Biology News

Japanese Scientists Create ‘Smallest Mobile Lifeform’

Reconstitution of Spiroplasma swimming in JCVI-syn3B by expressing seven genes. Image credit: Kiyama et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abo7490.
Dec 1, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Researchers from the Osaka City University, the Osaka Metropolitan University and the Bioproduction Research Institute have created a swimming synthetic bacterium from the actively swimming crustacean pathogen Spiroplasma eriocheiris and a non-motile synthetic bacterium. Reconstitution of Spiroplasma swimming in JCVI-syn3B by expressing seven genes. Image credit: Kiyama et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abo7490. “Studying the world’s smallest bacterium...

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Galeus arae, a member of the genus Galeus and a relative of the newly-discovered species Galeus friedrichi. Image credit: NOAA Ocean Explorer.

New Species of Sawtail Catshark Discovered in Philippines

Nov 29, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Named Galeus friedrichi, the new species is the third species of the catshark genus Galeus — after Galeus sauteri and Galeus schultzi — documented...

The dinosauroid by Dale Russell and Ron Séguin. Image credit: Canadian Museum of Nature / Darren Naish & Will Tattersdill, doi: 10.1139/cjes-2020-0172.

What If Non-Avian Dinosaurs Hadn’t Gone Extinct?

Nov 28, 2022 by The Conversation

About 66 million years ago, a 10-km-wide asteroid crashed into Earth near the site of the small town of Chicxulub in what is now Mexico. The impact unleashed...

This phylogenetic tree includes 301 species (ca. 92% species) from all currently recognized genera of the family Muscicapidae. Image credit: Zhao et al., doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107646.

Ornithologists Unveil Family Tree of Old World Flycatchers, Robins and Chats

Nov 28, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Muscicapidae — the chats, robins and Old World flycatchers — is a diverse songbird family with over 300 species. This phylogenetic tree includes...

Great bustards (Otis tarda) near Madrid, Spain. Image credit: Jacinta Lluch Valero / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Great Bustards Use Two Plant Species to Self-Medicate, Scientists Say

Nov 23, 2022 by News Staff

The great bustard (Otis tarda), the largest member of the bustard family Otididae and the only member of the genus Otis, is believed to be the heaviest...

The black-naped pheasant-pigeon (Otidiphaps insularis). Image credit: Doka Nason / American Bird Conservancy.

Ornithologists Capture First-Ever Photos, Video of Long-Lost Ground-Dwelling Pigeon

Nov 21, 2022 by News Staff

The black-naped pheasant-pigeon (Otidiphaps insularis), a large terrestrial pigeon species from an island off Papua New Guinea, had been lost to science...

Lophopetalum tanahgambut and its knee roots system. Image credit: Randi et al., doi: 10.11646/phytotaxa.573.1.7.

New Giant Tree Species Discovered in Indonesia

Nov 21, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

Lophopetalum tanahgambut is a large top canopy tree growing to 40 m tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height (dbh) of up to 1.05 m. Lophopetalum tanahgambut...

Transparent and iridescent appearance of Jeongeupia sacculi HS-3’s colonies; the edge of a colony growing on agar. Image credit: Mizuno et al., doi: 10.7554/eLife.71920.

Newly-Discovered Bacterium Species Has Unique Multicellular Characteristics

Nov 17, 2022 by News Staff

Biologists have isolated a new type of multicellular bacterium, named Jeongeupia sacculi HS-3, from an underground stream in northern Kyushu Island, Japan....

Bee longevity, like any phenotypic expression, is the result of both environmental exposure and the bees’ genome. Image credit: Martin Tajmr.

Study: Caged Honeybees are Living Half as Long as Observed 50 Years Ago

Nov 14, 2022 by News Staff

In a new study published today in the journal Scientific Reports, a duo of researchers at the University of Maryland found that the median lifespan of...

Eufriesea insularis, female holotype. Image credit: Ayala et al., doi: 10.3897/jhr.92.87197.

