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ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| Plant pathogen evades immune system by targeting the microbiome Posted: 02 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST Biologists have discovered how a pathogenic fungus can bypass the immune system of plants. By releasing an 'effector' molecule, it avoids elimination at a critical stage in its reproduction cycle. |
| Two-photon microscope provides unprecedented brain-imaging ability Posted: 02 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST Advancing our understanding of the human brain will require new insights into how neural circuitry works in mammals, including laboratory mice. These investigations require monitoring brain activity with a microscope that provides resolution high enough to see individual neurons and their neighbors. |
| Scientists pinpoint protein’s role in critical gene expression Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST New research has implications for cancer research because it explains part of the paradox for how cells can transcribe genes in the absence of high-energy sources, a situation that unfolds in cancer and has puzzled researchers for years. |
| How does the climate crisis affect the Antarctic fur seal? Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST The climate crisis is limiting the availability of krill -- small crustaceans that are vital in the marine food chain -- during summer in some areas of the Antarctica. This involves a decrease in the food abundance for female Antarctic fur seals in summer and a decrease in their reproductive success. Moreover, the predation of pups by the leopard seal has also increased due to a lower abundance of penguins, the main prey of this voracious Antarctic predator. However, the impact of the climate crisis on the Antarctic fur seal in winter has been ignored to date, when the cold, wind and ice make it harder to study the Antarctic ecosystems. |
| Strategies to improve sales of imperfect carrots Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST Explaining the value of misshapen vegetables -- that they are as healthful as their picture-perfect counterparts and buying them helps reduce food waste -- could help improve sales of 'ugly' produce, new research suggests. |
| Volcanic fertilization of the oceans drove severe mass extinction Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:32 AM PST Scientists have discovered that two intense spells of volcanic activity triggered a period of global cooling and falling oxygen levels in the oceans, which caused one of the most severe mass extinctions in Earth history - the 'Late Ordovician Mass Extinction', 450 million years ago. |
| Cannabis impacts sperm counts, motility in two generations of mice Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST An intense but short-term exposure to cannabis vapor lowered sperm counts and slowed sperm movement, or motility, not only in the directly exposed male mice but also in their sons, according to a new study. The findings build on other human and animal research, showing that cannabis can impede male reproductive function. The current study uses more controlled circumstances than human studies, which often have to rely on surveys, and is the first known reproductive study to use vaporized whole cannabis in mice, which is the more common form humans use. Previous animal studies use other administration methods such as injections of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis. |
| Ocean plastic is creating new communities of life on the high seas Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST Coastal plants and animals have found a new way to survive in the open ocean -- by colonizing plastic pollution. A new commentary reports coastal species growing on trash hundreds of miles out to sea in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, more commonly known as the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch.' |
| From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion Posted: 01 Dec 2021 01:20 PM PST Coral sperm require a specific pH to move, which identified a signaling pathway that is shared by organisms including humans. The results have implications for how corals may fare in shifting marine conditions due to climate change. |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2021 12:01 PM PST A recent study demonstrates that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to detect early signs of tumor cell death in response to a novel virus-based cancer therapy. |
| Engineers create perching bird-like robot Posted: 01 Dec 2021 11:53 AM PST With feet and legs like a peregrine falcon, engineers have created a robot that can perch and carry objects like a bird. |
| Effectiveness of ointment that kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria shown Posted: 01 Dec 2021 11:53 AM PST New research shows that use of a topical drug, called AB569, a combination of acidified nitrite and EDTA (or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) promotes killing of antibiotic-resistant bacteria while enhancing the healing of wounds in a variety of burn injuries. |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2021 10:36 AM PST Biologists have successfully traced a naturally-produced melanoma-fighting compound called 'palmerolide A' to its source: a microbe that resides within Synoicum adareanum, a species of ascidian common to the waters of Antarctica's Anvers Island archipelago. |
