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ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| Whole-genome sequencing reveals new secrets about killer fungus Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:00 PM PST New research reports the largest ever whole-genome sequencing project for the potentially fatal yeast infection Candida glabrata from hospitals across Scotland. |
| Study of algae in Acadia National Park lakes shows recovery from acidification Posted: 02 Mar 2022 04:00 PM PST Research shows that federal regulations to reduce human-caused sulfur in the atmosphere have aided in the recovery of algal ecosystems for two lakes in Acadia National Park. However, the study also shows that the warming climate negatively impact certain types of lakes more than others, which could affect future ecosystem recovery. |
| Effects of noise on marine life Posted: 02 Mar 2022 04:00 PM PST New research shows turtles can experience temporary hearing loss from an excess of underwater noise. This phenomenon, previously noted in other marine animals such as dolphins and fish, was not widely understood for reptiles and underscores another potential risk for aquatic turtles. This high volume of sound, referred to as underwater noise pollution, can be caused by passing ships and offshore construction. |
| How the gut microbiome processes seaweed Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST A new study provides insights into how the microbiome processes seaweed, consumed in sushi and as a common food additive. |
| The physics of fire ant rafts could help engineers design swarming robots Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST Fire ants survive floods by forming rafts made up of thousands of wriggling insects. New research reveals how these creepy-crawly lifeboats change shape over time. |
| Study details how some fish cope with parasites, with implications for human health Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST Parasitic tapeworms have a complex life cycle moving from plankton to fish and then fish-eating birds. New research on how parasite resistance in threespine stickleback fish may lead to a better understanding of human diseases such as cystic and liver fibrosis. |
| Corals can be 'trained' to tolerate heat stress Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST A new study found that corals that underwent a stressful temperature treatment in the laboratory for 90 days were more tolerant to increased water temperatures. |
| From 'boops' to 'unks,' how scientists are using fish sounds to conserve underwater ecosystems Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:47 PM PST FishSounds.net is the first online, interactive library for the sounds fish make when communicating or interacting with their environment. Fish sounds provide scientists valuable data for studying and conserving underwater ecosystems. An accompanying review study found that just under a 1,000 fish make sounds for communication, though this is likely an underestimate. |
| Native American shell ring villages may have been occupied then abandoned because of climate change Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PST Mollusk shells at 4,000-year-old Native American shell ring villages indicate that environmental change may have driven the formation and abandonment of these coastal communities, according to a new study. |
| Study reveals trade-offs between ecosystem resistance and resilience to tropical cyclones Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PST An international study of the impacts of 26 landfalling tropical cyclones reveals trade-offs between ecosystem resistance and resilience. The findings can help guide managers as they plan for climate change and its impacts to coastal ecosystems and economies. |
| 'Drug factory' implants eliminate ovarian, colorectal cancer in mice Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PST Bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year. |
| Capturing the many facets of evolvability Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PST All life evolves: microorganisms can become resistant to drugs, viruses evade our vaccines, and species may adapt to climate change. Even the ability to evolve can evolve. If we were to understand how this happens and which mechanisms play a role, it may be possible to predict evolution to some extent. |
| Gene Editing gets safer thanks to redesigned Cas9 protein Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Scientists have redesigned a key component of a widely used CRISPR-based gene-editing tool, called Cas9, to be thousands of times less likely to target the wrong stretch of DNA while remaining just as efficient as the original version, making it potentially much safer. |
| Virology: Equine hepatitis viruses and hepatitis C Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST As of today, there is no vaccine against hepatitis C. To improve the search for it, researchers are looking for a so-called surrogate model: an animal that can also suffer from viral hepatitis and whose course of infection allows conclusions about the behavior of the hepatitis C virus in humans. They found what they were looking for in the horse. |
| 7,000-year-old grains hints at origin of Swiss pile dwellings Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST There is no other place where so many Neolithic pile dwellings have been uncovered as around the Alps. It is a mystery, however, how this 'building boom' came to be. Researchers have now uncovered new clues, and say that settlers at Lake Varese in northern Italy may have played a leading role. |
| Cocoa does not appear to reduce exercise-related digestive distress Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Impressive athleticism was on display during the Winter Olympics, but being at the top of one's game doesn't necessarily protect against digestive distress resulting from exercise. Surprisingly, some people are adding cocoa to their diets to reduce these symptoms. Now, researchers report that long-term daily consumption of cocoa doesn't appear to improve exercise-related digestive issues in male athletes and induces only minimal changes to their gut microbiomes. |
| Mucus could explain why SARS-CoV-2 doesn't spread easily from surfaces Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Early in the pandemic, many people fastidiously disinfected surfaces because laboratory studies predicted that SARS-CoV-2 could be easily transmitted in this way. Now, researchers have found a possible explanation for why the predictions didn't pan out: Sugar-decorated proteins in mucus could bind to the coronavirus on surfaces, keeping it from infecting cells. The findings could also hint at why some people are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. |
| We should be eating more insects and using their waste to grow crops, says plant ecologist Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:05 AM PST Researchers already knew that insects are an excellent source of protein for humans, but they didn't expect to learn that they have such a positive impact on plants. Researchers discuss the benefits of using the waste from insect-as-food-and-feed production to promote sustainable crops. |
| Female chimpanzees avoid humans Posted: 02 Mar 2022 07:01 AM PST Female chimpanzees are less likely than males to go near villages and farmland used by humans, new research shows. |
| Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST The molecular evolution of placental protein NRK and its function in regulating placental growth has finally been clarified. They elucidated that eutherian NRK regulates placental development by a novel mechanism, modulating the CK2-PTEN-AKT pathway. They also determined that this new function was acquired due to the amazingly rapid molecular evolution of NRK in eutherian ancestors. |
| Some oral bacteria linked with hypertension in older women Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST In a study of more than 1,200 women in the U.S., average age 63 years, 10 kinds of oral bacteria were associated with a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, while five strains of bacteria were linked with lower hypertension risk. The observational study cannot prove cause and effect; however, the findings highlight possible opportunities to enhance hypertension prevention through targeted oral care, researchers said. |
| Gradual evolution is back: Darwinian theory of gradual process explained in new research Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST Abrupt shifts in the evolution of animals -- short periods of time when an organism rapidly changes size or form -- have long been a challenge for theorists including Darwin. Now a newly published research paper supports the idea that even these abrupt changes are underpinned by a gradual directional process of successive incremental changes, as Darwin's theory of evolution assumes. |
| Substance derived from tire debris is toxic to two trout species, not just coho salmon Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:26 AM PST Every time it rains, fish living downstream of storm drains are exposed to pollutants, including the tire-derived compound 6PPD-quinone, in the runoff. Recently, this substance has been linked to massive die-offs of coho salmon across the U.S. West Coast. Now, researchers report that exposure to 6PPD-quinone at environmentally relevant levels can also be deadly for rainbow and brook trout, though not for Arctic char or white sturgeon. |
| Fungal infections cost U.S. $6.7B in a year Posted: 01 Mar 2022 05:56 PM PST New research has found that fungal infections account for $6.7 billion in health care spending in 2018. And that's just the cases that were directly responsible for inpatient hospital stays. |
| Secret life of tomatoes: orf137 gene triggers male sterility in tomato plants Posted: 01 Mar 2022 05:55 PM PST Researchers have discovered orf137, the gene underlying male sterility in a strain of tomato plant, CMS tomato. Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) -- where a plant is unable to make fertile pollen -- is an agriculturally important trait used for efficiently producing F1 hybrid seeds (F1 being the first generation resulting from the crossbreeding of two distinctly different parental types). This discovery could reduce the costs of F1 seed production in the future. |
| The rare discovery of a protein function universal to bacteria and humans Posted: 01 Mar 2022 04:24 PM PST Scientists have discovered that a human receptor protein has the ability to detect individual amino acids in exactly the same way that bacteria do. The finding could lead to enhancements of drugs derived from the amino acid GABA. |
| Deciphering algorithms used by ants and the Internet Posted: 01 Mar 2022 04:24 PM PST Scientists found that ants and other natural systems use optimization algorithms similar to those used by engineered systems, including the Internet. These algorithms invest incrementally more resources as long as signs are encouraging but pull back quickly at the first sign of trouble. The systems are designed to be robust, allowing for portions to fail without harming the entire system. Understanding how these algorithms work in the real world may help solve engineering problems, whereas engineered systems may offer clues to understanding the behavior of ants, cells, and other natural systems. |
| Posted: 01 Mar 2022 01:20 PM PST A study has confirmed what is believed to be the first published account of the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a house cat. The viral sequence was a close match to strains circulating in the Philadelphia area at the same time, underscoring the virus's ability to jump from one species to another without acquiring significant mutations. |
| Hyperspectral sensing and AI pave new path for monitoring soil carbon Posted: 01 Mar 2022 12:23 PM PST Just how much carbon is in the soil? That's a tough question to answer at large spatial scales, but understanding soil organic carbon at regional, national, or global scales could help scientists predict overall soil health, crop productivity, and even worldwide carbon cycles. |
| Posted: 01 Mar 2022 11:13 AM PST Farming Atlantic salmon requires a high volume of wild-caught fish as feed, but produces only a small percentage of the world's farmed fish supply. A study suggests redirecting wild-caught fish towards human consumption instead of salmon farming could relieve pressure on fish stocks while increasing seafood production. |
| Small water samples can find really big animals Posted: 01 Mar 2022 10:11 AM PST Scientists used an emerging genetic tool that analyzes DNA in water samples to detect whales and dolphins in New York waters. |
| Study could help to defend humans and crops from yeast infection Posted: 01 Mar 2022 10:11 AM PST Clues to the mechanism of yeast infections, which present risks to both humans and crops, have been identified in new research. |
| Tyrannosaurus remains hint at three possible distinct species Posted: 28 Feb 2022 07:02 PM PST A new analysis of Tyrannosaurus skeletal remains reveals physical differences in the femur, other bones and dental structures across specimens that could suggest Tyrannosaurus rex specimens need to be re-categorized into three distinct groups or species, reports a new study. |
| New approach to flexible robotics and metamaterials design mimics nature, encourages sustainability Posted: 28 Feb 2022 12:06 PM PST A new study challenges the conventional approach to designing soft robotics and a class of materials called metamaterials by utilizing the power of computer algorithms. Researchers can now build multimaterial structures without dependence on human intuition or trial-and-error to produce highly efficient actuators and energy absorbers that mimic designs found in nature. |
| Team uses MRI to image epigenetics in the brain Posted: 28 Feb 2022 12:06 PM PST A multidisciplinary team has devised a new approach to 3D imaging that captures DNA methylation, a key epigenetic change associated with learning in the brain. The scientists say their proof-of-concept study in pigs will easily translate to humans, as the new method relies on standard MRI technology and biological markers already in use in human medicine. |
| BioCro software for growing virtual crops improved Posted: 28 Feb 2022 09:56 AM PST A team has revamped the popular crop growth simulation software BioCro, making it a more user-friendly and efficient way to predict crop yield. The updated version, BioCro II, allows modelers to use the technology much more easily and includes faster and more accurate algorithms. |
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