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.....»»
Nitric oxide treatment preserves fresh walnuts, reduces decay and maintains quality
New research reveals that sodium nitroprusside (SNP) treatment significantly reduces decay and maintains the appearance of walnuts, enhancing both disease resistance and overall quality. This breakthrough offered a practical solution for extending th.....»»
UN summit approves fund to share benefits of nature"s sequenced genetic data
A UN nature summit agreed in Colombia Saturday on the creation of a fund to share the profits of digitally sequenced genetic data taken from animals and plants with the communities they come from......»»
Not too big, not too small: Why modern humans are the ideal size for speed
The fastest animal on land is the cheetah, capable of reaching top speeds of 104 kilometers per hour. In the water, the fastest animals are yellowfin tuna and wahoo, which can reach speeds of 75 and 77 km per hour respectively. In the air, the title.....»»
African Sahara "greening" can alter Northern Hemisphere climate, modeling study finds
Africa's Sahara Desert may be considered a vast expanse of barren sand with limited vegetation, an extreme environment for plants and animals to thrive, but life always finds a way. Indeed, vegetation growth in the desert has waxed and waned over mil.....»»
A comparison of bat and bird wings reveals their evolutionary paths are vastly different
Bats are incredibly diverse animals: They can climb onto other animals to drink their blood, pluck insects from leaves or hover to drink nectar from tropical flowers, all of which require distinctive wing designs......»»
New insights into mango evolution: Study reveals extensive hybridization within the Mangifera genus
A research team investigated whole chloroplast genomes and nuclear gene sequences from 14 species, uncovering new insights into the genetic diversity and hybrid origins of mango species. They used the evolutionary relationships within the Mangifera g.....»»
Study reveals superbug MRSA"s double defense against antibiotics
Scientists have discovered the mechanism which allows the superbug methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to become highly resistant to antibiotics, paving the way for new approaches to control infectious disease......»»
Nigeria"s last elephants: What must be done to save them?
Nigeria has a unique elephant population, made up of both forest-dwelling (Loxodonta cyclotis) and savanna-dwelling (Loxodonta africana) elephant species. But the animals are facing unprecedented threats to their survival. In about 30 years, Nigeria'.....»»
Single-molecule tracking technology streamlines drug discovery
New drug discovery is a critical step for improving patients' lives. First, researchers must identify molecules in the body's cells that help drive disease, as these are potential targets for new drugs. The next step is to screen candidate drugs that.....»»
How researchers can maximize biological insights using animal-tracking devices
Biologgers allow us to see with unprecedented precision how animals move and behave in the wild. But that's only part of the picture, according to a UC Santa Cruz ecologist renowned for using biologging data to tell a deeper story about the lives of.....»»
New Age ritual that send "bad energies" up in smoke may contribute to overharvesting of wild plants
A commercialized New Age ritual is causing not only "unwanted energies" to go up in smoke, but also foreign wild plants. A study by Utrecht University researchers Isabela Pombo Geertsma and Anastasia Stefanaki, alongside colleagues from Wageningen UR.....»»
Algae-jellyfish relationship provides insight on immune health
Marine animals like jellyfish, corals and sea anemones often live with algae inside their cells in a symbiotic relationship. The animals give the algae nutrients and a place to live; in return, algae give the animals some of the food they make from s.....»»
Study finds comb jellies can reverse age
A new article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals the unprecedented ability for reverse development in a ctenophore, also called comb jelly. The findings suggest that life cycle plasticity in animals might be more com.....»»
These hornets break down alcohol so fast that they can’t get drunk
"No signs of intoxication or illness, even after chronically consuming huge amounts of alcohol." Many animals, including humans, have developed a taste for alcohol in some form, b.....»»
AI algorithm accurately detects heart disease in dogs
Researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm to accurately detect heart murmurs in dogs, one of the main indicators of cardiac disease, which affects a large proportion of some smaller breeds such as King Charles Spaniels......»»
Investigating lithium isotope systematics in Qinghai Lake
Recently, Prof. Xiao Yilin's team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in collaboration with the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes, University of Pennsylvania and Nanning Normal University, revealed the lithium (Li) cycling pr.....»»
Discovery of critical iron-transport protein in malaria parasites could lead to faster-acting medications
Malaria kills over 600,000 people a year, and as the climate warms, the potential range of the disease is growing. While some drugs can effectively prevent and treat malaria, resistance to those drugs is also on the rise......»»
COVID lessons learned? UN summit mulls plan for healthy planet, and humans
The COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks brought into stark relief the harms that can come to humans if we interfere too much with nature, placing ourselves in contact with animals carrying unknown pathogens......»»
Invisible anatomy in the fruit fly uterus: New discoveries could have implications for fertility and pest control
You have likely not spent much time thinking about the uterus of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. But then, neither have most scientists, even though Drosophila is one of the most thoroughly studied lab animals. Now a team of biologists at the.....»»
When things get tight: How does the embryo in rapeseed react to mechanical constraints?
In 2021, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for elucidating the biology of mechanosensors. These discoveries revealed how mechanical forces generated by touch influence tissue differentiation and morphogenesis in animals and humans.....»»