| Headwater refuges: Combined effect of drought and fire on stream communities Posted: 01 Dec 2021 10:36 AM PST Life is water, and water is life. This truism certainly applies to the Pacific coast, where streams and rivers function as the region's arteries. The water they carry fosters plant life and wildlife in Southern California's Mediterranean climate. They provide sanctuary during droughts and often serve as the nexus for recovery after fires. |
| Researchers identify key RNA 'gatekeeper' in gene expression, pointing to possible new drug targets Posted: 01 Dec 2021 09:43 AM PST Researchers have identified the first non-coding RNA that controls formation of chromosome loops, which govern gene expression. Jpx RNA was previously thought to be involved only in X chromosome inactivation, a necessary step in development of female embryos. This discovery could create new targets for drug developers. |
| The secret life of Tasmanian devils is hiding in their whiskers Posted: 01 Dec 2021 08:19 AM PST Researchers have mapped the timescale of the Tasmanian devils' whiskers, showing that their whiskers can capture seasonal dietary changes over at least nine months and potentially up to a year. |
| When variations in Earth's orbit drive biological evolution Posted: 01 Dec 2021 08:19 AM PST Coccolithophores are microscopic algae that form tiny limestone plates, called coccoliths, around their single cells. They are responsible for half of the limestone produced in the oceans and therefore play a major role in the carbon cycle and in determining ocean chemistry. A team of scientists show that certain variations in Earth's orbit have influenced the evolution of coccolithophores. |
| Deep learning dreams up new protein structures Posted: 01 Dec 2021 08:19 AM PST Using artificial intelligence and deep learning, researchers have developed a neural network that 'hallucinates' the structures of new protein molecules. The scientists made up completely random protein sequences and introduced mutations into them until the neural network predicted they would fold into stable structures. The software was not guided toward a particular outcome; the proteins were just what the computer dreams up. Next step: using deep learning to try to design proteins with particular functions, such as enzymes or drugs. |
| Researchers unlock biogeographical secrets of deep-sea limpets Posted: 01 Dec 2021 08:19 AM PST Researchers have decoded for the first time the demographic history, genetic structure, and population connectivity of a deep-sea limpet widely distributed in vent and seep ecosystems in the Northwest Pacific. This study not only enhances our knowledge of the historical population divergence and contemporary gene flow of deep-sea organisms under the intricate interactions amongst local habitats, seafloor topography, and ocean currents, but also serves as a scientific basis for better conservation of marine biodiversity and more effective environmental management. |
| Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:51 AM PST As cannabis is legalized in more areas, it has become increasingly popular as a medicinal and recreational drug. This plant produces a pungent, skunk-like odor that is pleasing to some but repulsive to others. Now, researchers have discovered a new family of prenylated volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) that give cannabis its characteristic skunky aroma. The findings open up opportunities to investigate the molecules for medicinal benefits, the researchers say. |
| CT uncovers bone disease in Tyrannosaurus rex jaw Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:51 AM PST Researchers have identified bone disease in the fossilized jaw of a Tyrannosaurus rex using a CT-based, nondestructive imaging approach. The imaging method could have significant applications in paleontology, researchers said, as an alternative to fossil assessment methods that involve the destruction of samples. |
| Bringing 400-million-year-old fossilized armored worms to ‘virtual’ life Posted: 30 Nov 2021 02:39 PM PST Scientists have documented the discovery of two new species of fossilized armored worms in Australia -- Lepidocoleus caliburnus and Lepidocoleus shurikenus -- dating from about 400 million years ago. Then, using the micro-CT imaging capabilities of the MU X-ray Microanalysis Core facility, the researchers were able to develop first-of-its-kind digital 3D-models of the species' individual armor plates by virtually examining the armored skeletons of these ancient worms, called machaeridians. |
| Synthetic tissue can repair hearts, muscles, and vocal cords Posted: 30 Nov 2021 12:04 PM PST Combining knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering, scientists from McGill University develop a biomaterial tough enough to repair the heart, muscles, and vocal cords, representing a major advance in regenerative medicine. |
| Holistic framework can assess fisheries’ strengths and potential weaknesses Posted: 30 Nov 2021 10:02 AM PST A new decision-making framework designed by an international team of fisheries researchers can help fisheries bolster their ability to adapt to a warming world. The tool is meant to take a lot of the guesswork out of finding resilience in a time of climate change. |
