my dolphin eye... something that looks like prey!" (credit: Ridgway et al., 2022, PLOS ONE/CC-BY 4.0) There's ra.....»»
Up close and personal: Dolphin POV caught on camera while hunting for tasty fish
Accompanying audio recorded dolphins squealing in victory when they captured prey. Enlarge / "I spy with my dolphin eye... something that looks like prey!" (credit: Ridgway et al., 2022, PLOS ONE/CC-BY 4.0) There's ra.....»»
Time to strike antifreeze off your list of usable poisons?
Ethylene glycol is the most common ingredient in automotive antifreeze. But for years, it was used in deadly poisonings......»»
Not all mushrooms are alike: How fine underground braids could remedy heavy metal contamination
Among domestic mushroom pickers in Germany it goes without saying that many edible mushrooms in our forests are still contaminated with radionuclides as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Less well known is that mushrooms can also accum.....»»
When was the first time life began to prey on each other?
Using the word predation may seem surprising when we talk about the first organisms that set out to eat other organisms, for they were not deadly predators with sharp teeth and claws, but small single-celled life forms that swam around in the primord.....»»
Scientists discover what was on the menu of the first dinosaurs
The earliest dinosaurs included carnivorous, omnivorous and herbivorous species, according to a team of University of Bristol paleobiologists......»»
A dangerous pesticide isn"t being monitored in key bird of prey populations. We"re shedding light on that gap
It was once regarded as a miracle chemical to protect against disease and improve global food production. The man who discovered its properties even won a Nobel Prize for medicine. But today, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) is best known for it.....»»
How giant-faced owls snag voles hidden in snow
Hovering over a target helps giant-faced Great Gray owls pinpoint prey hidden beneath as much as two feet of snow......»»
Project seeks to learn how to grow super mushrooms, with termites as teachers
Termites have cultivated and eaten them for 30 million years. This incredible mushroom has more protein than chicken, soy and corn, but has yet to be grown by humans. By imitating termites, scientists at the University of Copenhagen will investigate.....»»
Study explores link between shark nose shape, size and sensitivity of smell
Sharks have reputations as "super smellers" that use olfaction to detect odors related to finding prey and mates, communicating with their own species and avoiding predators. Their olfactory system is unique because it is separate from the respirator.....»»
This Carnivorous Plant Has a Rain-Powered Trap
A biological “spring” helps a pitcher plant fling insects to their doom.....»»