Maternal stress during pregnancy may shorten lifespans of male lizard offspring
Mother fence lizards that experience stress during pregnancy give birth to male offspring with shortened telomeres, or bits of non-coding DNA that cap the ends of chromosomes, according to a Penn State-led study. Shorter telomeres are associated with.....»»
Study finds seeds with and without pericarps adopt distinct germination strategies
Dry fruits are divided into dehiscent and indehiscent types based on whether the pericarp splits open after reaching maturity. As a maternal tissue, the pericarp may provide seeds with different germination strategies......»»
One more way to die: Tremors when Vesuvius erupted collapsed shelter walls
Two male skeletons showed signs of severe fracture and trauma injuries. Enlarge / Two skeletons found in the ruins of a Pompeii building may have been crushed by wall collapses triggered by earthquakes. (credit: Pompeii Archaeolo.....»»
Tracing millions of years of geologic stress in the Andean Plateau
The Andean Plateau in South America rises, on average, more than 4,000 meters above sea level, formed by orogenic uplift that began more than 20 million years ago. Orogeny occurs at convergent plate margins as compressed plates crumple upward, result.....»»
Asexual reproduction usually leads to a lack of genetic diversity. Not for these ants
Genetic diversity is essential to the survival of a species. It's easy enough to maintain if a species reproduces sexually; an egg and a sperm combine genetic material from two creatures into one, forming a genomically robust offspring with two disti.....»»
Overheard: Stressed in the shop? Start with breathing
Handling stress and anxiety in the service department begins with intentional breathing, said Joshua Taylor, author of "Wrench Turners Wellness Survey" on "FWRD: An EasyCare Podcast.".....»»
AI"s Energy Demands Are Out of Control. Welcome to the Internet"s Hyper-Consumption Era
Generative artificial intelligence tools, now part of the everyday user experience online, are causing stress on local power grids and mass water evaporation......»»
From bands to spots, the secrets of the leopard gecko"s skin
While the patterns and colors of lizards' skin are fascinating, the mechanisms behind them are largely unknown. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) studied the leopard gecko, a popular lizard, to understand how the bands on the skin of juven.....»»
Team discovers a new defense mechanism in bacteria
When confronted with an antibiotic, toxic substance, or other source of considerable stress, bacteria are able to activate a defense mechanism using cell-to-cell communication to "warn" unaffected bacteria, which can then anticipate, shield themselve.....»»
Researchers listen to the hearts of bats in flight
Researchers from Konstanz have measured the heart rate of bats over several days in the wild, including complete flights—the first time this has been done for a bat species. To record the heart rate of male common noctule bats during flight, the sc.....»»
Study reveals how stress pathways activate a cell"s emergency response procedures
Mayday! SOS! Distress signals like these are used around the world to indicate an emergency. The cells that make up your body also have their own versions of emergency signals. These get activated if a cell is infected by a virus or bacteria, or if t.....»»
"Vaults" within germ cells offer more than safekeeping
Maternal messenger RNAs (mRNAs), located within the cytoplasm of an immature egg, are crucial for jump starting development. Following fertilization, these mRNAs are passed onto the zygote, the first newly formed cell......»»
Caterpillars pass down food preferences to offspring through blood
Many caterpillars are known for their specific food preferences, which they bring with them when they morph into butterflies. For instance, the monarch butterfly only feeds on milkweed plants, while the Lime butterfly feeds on lime leaves. Despite de.....»»
Pregnant fish can also get "baby brain," but not the way that mammals do
New research reveals that pregnancy-related brain impairment is present in live-bearing fish, but instead of affecting learning and memory as expected from similar research on mammals, it appears to have a stronger impact on decision-making and senso.....»»
Synthesis method for 1D segmented heteronanostructures uses stress-induced axial ordering
One-dimensional segmented heteronanostructures (1D-SHs) are promising candidates in fields such as photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) and thermoelectrics. Currently, the synthesis of 1D-SHs mainly focuses on sulfides and selenides, with relatively less rese.....»»
Can’t stop your cat from scratching the furniture? Science has some tips
Aggressive scratching is a stress response; small children are a common source of stress Enlarge / Ariel and Caliban learned as kittens that scratching posts were fair game for their natural claw-sharpening instincts. (credit: Se.....»»
A pregnant stingray with no male companion now has a "reproductive disease," aquarium says
A North Carolina aquarium that said it had a pregnant stingray with no male companion now says the fish has a rare reproductive disease......»»
Mussels downstream of wastewater treatment plant contain radium, study reports
Burrowed into streambeds and rarely moving for their decades-long lifespans, freshwater mussels are biomonitors, meaning they indicate how clean their environment is, according to Penn State researchers. As the bivalves feed on organic matter and fil.....»»
Apple offers peek at how it stress tests the iPhone
Apple has invited popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee to see up close how it tests the durability of the iPhone before launch......»»
New sensing techniques can detect drought tolerance in ancient crops, may inform new breeding programs
Drought is the most devastating environmental stress that farmers face worldwide. With the added pressures of climate change, drought years have become less predictable, more frequent and more severe......»»
Study reveals maintenance of male-related genes after loss of males in stick insects
Traits are often lost during evolution, either because they are no longer beneficial or because they are too costly to maintain. When this happens, it is generally believed that the genes underlying the trait will eventually degrade as well, making i.....»»