How animals get their stripes and spots
Nature has no shortage of patterns, from spots on leopards to stripes on zebras and hexagons on boxfish. But a full explanation for how these patterns form has remained elusive......»»
New biosensor illuminates physiological signals in living animals
Eric Schreiter and Luke Lavis thought they had figured it out. In 2021, the Janelia group leaders reported that they had developed a way to combine Schreiter's engineered protein biosensors and Lavis's bright, fluorescent Janelia Fluor dyes......»»
Female elephants rumble to say "let"s go!" Namibian study shows males do too, a sign of unexpected social bonds
In elephant family groups made up of related females and their young, it is clear that the animals produce vocal sounds to coordinate action. This happens when it's time to leave a waterhole, for example. The matriarch or dominant female steps away f.....»»
A new genetic analysis of animals in the Wuhan market in 2019 may help find COVID-19"s origin
A new genetic analysis of animals in the Wuhan market in 2019 may help find COVID-19"s origin.....»»
Beetles cooperate on tricky dung moves
Dung beetles are among the strongest animals in the world. They also possess an exceptional ability to cooperate. Research shows that female and male spider dung beetles together are able to move large dung balls across difficult obstacles. However,.....»»
A single peptide helps starfish get rid of a limb when attacked
A signaling molecule that's so potent injected animals may drop more than one limb. Enlarge (credit: Hal Beral) For many creatures, having a limb caught in a predator’s mouth is usually a death sentence. Not starfish,.....»»
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (September 2024)
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video include Nocturnal Animals, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Snack Shack, Election, The Hobbit trilogy, The Crow, and more......»»
Remembering where your meals came from key for a small bird’s survival
For small birds, remembering where the food is beats forgetting when it's gone. Enlarge (credit: BirdImages) It seems like common sense that being smart should increase the chances of survival in wild animals. Yet for a.....»»
JunoCam spots new volcano on active Io
A new volcano has been spotted on Jupiter's moon Io, the most geologically active place in the solar system. Analysis of the first close-up images of Io in over 25 years, captured by the JunoCam instrument on NASA's Juno mission, reveal the emergence.....»»
Modeling study explains why amazon is such a biodiverse paradise
The Amazon rainforest is home to a remarkable variety of plants and animals not found anywhere else on Earth, with some species only located in certain areas, but the reason for this has perplexed and divided scientists for decades......»»
Promoting horse welfare with an intestinal disease screening method
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, are developing a promising method to support the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in horses. Awareness of the prevalence of IBD in both humans and animals has increased in recent de.....»»
A roadmap for using viruses to enhance crop performance
Humans, livestock and companion animals benefit from virus-based vaccines and gene therapies, but crops do not. This paradox is highlighted by an international research group led by the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Plants (IBMCP) wi.....»»
Greenpeace sounds alarm on microplastics ingested by Hong Kong wildlife
Microplastic particles turned up in the vast majority of waste samples taken from Hong Kong wildlife in a Greenpeace study, the group said Monday, suggesting that animals still ingest plastics even if they are not feeding in urban areas......»»
Hijacking the command center of the cell: Nuclear parasites in deep-sea mussels
Most animals live in intimate relationships with bacteria. Some of these bacteria live inside the cells of their hosts, but only very few are able to live inside cell organelles (structures inside the cell, like organs in the body). One group of bact.....»»
Plant thermogenesis has played key role in attracting pollinating insects for at least 200 million years, study suggests
Thermogenesis is a process by which organisms generate internal heat. Although it is usually associated with animals, some plants have also developed this ability. This metabolic process allows certain parts of the plant, such as flowers and inflores.....»»
For many animals sleep is a social activity, but the interconnections are not fully understood
Group sleeping can impact when animals sleep, how long they sleep for, and how deeply they sleep. For example, groups of meerkats time their sleep according to "sleep traditions"; olive baboons sleep less when their group size increases; bumblebees s.....»»
New filter removes chemical contaminants from water even at very low concentrations
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products pose a major environmental threat. These chemicals, found in everyday items like medicines and cosmetics, can pollute waterways, harming the plants and animals living in the waterways and the humans who use.....»»
Miniature treadmills accelerate studies of insects walking
Fruit flies walking on miniature treadmills are helping scientists learn how the nervous system enables animals to move in an unpredictable and complex world......»»
Plankton mark seasons in the sea, just like leaves and flowers on land
Britain's seas are rich in wildlife, but many of its species can only be seen with a microscope. These are the plankton—tiny algae and animals found throughout the ocean that are the foundation of the entire marine food web......»»
James Webb spots another pair of galaxies forming a question mark
Webb has stumbled across a question mark-shaped galaxy, and the reasons for its uniqueness reveal how the telescope looks at some of the most distant galaxies......»»
Dozens of viruses detected in Chinese fur farm animals
Dozens of viruses have been detected mixing in animals at fur farms in China, some of which are new and have the potential to spill over into humans, researchers said Wednesday......»»