ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| Under a moon spell: Shark attacks related to lunar phases Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:51 AM PST New research suggests that more shark attacks occur during fuller phases of the moon. While the exact cause remains unclear, the researchers found that more shark attacks than average occur during periods of higher lunar illumination and fewer attacks than average occur during periods of lower illumination. Many different types of animals show behaviors that are linked to moon phases yet few studies to date have looked at the connections between lunar phases and shark attacks. |
| New spheres of knowledge on the origin of life Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Researchers experimentally evolved rod-shaped E. coli in conditions that mimic the primordial environment, by providing oleic-acid vesicles as a nutrient source rather than glucose. As the cells adapted to the new conditions and increased their growth rate, they became smaller and spherical. Each of the experimental lineages adapted in diverse ways. This study supports theories that the origin of life on Earth was spherical cells. |
| Study challenges evolutionary theory that DNA mutations are random Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Researchers have found that DNA mutations are not random. This changes our understanding of evolution and could one day help researchers breed better crops or even help humans fight cancer. |
| Ecological tradeoff? Utility-scale solar energy impedes endangered Florida panthers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST Reducing the energy industry's carbon footprint in the sunshine state is impeding a large carnivore's paw-print. A study is the first to document the effect of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) facilities in Peninsular Florida on both habitat suitability and connectivity for any large carnivore. The study examined 45 USSE facilities equaling 27,688 acres. |
| Chewing to stay slim: How to savor your food better and dodge weight gain Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Chewing well helps in digestion. Chewing is also known to help prevent obesity, possibly by increasing the thermic effect of food consumption. But the factors behind this heat-generating effect of chewing remain less explored. A new study has revealed that oral stimuli, which are linked with the duration of tasting liquid food in the mouth, and the duration of chewing, play a positive role in increasing energy expenditure after food intake. |
| Paradigm shift: Methanogenic microbes not always limited to methane Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Microbiologists show that methanogenic archaea do not always need to form methane to survive. It is possible to bypass methanogenesis with the seemingly simpler and more environmentally friendly acetogenic energy metabolism. These new findings provide evidence that methanogens are not nearly as metabolically limited as previously thought, and suggest that methanogenesis may have evolved from the acetyl-CoA pathway - an important step towards fully understanding the ecology, biotechnology, and evolution of archaea. |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2022 04:30 PM PST Animal farming has traditionally fulfilled human nutritional requirements for protein, but insects may serve as an alternative for direct human consumption in the future. Researchers are working to lay a foundation to develop efficient protein isolation techniques by determining the nutritional and functional properties of protein for cricket, locust and silk worm pupae powders. |
| Using only 100 atoms, electric fields can be detected and changed Posted: 11 Jan 2022 04:30 PM PST The body is full of electrical signals. Researchers have now created a new nanomaterial that is capable of both detecting and modulating the electric field. This new material can be used in vitro studies for 'reading and writing' the electric field without damaging nearby cells and tissue. In addition, researchers can use this material to conduct in vitro studies to understand how neurons transmit signals but also to understand how to potentially shut off errant neurons. This may provide critical insights on neurodegeneration. |
| Ancient Mesopotamian discovery transforms knowledge of early farming Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:37 PM PST Researchers have unearthed the earliest definitive evidence of broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum) in ancient Iraq, challenging our understanding of humanity's earliest agricultural practices. |
| Researchers find concerns for animals tied to same habitats Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST While site fidelity may be beneficial for animals when environmental conditions don't change very fast, those benefits may not be realized in the ever-changing world dominated by humans, researchers have found through a review of scientific literature. |
| Watering holes bring together wildlife, and their parasites Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST The sun rises on the savannas of central Kenya. Grasses sway in the wind as hoof-steps fall on the dusty ground. A menagerie of Africa's iconic wildlife congregates around a watering hole to quench their thirst during the region's dry season. |
| New model examines the effects of toxicants on populations in polluted rivers Posted: 11 Jan 2022 12:36 PM PST A new mathematical model describes the interactions between a population and a toxicant in a river environment, enabling researchers to study how the way in which a pollutant moves through a river affects the wellbeing and distribution of the river's inhabitants. |
| Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:20 AM PST Researchers have discovered the first in-situ evidence of chlorophyll remnants in a billion-year-old multicellular algal microfossil preserved in shales from the Congo Basin. This discovery has made it possible to unambiguously identify one of the first phototrophic eukaryotic organisms in the fossil record. This research opens up new perspectives in the study of the diversification of eukaryotes within the first ecosystems. |
| Tasmanian devils have just broken the laws of scavenging – and scientists are puzzled Posted: 11 Jan 2022 08:20 AM PST Scavengers are supposed to have generalist diets and eat whatever they can find. But a new study shows Australia's Tasmanian devils have their own specific tastes and preferences -- in other words, they're picky eaters. |
| Plants rely on the CLASSY gene family to diversify their epigenomes Posted: 11 Jan 2022 06:13 AM PST A team has shown that the CLASSY gene family regulates which parts of the genome are turned off in a tissue-specific manner. The work identifies the CLSY genes as major factors underlying epigenetic diversity in plant tissues. This research has broad implications for both agriculture and medicine. |
| Researchers use artificial intelligence to guide the search for the next SARS-like virus Posted: 10 Jan 2022 03:49 PM PST Scientists have demonstrated the power of artificial intelligence to predict which viruses -- like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that led to the COVID-19 pandemic -- could infect humans, which animals host them, and where they could emerge. |
| Chemists use DNA to build the world’s tiniest antenna Posted: 10 Jan 2022 07:33 AM PST An easy-to-use device promises to help scientists better understand natural and human-designed nanotechnologies -- and identify new drugs. |
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