New Species of Orchid Bee Discovered

Nov 14, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Entomologists have described a new species of the neotropical orchid bee genus Eufriesea from the Islas Marías of Nayarit State, México in the Pacific. Eufriesea...

A gloomy octopus (Octopus tetricus) projects silt and kelp through the water. Image credit: Godfrey-Smith et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276482.

Octopuses Witnessed Throwing Silt, Shells and Algae around Themselves and at Each Other

Nov 10, 2022 by News Staff

Wild gloomy octopuses (Octopus tetricus), a medium-sized benthic octopus species common in temperate waters around Australia and New Zealand, frequently...

Macrobiotus naginae. Scale bar - 100 μm. Image credit: Daniel Stec.

New Species of Sand Dune-Dwelling Tardigrade Discovered in Finland

Nov 10, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Scientists have described a new species of the Macrobiotus pseudohufelandi complex from sand dunes of inland Finland. Macrobiotus naginae. Scale bar –...

Cymatioa cooki. Image credit: P. Valentich-Scott & J.H.R. Goddard, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1128.95139.

Fossil Clam Species Found Living Off Southern California

Nov 8, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Cymatioa cooki, a species of small bivalve mollusk previously only known from the Pleistocene period, has been found living intertidally near Santa Barbara,...

Asgard archaeon. Scale bar - 500 nm. Image credit: Imachi et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1916-6.

Human Enzyme Evolved from Ancient Single-Celled Organisms, Study Suggests

Nov 7, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

AK6, an enzyme found in the nucleus of human cells, contains clear traces of single-celled organisms called Asgard archaea, according to new research led...

Thismia mantiqueirensis, detail of flower in diagonal view, evidencing the upper disc of the floral tube and perianth lamellae. Image credit: E. Muscat.

New Species of Fairy Lantern Found in Brazilian Rainforest

Nov 3, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Scientists have described a new species of the flowering plant genus Thismia from a forest in the Mantiqueira mountains in southeast Brazil. Thismia mantiqueirensis,...

This colorized photo shows American President Theodore Roosevelt standing behind the carcass of a rhinocerous. Image credit: U.S. Library of Congress.

Rhino Horns Have Gradually Decreased in Size over Past Century, Image-Based Study Shows

Nov 2, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Rhinos are among the most charismatic and well-known mammals on Earth, but they face extinction because of human activities. To learn how to save rhinos,...

The Principe scops-owl (Otus bikegila): an adult rufous morph (left) in the typical posture and an adult gray-brown morph (right) in a stress posture, when it raises the ear tufts to increase the efficiency of camouflage. Image credit: Marco N. Correia.

New Species of Scops-Owl Discovered in Africa

Nov 1, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Ornithologists have discovered a new species of the scops-owl genus Otus inhabiting the forests of Príncipe Island, part of the Democratic Republic of...

Dravidacris annamalaica: (a) dorsal view, (b) lateral view, (c) dorsal view of the horn and head, (d) frontal view of horn and head, (e) lateral view of horn and head. Image credit: H Sankararaman.

Newly-Identified Grasshopper Species Has Sword-Like Head

Nov 1, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Scientists in India have described a new genus and species of unicorn pygmy grasshopper from Tamil Nadu, one of the southern Indian states. Dravidacris...

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis). Image credit: David Harin / Duke Lemur Center.

Aye-Ayes Use Their Elongated Fingers to Pick Their Nose, Scientists Say

Oct 31, 2022 by News Staff

The aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a species of strepsirrhine primate closely related to lemurs and the largest nocturnal primate in the world. The...

Leioproctus zephyr. Image credit: Kit Prendergast.

Newly-Described Species of Australian Native Bee Has Dog-Like ‘Snout’

Oct 31, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Curtin University researcher Kit Prendergast has named the new bee species Leioproctus zephyr, after her pet dog Zephyr after noticing a protruding part...

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