Laden...
ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News |
| Fecal transplants reverse hallmarks of aging Posted: 04 May 2022 05:26 AM PDT In the search for eternal youth, fecal transplants may seem like an unlikely way to reverse the aging process. However, scientists have provided evidence, from research in mice, that transplanting fecal microbiota from young into old mice can reverse hallmarks of aging in the gut, eyes, and brain. In the reverse experiment, microbes from aged mice induced inflammation in the brain of young recipients and depleted a key protein required for normal vision. These findings show that gut microbes play a role in the regulating some of the detrimental effects of ageing and open up the possibility of gut microbe-based therapies to combat decline in later life. |
| Comprehensive regional diagnostic of microbial ocean life using DNA testing Posted: 04 May 2022 05:26 AM PDT Scientists have used tools of genetics research akin to those used in genealogical research to evaluate the diversity of marine life off the California coast. Large-scale 'metabarcoding' methods could revolutionize how society understands forces that drive seafood supply, planet's ability to remove greenhouse gases. |
| Squid and octopus genome studies reveal how cephalopods' unique traits evolved Posted: 04 May 2022 05:23 AM PDT Squid, octopus, and cuttlefish -- even to scientists who study them -- are wonderfully weird creatures. Known as the soft-bodied or coleoid cephalopods, they have the largest nervous system of any invertebrate, complex behaviors such as instantaneous camouflage, arms studded with dexterous suckers, and other evolutionarily unique traits. Now, scientists have dug into the cephalopod genome to understand how these unusual animals came to be. Along the way, they discovered cephalopod genomes are as weird as the animals are. Scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, the University of Vienna, the University of Chicago, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, reported their findings in two new studies in Nature Communications. |
| Seashell-inspired shield protects materials in hostile environments Posted: 03 May 2022 05:16 PM PDT An ecological protective coating, stronger yet less expensive than potentially dangerous beryllium shielding, is baked of alternating layers of sugar and silica. The simple result, which mimics the structure of a seashell, should lower costs for pulsed power machines and space satellites. |
| Diet type can increase potentially harmful gas in the gut Posted: 03 May 2022 04:02 PM PDT Scientists looked at colonic hydrogen sulfide -- a toxic gas in the body that smells like rotten eggs -- production in people in response to animal- and plant-based diet interventions. |
| Study of ancient predators sheds light on how humans did -- or didn't -- find food Posted: 03 May 2022 04:02 PM PDT A new analysis of the remains of ancient predators reveals new information about how prehistoric humans did -- or didn't -- find their food. |
| Fluorescent probe for bad cooking oil in the portable platform Posted: 03 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT A research team develops a fluorescent molecular sensor for detecting bad cooking oils. The novel technology enables anyone to easily measure the cooked time for all kinds of cooking oils. |
| B12 deficiency harms young children's development, and the food relief we provide isn't good enough Posted: 03 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT Vitamin B12 deficiency in infants leads to poor motor development and anemia, according to a new study . B12 deficiency is an enormous, yet overlooked problem, and the food relief currently suppied is not helping. According to the researchers, the problem calls for new solutions. |
| In poplars, two plant hormones boost each other in defense against pathogenic fungi Posted: 03 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT In contrast to previous assumptions, the defense hormones salicylic acid and jasmonic acid do not always suppress each other in regulating plant chemical defenses against pests and pathogens. In trees, the interplay of both hormones can actually increase plant resistance. |
| How the black rat colonized Europe in the Roman and Medieval periods Posted: 03 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT New ancient DNA analysis has shed light on how the black rat, blamed for spreading Black Death, dispersed across Europe -- revealing that the rodent colonized the continent on two occasions in the Roman and Medieval periods. By analyzing DNA from ancient black rat remains found at archaeological sites spanning the 1st to the 17th centuries in Europe and North Africa, researchers have pieced together a new understanding of how rat populations dispersed following the ebbs and flows of human trade, urbanism, and empires. |
| Beetle iridescence a deceptive form of warning coloration Posted: 03 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT A new study published today in Animal Behaviour shows for the first time that brilliant iridescence and gloss found in some animals can have a protective function by working as a form of deceptive warning coloration, and that it is the key feature of iridescence, its changing colors, that is important for this effect. |