| Biosensor barcodes identify, detail ‘chatting’ among cancer cells Posted: 30 Nov 2021 10:02 AM PST Ever since the first barcode appeared on a pack of chewing gum in 1974, the now-ubiquitous system has enabled manufacturers, retailers and consumers to quickly and effectively identify, characterize, locate and track products and materials. Scientists now demonstrate how they can do the same thing at the molecular level, studying the ways cancer cells 'talk' with one another. |
| Ubiquitous food additive alters human microbiota and intestinal environment Posted: 30 Nov 2021 10:02 AM PST New clinical research indicates that a widely used food additive, carboxymethylcellulose, alters the intestinal environment of healthy persons, perturbing levels of beneficial bacteria and nutrients. These findings demonstrate the need for further study of the long-term impacts of this food additive on health. |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2021 10:02 AM PST Botonists reveals that the unique timing of spore dispersal in the sensitive fern, known as Onoclea sensibilis, is determined by a structural mechanism of humidity-driven movement in spore bearing leaves. |
| New review highlights cancer-crushing viruses Posted: 30 Nov 2021 08:25 AM PST In a recent review article researchers describe a class of viruses that act to combat rather than cause deadly disease. Such oncolytic viruses as they are known, have a remarkable ability to target and destroy cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells untouched. |
| Posted: 30 Nov 2021 08:25 AM PST Researchers have discovered that the bacterium that causes Lyme disease has a highly unusual modification in its protective molecular bag -- its peptidoglycan, which is common to all bacteria. |
| Distortion: Researchers discover new strategy for antibodies to disable viruses Posted: 30 Nov 2021 08:25 AM PST It is widely understood that antibodies neutralize viruses by latching onto their surfaces and blocking them from infecting host cells. But new research reveals that this barrier method isn't the only way that antibodies disable viruses. An international team of researchers has discovered that antibodies also distort viruses, thereby preventing them from properly attaching to and entering cells. |
| Three-body interactions bring egoists into the collective comfort zone – even penguins Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:15 AM PST A research team has examined the group dynamics of communicating active particles. These particles are consistently focused on self-optimization. By always endeavoring to maintain their own personal comfort, they also help the other group members. Such self-optimization is a common multi-body phenomenon which can occur for penguins and bacteria. |
| Global HIV viral suppression rates too low among children and adolescents Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:15 AM PST An analysis in the lead up to World AIDS Day reveals that HIV is 'virally suppressed' in only 59 per cent of children and adolescents on treatment. |
| Reduced meat diet has many advantages Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:14 AM PST Which diet is better: moderately reduce meat consumption and eat more fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products or eating more fish and seafood? Or even switch completely to a vegan diet? A new study shows that the answer to these questions is not as clear-cut as one might think -- depending on which impacts one closely looks. |
| Diversity of the gut microbiome in gorillas Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:14 AM PST A new study sheds light on the gut microbiome of gorillas, moving researchers closer to developing tools that can use the microbiome to diagnose potential health challenges for gorillas in human care. Specifically, the study found significant diversity among gorilla microbiomes, suggesting that what constitutes a 'healthy' microbiome can vary between individuals. |
| Correcting inherited gene alterations speeds up Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:14 AM PST Researchers have developed a method to precisely and rapidly correct genetic alterations in the cultured patient cells. |
| Male animals are subject to stronger evolutionary pressures than females Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:14 AM PST Male animals are subject to stronger selection pressures than females, which may allow populations to adapt to environmental change more efficiently. |
| Ancient lineage of algae found to include five 'cryptic' species Posted: 30 Nov 2021 07:14 AM PST All land plants originated from a single evolutionary event when freshwater algae got a foothold on land. The group of algae that would later give rise to land plants had already been living in freshwater and terrestrial habitats for over one billion years. A tiny group of these algae, most distantly related to land plants, still lives. A team homed in on one species, Chlorokybus, which lives in wet soil and rock cracks, to find that it contains not one, but at least five different species. |
| Warm-water habitat 'pays the bills,' allowing cold-water fish to fuel up Posted: 30 Nov 2021 05:42 AM PST New research shows that warm-water habitats can be critically important for the survival of cold-water fish such as trout and salmon. |
| Researchers model circadian clock neurons in a day-active animal Posted: 30 Nov 2021 05:42 AM PST It's no secret that jet lag and night-shift work can wreak havoc on the way our body's internal clock syncs up our daily wake-sleep cycle, known as circadian rhythm, but now researchers say they are a step closer to understanding how the brain creates behavioral rhythms optimized for diurnal, rather than nocturnal, life. |
