Showing 20 articles starting at article 1961

< Previous 20 articles        Next 20 articles >

Categories: Biology: General, Space: The Solar System

Return to the site home page

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

True altruism is rare behavior in animals, but a new study has found that honey bees display this trait. Additionally, they found that an evolutionary battle of genetics may determine the parent they inherit it from.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To study muscle diseases, scientists rely on the mouse as a model organism. Researchers have now developed a new method that is not only faster and more efficient than conventional ones but also greatly reduces the number of experimental animals needed for studying the function of genes in muscle fibers.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Turkana County in northwestern Kenya was thought to be too dry for the mosquitoes that harbor malaria-causing parasites. But that assumption may have been wrong, according to a new study by malaria researchers. The arrival of a new mosquito and a more pernicious species of parasite could reverse the progress East Africa has made in controlling malaria.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new Paroedura gecko species was reported at two small forest sites, Anja Reserve and Tsaranoro Valley forest, in the south-central plateau of Madagascar. Thanks to the recently collected samples, it was described and named after its preferred habitat, the boulders surrounded by the last remaining forests at these sites. Its conservation status was evaluated as Critically Endangered given its tiny distributional range.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By demonstrating that spaceflight doesn’t adversely affect the magnetism of moon rocks, researchers underscore the exciting potential of studying the magnetic histories stored in these samples.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Tens of thousands of endangered sharks and rays are caught by small-scale fisheries off the Republic of the Congo each year, new research shows.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have obtained new insights into how African-American and Hispanic-American people’s genes influence their ability to use Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids for good health. The findings are an important step toward “precision nutrition” – where a diet tailored to exactly what our bodies need can help us live longer, healthier lives.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study of the microbial ecosystem in sourdough finds that using different types of flour fosters distinct bacterial communities, and that these differences contribute to the variation of sourdough aromas and flavors.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A chance social media post by an eagle-eyed amateur astronomer sparked the discovery of an explosive collision between two giant planets, which crashed into each other in a distant space system 1,800 light years away from planet Earth.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

EVEscape predicts future viral mutations, new variants using evolutionary, biological information.  

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A massive computational analysis of microbiome datasets has more than doubled the number of known protein families. This is the first time protein structures have been used to help characterize the vast array of microbial 'dark matter.'  

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Evolutionary biologists have for the first time decoded the genetic lineage of a famous killer whale and a pod that once worked alongside whale hunters off the coast of Australia. In the Australian tradition of claiming New Zealand's celebrities as its own, Old Tom, the leader of a pod of killer whales that famously helped whalers hunt baleen whales in the 20th century, has ancestral links to modern-day killer whales in New Zealand, according to new DNA research. Old Tom also shared a common ancestor with killer whales from Australasia, the North Pacific, and North Atlantic Oceans, but is most similar to modern New Zealand killer whales. However, most of Tom's DNA code is not found in other killer whales globally suggesting that the killer whales of Eden may have become extinct locally.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Fast radio bursts, or FRBs, are an astronomical mystery, with their exact cause and origins still unconfirmed. These intense bursts of radio energy are invisible to the human eye, but show up brightly on radio telescopes. Previous studies have noted broad similarities between the energy distribution of repeat FRBs, and that of earthquakes and solar flares. However, new research has looked at the time and energy of FRBs and found distinct differences between FRBs and solar flares, but several notable similarities between FRBs and earthquakes. This supports the theory that FRBs are caused by 'starquakes' on the surface of neutron stars. This discovery could help us better understand earthquakes, the behavior of high-density matter and aspects of nuclear physics.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Relationship patterns among flightless stick insects suggest that birds disperse the eggs after eating gravid females. Lab experiments previously suggested the possibility, but a new genetic analysis of natural populations in Japan now supports the idea.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has found despite considerable conservation efforts, the illegal killing of critically endangered orangutans on Borneo may be an ongoing threat to the species.  

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unpicked the mechanism behind a marine feeding strategy that could provide a valuable renewable source of biofuel.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Observations during two flybys by the Mio spacecraft as part of the BepiColombo International Mercury Exploration Project have revealed that chorus waves occur quite locally in the dawn sector of Mercury. Mercury's magnetic field is about 1% of that of Earth, and it was unclear whether chorus waves would be generated like on Earth. The present study reveals that the chorus waves are the driving source of Mercury's X-ray auroras, whose mechanism was not understood.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A study found that a new combination of treatments safely decreased growth of pancreatic cancer in mice by preventing cancer cells from scavenging for fuel.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have unveiled a new mechanism for regulating mitochondrial function. The findings reveal the critical role played by the enzymatic activity of the lysine acetyltransferase MOF in maintaining mitochondrial integrity and function through acetylation of mitochondrial electron transport chain component COX17. Cells lacking MOF-mediated COX17 acetylation exhibit dramatic mitochondrial defects and impaired ability to produce energy. Underscoring the clinical relevance of these findings, the team also showed that cells from human patients with a developmental disorder caused by mutations in MOF also exhibited respiratory defects that could be ameliorated by interventions such as acetylation-mimetic COX17 or mitochondrially targeted MOF.

     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It's well-known that birds and other animals rely on Earth's magnetic field for long-distance navigation during seasonal migrations. But how do periodic disruptions of the planet's magnetic field, caused by solar flares and other energetic outbursts, affect the reliability of those biological navigation systems?