| What happens when traits jump between branches of the tree of life Posted: 03 May 2022 11:13 AM PDT We all must play the game of life with the cards we're dealt, so the common aphorism goes. In biology, this means organisms must compete through natural selection with the genes and anatomy they were born with. But the saying is a lie. Okay, it’s not exactly a lie, but modern research suggests that the game of life is far more complicated than we had anticipated. There are opportunities to swap cards and even steal other players’ hands. |
| Indigenous peoples have shucked billions of oysters around the world sustainably Posted: 03 May 2022 08:05 AM PDT A new global study of Indigenous oyster fisheries shows that oyster fisheries were hugely productive and sustainably managed on a massive scale over hundreds and even thousands of years of intensive harvest. The study's broadest finding was that long before European colonizers arrived, the Indigenous groups in these locations harvested and ate immense quantities of oysters in a manner that did not appear to cause the bivalves' populations to suffer and crash. |
| Researchers discover new species of salamander from Gulf Coastal plains hotspot Posted: 03 May 2022 07:28 AM PDT There are approximately 750 species of salamander known to science, a third of which reside in North America. Now, a team of researchers has discovered a new species of swamp-dwelling dusky salamander from the Gulf Coastal Plain of southeastern Mississippi and southwestern Alabama. |
| Researchers discover overlooked Jurassic Park of lizards Posted: 03 May 2022 06:17 AM PDT New research moves back the moment of the radiation of squamates -- the group of reptiles that includes lizards, snakes and worm lizards -- to the Jurassic, a long time before current estimates. |
| Repairing tendons with silk proteins Posted: 03 May 2022 06:15 AM PDT Researchers have developed a silk composite for significantly improved tendon regeneration and repair. |
| Bacteria make a beeline to escape tight spaces Posted: 03 May 2022 05:31 AM PDT A newly published study has revealed that bacteria alter their swimming patterns when they get into tight spaces -- making a beeline to escape from confinement. |
| New technology offers fighting chance against grapevine killer Posted: 03 May 2022 05:31 AM PDT CRISPR gene-editing technology represents hope for controlling the grapevine-killing glassy-winged sharpshooter. Scientists have demonstrated that this technology can make permanent physical changes in the insect. They also showed these changes were passed down to three or more generations of insects. |
| Precipitation helped drive distribution of Alaska dinosaurs Posted: 02 May 2022 02:09 PM PDT Precipitation more than temperature influenced the distribution of herbivorous dinosaurs in what is now Alaska, according to new research. The finding discusses the distribution of hadrosaurids and ceratopsids -- the megaherbivores of the Late Cretaceous Period, 100.5 million to 66 million years ago. |
| Discovery about coral-algal symbiosis could help coral reefs recover after bleaching events Posted: 02 May 2022 02:09 PM PDT Although photosynthesis by algae is a key part of the symbiotic relationship it is not required to initiate symbiosis. The discovery adds to the little-understood relationship between cnidarians and algae at the molecular level and offers insight into how to jump start the symbiotic relationship between the two organisms after a bleaching event. It could also lead to strategies that might prevent warmer oceans from breaking the symbiotic relationship between the two organisms and saving what remains of the world's corals. |
| Scientists map living corals before and after marine heat wave: Winners and losers discovered Posted: 02 May 2022 02:08 PM PDT Scientists reveal that different corals and environments influence the likelihood of their survival when ocean temperatures rise. The findings also demonstrate that advanced remote sensing technologies provide an opportunity to scale-up reef monitoring like never before. |
| Park rangers use butterflies to take planet's pulse in a biodiversity hotspot Posted: 02 May 2022 11:26 AM PDT For the last decade, biologists have documented a worrying decline in insect abundance, which some fear may prelude an arthropod apocalypse. These studies, however, are primarily carried out in temperature regions while the tropics, which harbor the vast majority of insect species, largely remains a black box. In a new study, biologists turn to the aid of park rangers in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park -- considered one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet -- to assess changes to insect abundance. |
| Self-eliminating genes tested on mosquitoes Posted: 02 May 2022 10:13 AM PDT Scientists have tested a technology to make temporary genetic modifications in mosquitoes. The modifications self-delete over time. |
| Studies find the seeds of a forest's renewal after wildfire, drought Posted: 02 May 2022 09:54 AM PDT By quantifying the seed production of more than 700 trees species worldwide and how each species' productivity can vary by location, two new studies can help boost the success of efforts to replant and restore forests after devastating wildfires, droughts or other disturbances. The studies, which synthesize data on species from the tropics to subarctic regions, are the first to quantify global patterns in tree seed production. |
| Dinosaur extinction changed plant evolution Posted: 02 May 2022 09:53 AM PDT The absence of large herbivores after the extinction of the dinosaurs changed the evolution of plants. The 25 million years of large herbivore absence slowed down the evolution of new plant species. Defensive features such as spines regressed and fruit sizes increased. The research has demonstrated this using palm trees as a model system. |
