We Hiked Along With Cicada Biologists So You Don’t Have To
Researchers only get a chance to study Brood X every 17 years. WIRED came for the ride—and got up close to thousands of hatching cicadas......»»
Bird study shows that grounded running styles conserve energy
A small team of biologists and animal movement specialists in the Netherlands and the U.K. has found that birds such as the emu have a grounded running style at medium speeds, allowing them to conserve energy compared to the ungrounded running style.....»»
Biologists sequence proteins by pulling them through nanopores
A team of chemical biologists at the University of Washington, working with colleagues at Oxford Nanopore Technologies, has developed a protein sequencing process that involves pulling proteins through nanopores in a lipid membrane. Their paper is pu.....»»
Cricket study suggests mating filter narrows when males are trying to save energy
A trio of biologists at the University of Minnesota has found that when male crickets need to save energy, they narrow their mating filter, to focus more exclusively on females......»»
Our digital 3D models of huge coral reefs could help revive these precious ecosystems
As a team of marine biologists, assessing the health of thousands of square meters of coral reef can be a daunting prospect. Often, we have to monitor some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, and there's a strict time limit due to the sa.....»»
Giant panda skin cells transformed into stem cells to help ensure their survival
A team of biologists in China has reprogrammed skin cells from giant pandas into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), opening the door to creating primordial germ cells that could serve as precursors to sperm and egg cells......»»
Mysterious Pacific Ocean sounds identified as a type of whale—a new AI app helps track them
A team of oceanographers and marine biologists from the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and Oregon State University has identified a mysterious noise heard in the Pacific Ocean for two decades as the sounds of Bryde's whales......»»
New study shows Alaskan snow crab population collapse in Bering Sea due to climate change
A team of marine biologists from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has found that climate change is the reason for the population collapse of Alaskan snow crabs in the Bering Sea......»»
Newly discovered, free-living eukaryote is the first known to have lost its mitochondria
An international team of geneticists and molecular biologists has discovered the first-known, free-living eukaryote to have lost its mitochondria. In their study, published in Nature Communications, the group found the eukaryote while investigating t.....»»
Sea anemone study identifies potentially regenerative stem cells linked to conserved genes
The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is potentially immortal. Using molecular genetic methods, developmental biologists led by Ulrich Technau from the University of Vienna have now identified possible candidates for multipotent stem cells in the se.....»»
This Is the Most Detailed Map of Human Brain Connections Ever Made
In a world first, Harvard biologists worked with Google to diagram a cubic millimeter of human cerebral cortex at the subcellular level, paving the way for the next generation of brain science......»»
Explosion of cicada-eating mites has the state of Illinois scratching
The good news: There's little risk beyond the rash. The bad: The rash is awful. Enlarge / A cicada from a 17-year cicada brood clings to a tree on May 29, 2024, in Park Ridge, Illinois. The state experienced an emergence of cicad.....»»
First biogeographic map of ants reveals nine global realms
The distribution of species around the globe is not a random process but an outcome resulting from several evolutionary mechanisms as well as past and current environmental limitations. As a result, since the mid-19th century, biologists have identif.....»»
New technology offers a better look at tardigrade fossils embedded in amber
A trio of evolutionary biologists at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology has learned more about the evolutionary history of tardigrades by studying two fossils embedded in amber. In their study, published in Communications Biology, Mar.....»»
Plant biologists discover an ancient gene family is responsible for plant prickles across species
According to Greek mythology, red roses first appeared when Aphrodite pricked her foot on a thorn, spilling blood on a white rose. Since then, roses' thorns have captured the imaginations of countless poets and forlorn lovers......»»
3D models provide unprecedented look at corals" response to bleaching events
In a study, published July 31 in the journal PLOS ONE, marine biologists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Arizona State University provide a first-of-its-kind glimpse into coral "bleaching" responses to stress, using imagi.....»»
From tree holes to trash—the breeding behavior of a frog endemic to the Andman Islands of India
A team of biologists from the University of Delhi and Zoological Survey of India, Harvard University, and the University of Minnesota has discovered a unique breeding behavior in a species of frog endemic to the Andaman Islands of India. In a new stu.....»»
Invasive, blood-sucking fish "may hold the key to understanding where we came from," say biologists
One of just two vertebrates without a jaw, sea lampreys that are wreaking havoc in Midwestern fisheries are simultaneously helping scientists understand the origins of two important stem cells that drove the evolution of vertebrates......»»
Inspired by cicada wings, researchers study the insects" antimicrobial properties to develop antibacterial surfaces
Trillions of periodical cicadas—several species of the genus Magicicada that emerge every 13 or 17 years—broke soil across the Eastern U.S. this summer. News outlets likened the event to Armageddon, an apocalypse or an invasion. But what about us.....»»
Biologists discover human-infecting parasite produces sterile soldiers like ants and termites
New research from scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography finds a tiny freshwater parasite known to cause health problems in humans defends its colonies with a class of soldiers that cannot reproduce......»»
Tropical plant species are as threatened by climate change as widely feared, study confirms
Brown University biologists who set out to better understand the effects of climate change on plant species in tropical mountain regions found that even small variations in temperature and moisture can have massive impacts, threatening not only plant.....»»