| Satellites reveal Ethiopian elephants under threat Posted: 29 Nov 2021 06:28 PM PST Tens of thousands of illegal human settlements pose a real threat to the continued existence of an endangered elephant population, according to satellite analysis of the Babile Elephant Sanctuary in eastern Ethiopia. |
| Researchers develop rapid, highly accurate test to detect viruses Posted: 29 Nov 2021 09:27 AM PST Researchers have developed a device that detects viruses in the body as fast as and more accurately than current, commonly used rapid detection tests. The optical sensor uses nanotechnology to accurately identify viruses in seconds from blood samples. Researchers say the device can tell with 95 percent accuracy if someone has a virus. |
| Snow monkeys go fishing to survive harsh Japanese winters Posted: 29 Nov 2021 09:27 AM PST Snow monkeys living in one of the world's coldest regions survive by 'going fishing' -- scooping live animals, including brown trout, out of Japanese rivers and eating them to stay alive, a new study reveals. |
| Male-biased protein expression discovered in fruit flies Posted: 29 Nov 2021 09:27 AM PST Researchers have observed a male bias in protein expression in primordial germ cells, which develop into the cells that pass on genetic material during reproduction, of the fruit fly, Drosophila. When using the Gal4-UAS system to activate expression of Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), the team saw that male cells showed higher protein expression than female ones. This may be a cause of the sex differences observed in the early germline. |
| Arctic krill respond to visual changes during Arctic night Posted: 29 Nov 2021 09:23 AM PST New research finds that Arctic krill have a biological response to changes in light. When it is lightest in the Arctic polar night, usually around the middle of the day known as midday twilight, the krill know to swim down to the bottom in order to hide from predators. When it is darkest in the Arctic polar night, that's when they swim to the surface in search of bioluminescent food. |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:56 AM PST A new species of parasitoid wasp that constructs remarkable star-shaped cocoon masses is reported from the biodiversity hot spot Ryukyu Islands. Researchers observed how the wasps construct 'stars' after making their way out of the moth larvae they inhabit during their own larval stage. |
| This is how the superbug Pseudomonas aeruginosa reacts to antibiotics Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:55 AM PST The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is resistant to all antibiotics on the market. Therefore, there is a great need for new therapeutic approaches. In order to find them, it helps to understand how the germ reacts to active substances. |
| Scientists produce new antibiotics by gene editing Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:55 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new route to produce complex antibiotics exploiting gene editing to re-program pathways to future medicines urgently required to combat antimicrobial resistance, treat neglected diseases and prevent future pandemics. |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2021 07:36 AM PST By understanding the epidemiology and population biology of a significant and high-priority pathogen, Enteroccocus faecium (E. faecium) in Irish hospitals, researchers are providing the evidence base for more effective surveillance, and infection and prevention control strategies aimed at minimizing the spread of the antibiotic resistant bacteria. |
| Jaws of defeat: Anglers’ emotions toward shark depredation is key to conservation Posted: 26 Nov 2021 10:08 AM PST In a broad-scale study researchers quantified the emotional and behavioral responses to shark depredation in recreational fisheries. The study found that anglers, and especially recreational fishing guides, who experienced depredation were more likely to have a negative response towards sharks and were thus more likely to target sharks for additional harvesting. |
| From ambition to biodiversity action: Time to hold actors accountable Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:48 PM PST To achieve global goals for biodiversity conservation, national level implementation must be significantly improved. National policy instruments need to precisely define effective actions and the actors responsible for implementation. Accountability needs to be ensured through systematic monitoring of progress. These recommendations are at the core of a 3-step framework proposed by an international team of scientists. |
| Role of disordered protein interactions in gene expression Posted: 25 Nov 2021 12:48 PM PST Researchers reveal a novel mechanism that coordinates the assembly of components inside cells that control gene expression. |
| Unveiling the hidden cellular logistics of memory storage in neurons Posted: 24 Nov 2021 02:21 PM PST Exploring the mechanisms involved in sleep-dependent memory storage, a team of cellular biologists found that RNAs associated with an understudied cell compartment in hippocampal neurons vary greatly between sleeping and sleep-deprived mice after learning. |
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