ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Crayfish and carp among the invasive species pushing lakes towards ecosystem collapse

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 05:36 PM PDT

Certain invasive, non-native species can disrupt lakes to the point of rapid ecosystem collapse, contaminating water for drinking, aquaculture and recreation, a new study has found.

Genetic analysis reveals differences in mate choice between wild and hatchery coho salmon

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 01:01 PM PDT

A new study of the genetic profiles of wild and hatchery coho salmon demonstrates important distinctions in how the two types of fish form mating pairs.

Record-breaking Texas drought more severe than previously thought

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 01:00 PM PDT

In 2011, Texas experienced one of its worst droughts ever. The dry, parched conditions caused over $7 billion in crop and livestock losses, sparked wildfires, pushed power grids to the limit, and reduced reservoirs to dangerously low levels. And according to a recent study led by geoscientists, the drought was worse than previously thought.

Extinction and origination patterns change after mass extinctions

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 11:34 AM PDT

A sweeping analysis of marine fossils from most of the past half-billion years shows the usual rules of body size evolution change during mass extinctions and their recoveries. The discovery is an early step toward predicting how evolution will play out on the other side of the current extinction crisis.

Machine learning helps reveal cells’ inner structures in new detail

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 08:26 AM PDT

Scientists have created a set of tools to make annotated 3D images of cells, showing the relationships between different organelles.

Boosting the cell's power house

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 08:26 AM PDT

Severe fatigue, muscle weakness, even blindness -- mitochondrial diseases have various symptoms. In fact, the majority of genetic diseases are caused by defects of the mitochondria. Hence, understanding these 'power houses' of our cells is crucial for the developments of new treatments. Researchers now show the structure of a protein complex essential for their work.

Very potent antiviral against dengue

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 08:26 AM PDT

Researchers have developed an ultrapotent inhibitor of the dengue virus, which causes the tropical disease known as dengue. The antiviral molecule is exceptionally effective against all known dengue variants and could be used for therapeutic and prevention purposes.

The role of diet in the rise of modern shark communities

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 07:44 AM PDT

The availability of prey and the ability to adapt to changing environments played key roles in the evolution of sharks. A new study, in which over 3,000 shark teeth were analyzed, provides new insight into how modern shark communities were established.

'Living medicine' created to treat drug-resistant infections

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 06:55 AM PDT

Researchers have created 'living medicine' to treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing on the surfaces of medical implants. The researchers created the treatment by removing a common bacteria's ability to cause disease and repurposing it to attack harmful microbes instead. The findings are an important first step for the development of new treatments for these type of infections, which account for 80% of all infections acquired in hospital settings.

Scientists can switch on plants’ response to light

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 05:05 AM PDT

Scientists have figured out how plants respond to light and can flip this genetic switch to encourage food growth, even in shade. The discovery could help increase food supply for an expanding population with shrinking opportunities for farming.

Honeybees’ waggle dance reveals bees in rural areas travel farther for food

Posted: 06 Oct 2021 05:05 AM PDT

By decoding honeybees' waggle dances, which tell other bees where to find food, researchers have found that bees in agricultural areas travel farther for food than those in urban areas.

Concentrate farming to leave room for species and carbon, better than ‘eco-friendly’ agriculture

Posted: 05 Oct 2021 04:10 PM PDT

Farming should be as high-yield as possible so it can be limited to relatively small areas, allowing much more land to be left as natural habitats while still meeting future food targets, according to a major new analysis of over a decade of research.

Smart parrots need more stimulation

Posted: 05 Oct 2021 04:09 PM PDT

The smarter the bird, the more unique welfare needs it has in captivity, according to a new study that helps to explain why many intelligent animals struggle in captivity. The findings are also important to owners of intelligent birds to ensure they provide them with naturalistic diets rather than processed foods.

‘The mother of all cannabinoids’: Anti-seizure compounds discovered in cannabis

Posted: 05 Oct 2021 07:19 AM PDT

Scientists have found that three rare cannabinoids reduce seizures in mice. They using the information to develop a better cannabis-based treatment for Dravet syndrome, an intractable childhood epilepsy.

Structure formation in mini-organs

Posted: 05 Oct 2021 07:18 AM PDT

The development of alveoli in organoids derived from mammary-gland tissue follows the same physical principles as the formation of discrete droplets in a water jet.

The case of the aquarium's disappearing medicine

Posted: 04 Oct 2021 11:03 AM PDT

After medicine went missing from the Shedd Aquarium's quarantine habitat, researchers cracked the case. They found microbes eating the medicine for nitrogen.