| Nanotechnology enables visualization of RNA structures at near-atomic resolution Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have reported a fundamentally new approach to the structural investigation of RNA molecules. ROCK, as it is called, uses an RNA nanotechnological technique that allows it to assemble multiple identical RNA molecules into a highly organized structure, which significantly reduces the flexibility of individual RNA molecules and multiplies their molecular weight. The team showed that their method enables the structural analysis of the contained RNA subunits with a technique known as cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). |
| Tiny sensor used to track the migratory patterns of monarch butterflies Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Scientists have developed a tracking system that can be attached to monarch butterflies and transmit data about their location all throughout their three-month migratory journey south. |
| Hydroponic plants to detox PFAS-contaminated water Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT New research is helping to remediate the 'indestructible' PFASs as scientists show that Australian native plants can significantly remediate PFAS pollutants through floating wetlands to create healthier environments for all. |
| Sensor makes strides in detecting infection indicators Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Bioengineers have designed a wearable sensor that can detect two key biomarkers of infection in human sweat, a significant step toward making it possible for users to receive early warnings of infections such as COVID-19 and influenza. |
| Study supports stronger conservation efforts Appalachians and the Gulf Coast, US Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Study of Campanula americana supports strengthening conservation efforts in glacial refugia areas because of their high genetic diversity. Conservation of those areas in the southern Appalachians and the Gulf Coast has implications for other areas of the country. |
| As climate shifts, species will need to relocate, and people may have to help them Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Climate change is already affecting plants and animals worldwide and is a growing threat to biodiversity, adding a new layer to the existing challenges of habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation. A new study surveyed the recommendations of scientists for managing biodiversity in the face of climate change, providing a summary of practical guidance and identifying areas in need of further research. |
| Sweet spots in the sea: Mountains of sugar under seagrass meadows Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Seagrasses play an important role in our climate. They are one of the most efficient sinks of carbon dioxide on Earth. A team of scientists now reports that seagrasses release large amounts of sugar, largely in the form of sucrose, into their soils -- worldwide more than 1 million tons of sucrose, enough for 32 billion cans of coke. Such high concentrations of sugar are surprising. Normally, microorganisms quickly consume any free sugars in their environment. The scientists found that seagrasses excrete phenolic compounds, and these deter most microorganisms from degrading the sucrose. This ensures that the sucrose remains buried underneath the meadows and cannot be converted into CO2 and returned to the ocean and atmosphere. |
| Posted: 02 May 2022 06:48 AM PDT A study of nearly 9,000 children found those who eat a vegetarian diet had similar measures of growth and nutrition compared to children who eat meat. The study also found that children with a vegetarian diet had higher odds of underweight weight status, emphasizing the need for special care when planning the diets of vegetarian kids. |
| Sound -- a new tool to control enzymatic reactions Posted: 02 May 2022 06:48 AM PDT Unhackneyed compartmentalization generated by audible sound allows the enzyme reactions to be controlled spatiotemporally. |
| Lighting the tunnel of plant evolution: Scientists explore importance of two-pore channels in plants Posted: 02 May 2022 06:47 AM PDT Two-pore ion channels are present in many eukaryotes -- both animals and plants. While the possible involvement of these channels in environmental stress responses have been discussed in higher plants, their localizations and functional significance remain largely unknown. Now, researchers have found the missing pieces of evolutionary history of two-pore channels in a species of liverwort. |
| Mapping vegetation communities -- using existing records for new insights Posted: 28 Apr 2022 09:54 AM PDT Ecologists have developed powerful modelling tools to predict the distributions of individual species, especially those of conservation importance. |
| Not all dietary fibers are equal Posted: 28 Apr 2022 09:54 AM PDT The health benefits of dietary fiber vary across individuals and may depend on the specific type of fiber and the dose consumed, researchers report. |
| New article outlines the characteristics of a 'longevity diet' Posted: 28 Apr 2022 09:54 AM PDT In a new article, researchers describe the 'longevity diet,' a multi-pillar approach based on studies of various aspects of diet, from food composition and calorie intake to the length and frequency of fasting periods. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Plants & Animals News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Laden...
Laden...
