Prion disease: PRNP sequences of wild animals from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Tibetan antelope (Rhinopithecus), blue sheep (Pseudois nayauris), and plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) are wild animals living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. There have been no reports of naturally occurring transmissible spongioform encephalopathies.....»»
Study uncovers neural mechanisms underlying foraging behavior in freely moving animals
While foraging, animals including humans and monkeys are continuously making decisions about where to search for food and when to move among possible sources of sustenance......»»
Why zebrafish can regenerate damaged heart tissue, while other fish species cannot
A heart attack will leave a permanent scar on a human heart, yet other animals, including some fish and amphibians, can clear cardiac scar tissue and regrow damaged muscle as adults......»»
Previously unknown details of aphids in flight to contribute to improved crop security
Researchers led by a scientist at Keele University in Staffordshire have studied the previously unknown flight mechanisms of a common crop pest, to learn more about their movements in a bid to improve food security and prevent the spread of disease......»»
H5N1 strain of bird flu found in milk: WHO
The H5N1 bird flu virus strain has been detected in very high concentrations in raw milk from infected animals, the WHO said Friday, though how long the virus can survive in milk is unknown......»»
Wild and domestic ungulates are key to Mediterranean ecosystem sustainability, finds study
Researchers from Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) have conducted a vegetation analysis over the last 30 years using satellite images from two environments in the Sierra de Cazorla Natural Park (southeast Spain)—one with wild ungulates su.....»»
Researchers set new standards for nanoparticles, helping patients with MS, ALS, Parkinson"s disease
Is it possible for nanoparticles to go through the digestive system and deliver medicine directly to the brain tissue? Researchers from Michigan State University say yes, and their latest findings are expected to benefit patients with neurodegenerati.....»»
Wild turkey numbers are falling in some parts of the US—the main reason may be habitat loss
Birdsong is a welcome sign of spring, but robins and cardinals aren't the only birds showing off for breeding season. In many parts of North America, you're likely to encounter male wild turkeys, puffed up like beach balls and with their tails fanned.....»»
Researchers reveal sources of black carbon in southeastern Qinghai-Tibet plateau
Black carbon (BC) is the result of incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass, with strong light absorption. It is second only to carbon dioxide as a climate-forcing factor for atmospheric warming. Deposition of BC on snow and ice surfaces red.....»»
Coal train pollution increases health risks and disparities, research warns
Trains carrying loads of coal bring with them higher rates of asthma, heart disease, hospitalization and death for residents living nearest the rail lines, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis......»»
Effects of organic matter input and temperature change on soil aggregate-associated respiration and microbial carbon use
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is one of the most dramatically affected regions by global warming. For a long time, the region has been exposed by low temperature and soil moisture, which led to the severe inhibition of the soil biological activities and.....»»
Capturing DNA origami folding with a new dynamic model
Most people are familiar with the DNA double-helix. Its twisted ladder shape forms because the long pieces of DNA that make up our genome are exactly complementary—every adenine paired to a thymine, and every cytosine paired to a guanine. Sequences.....»»
Scientists grow human mini-lungs as animal alternative for nanomaterial safety testing
Human mini-lungs grown by University of Manchester scientists can mimic the response of animals when exposed to certain nanomaterials. The study is published in Nano Today......»»
Study shows copper beads in pig feed reshape swine gut microbiome
Copper is a natural antimicrobial material that, when added to pig feed, may promote the growth and health of the animals. Since pigs can tolerate high levels of the metal, researchers at Texas Tech University in Amarillo recently investigated whethe.....»»
Climate change is wiping out rare bacteria in a "greening" Antarctica
Plenty is known about the existential threat of climate change to plants and animals. But by comparison, we know very little about how microorganisms will be affected by climate change......»»
Disease-resistant strains of carp provide advancements in aquaculture, enhance gefilte fish quality
A new study led by Prof. Lior David from the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University investigated the infectivity of disease-resistant and susceptible fish by examining their roles as shedders (infecting) and cohabitants (infected) in various.....»»
Making crops colorful for easier weeding by robots
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts. This could involve altering the crops' genomes s.....»»
Plastic pollution can kill variety of ocean embryos
High levels of plastic pollution can kill the embryos of a wide range of ocean animals, new research shows......»»
Reproductive success improves after a single generation in the wild for descendants of some hatchery Chinook salmon
Researchers who created "family trees" for nearly 10,000 fish have found that first-generation, wild-born descendants of hatchery-origin Chinook salmon in an Oregon river show improved fitness......»»
How do Australia"s desert animals avoid inbreeding during dry spells?
Some Australian desert mammals use distinct strategies to promote evolutionary fitness in response to changing environmental conditions over short timescales, according to a new study......»»
New time-resolved ultraviolet photodissociation mass spectrometry strategy for target protein stability analysis
How mutations impact protein stability and structure dynamics is crucial for understanding the molecular mechanism of the disease and the targeted drug design. However, probing the molecular details of mutation-induced subtle structure dynamics is st.....»»