Monarchs evolved mutations to withstand milkweed toxins; so did their predators
Monarch butterflies and their close relatives thrive on poisonous milkweed, thanks to genetic mutations that block the effects of the plant's toxins while allowing the poisons to accumulate in the caterpillar or adult insects as deterrents to hungry.....»»
Harnessing the power of healthy cells to suppress skin cancer formation
Our healthy skin is a mosaic of both normal and mutation-bearing cells. As we age, a growing number of cells accumulate more mutations including those that can cause cancer. Eventually these mutant cells fueled by environmental insults, such as high.....»»
How moths create invisibility cloaks preventing detection by predators using biosonar
Researchers from University of Bristol and Diamond Light Source have uncovered how moths create a powerful stealth cloak preventing detection by biosonar. This work (Bio-Inspired Urban Adaptations: What Insects Can Teach Us About Dealing with Noise).....»»
Monarchs" white spots shown to aid migration
If you've ever wondered how the monarch butterfly got its spots, University of Georgia researchers may have just found the answer......»»
Understanding how chemical communication evolved in insects
All around us, insects are speaking to each other: jockeying for mates, searching for food, and trying to avoid becoming someone else's next meal. Some of this communication is easy to spot—like the flashes of fireflies on a summer night or a screa.....»»
Researchers focus on function to help identify genetic changes that made us human
Humans split away from our closest animal relatives, chimpanzees, and formed our own branch on the evolutionary tree about seven million years ago. In the time since—brief, from an evolutionary perspective—our ancestors evolved the traits that ma.....»»
These long-necked reptiles were decapitated by their predators, fossil evidence confirms
In the age of dinosaurs, many marine reptiles had extremely long necks compared to reptiles today. While it was clearly a successful evolutionary strategy, paleontologists have long suspected that their long-necked bodies made them vulnerable to pred.....»»
Overfishing pushes reef sharks toward extinction: study
Overfishing is driving coral reef sharks towards extinction, according to a global study out Thursday that signals far greater peril to the marine predators than previously thought......»»
Centromere plasticity and diversity: Researchers identify a novel type of centromere organization
Holocentric chromosomes have evolved independently from X-shaped monocentric chromosomes multiple times in both animals and plants, but the mechanism behind the centromere-type transition is unknown. Now, an international research team has assembled.....»»
New insights into the origin of food sharing among humans
As humans evolved to hunt, gather and share food, cooperation provided a key to our success as a species. While chimpanzees and other primates sometimes share food, humans stand out. As hunter-gatherers—the subsistence strategy that all humans foll.....»»
"Smartphones" for sharks: Scientists upgrade sensors to keep track of Cape Cod"s white sharks
Scientists monitoring the white shark population in the waters off Massachusetts' Cape Cod are attaching improved sensors, including cameras, to the predators to help scientists keep track of their whereabouts and to keep beachgoers informed and safe.....»»
Light pollution confuses a color-changing coastal woodlouse, new research shows
The sea slater is an inch-long woodlouse that lives around the high-tide line and is common in the UK and Europe. Sea slaters forage at night and can change color to blend in and conceal themselves from predators......»»
Scientists show how some of Earth"s earliest animals evolved
Lacking bones, brains, and even a complete gut, the body plans of simple animals like sea anemones appear to have little in common with humans and their vertebrate kin. Nevertheless, new research from Investigator Matt Gibson, Ph.D., at the Stowers I.....»»
New insight into how xeroderma pigmentosum causative gene products ensure the accuracy of DNA repair
Our genomic DNA is continuously damaged by endogenous factors such as reactive oxygen species, and also by environmental factors such as ultraviolet light, radiation, and chemicals. Failure to repair damaged DNA may induce mutations and cell death, e.....»»
This tiny, all-weather Blink security camera is on sale for $60
The Blink Outdoor security camera, built to withstand the elements and can run on two AA lithium batteries for up to two years, is on sale from Amazon for $60......»»
Underwater noise shown to disturb feeding behavior of marine organisms
Many marine organisms, such as fish, marine mammals and crustaceans, produce and use sound to navigate, reproduce, detect prey and avoid predators. However, anthropogenic sound, for example from the construction and operation of offshore wind farms,.....»»
How ‘Diablo IV’ evolved into the darkest ‘Diablo’ yet
How one of the biggest franchises in gaming is leveraging design to evolve. The year is 1996. The biggest TV show is ER. The biggest website is AOL.com. And Independence Day will top Twister to win the box office.Read Full Story.....»»
These Predators Had a Face like an Axe and Will Haunt Your Nightmares
Terror birds were the grizzly bears of birds, the great white sharks of the land, Jack the Ripper but with feathers. They were also truly fascinating......»»
Study finds socially tolerant monkeys have better impulse control
Researchers have tested one of the ideas put forward to explain how humanity evolved to become smarter, on non-human primates......»»
Birds and bats enhance yields for cacao farmers in northern Peru, study finds
Healthy bat and bird populations don't only help to keep the endangered tropical dry forests of northern Peru in equilibrium. For the region's farmers of cacao—the main ingredient in chocolate—these predators are worth almost $1,000 per hectare o.....»»
Study suggests long-lived tree species play greater role in generating genetic diversity
A study of the relationship between the growth rate of tropical trees and the frequency of genetic mutations they accumulate suggests that older, long-lived trees play a greater role in generating and maintaining genetic diversity than short-lived tr.....»»