Biology News

Pocket Gophers are First Non-Human Mammals Known to Farm for Living

Selden & Putz argue that by promoting root growth in their tunnels and then cropping those roots, southeastern pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis) are employing a low-level food production system that may qualify as farming. Image credit: John Woodhouse Audubon / New York Public Library.
Jul 11, 2022 by News Staff

According to new research from the University of Florida, roots grow into the humid tunnels of southeastern pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis) where they benefit from nutrients from gopher wastes; cropping these roots supplies the animals with an average of 21% but up to 62% of their daily metabolic needs. Selden & Putz argue that by promoting root growth in their tunnels and then cropping those roots, southeastern pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis)...

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New Species of Giant Waterlily Identified

Jul 5, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Victoria boliviana marks the first discovery of a giant waterlily species in over a century and breaks the record as the largest in the world. Wild population...

Liu et al. show that in normal mouse skin, Scube3 is expressed only in dermal papillae of growing, but not in resting follicles. SCUBE3 protein microinjection is sufficient to induce new hair growth, and pharmacological TGF-β inhibition rescues mutant hair hyper-activation phenotype. Moreover, dermal-papilla-enriched expression of SCUBE3 and its growth-activating effect are partially conserved in human scalp hair follicles. Image credit: Liu et al., doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2022.06.005.

Newly-Discovered Signaling Molecule Stimulates Hair Multiplication and Growth

Jul 1, 2022 by News Staff

SCUBE3 potently stimulates hair growth and may offer a therapeutic treatment for androgenetic alopecia. Liu et al. show that in normal mouse skin, Scube3...

Zhang et al. observed that Aedes mosquitoes preferred to seek and feed on mice infected by dengue and Zika viruses. Image credit: Zhang et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.05.016.

Flaviviruses Make Their Hosts Smell Tastier to Mosquitoes: Study

Jul 1, 2022 by News Staff

New research demonstrates that mosquito-transmitted flaviviruses such as Zika and dengue can manipulate skin microbiota of their hosts to produce a scent...

Lower pitchers of Nepenthes pudica under a moss mat. Image credit: Dančák et al., doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.201.82872.

Meet Nepenthes pudica, Carnivorous Plant that Produces Underground Traps

Jun 30, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

Nepenthes pudica, a new species of pitcher plant from the lower montane rainforests of North Kalimantan, Indonesia, produces well-developed, fully functional...

Model of Asgard viral infection mechanisms and protein similarity with other viruses: (a) genes identified in Asgard viruses involved in infection (i), replication (ii), transcription (iii) and translation (iv); Asgard viruses are shown as different colored hexagons, Asgard hosts as different colored circles, and host transcription machinery is labeled with ovals color coded by function (see legend); (b) distribution of 35 genes (lower x axis) among Asgard viruses (y axis); filled circles indicate annotated orthologues, while white circles indicate that an orthologue was not identified. Image credit: Rambo et al., doi: 10.1038/s41564-022-01150-8.

Mysterious Asgard Archaea-Infecting Viruses Discovered

Jun 30, 2022 by News Staff

Asgard archaea are globally distributed microorganisms related to eukaryotes — complex organisms including animals, plants, fungi, and amoeba. However,...

Wood et al. hope that the BirdNET app and similar projects will enable new opportunities for avian research and conservation. Image credit: Ashakur Rahaman / K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

BirdNET: Free App Identifies Bird Species by Sound

Jun 29, 2022 by News Staff

The BirdNET app is a free bird sound identification app for Android and iOS that includes over 3,000 bird species. Ornithologists hope this app will reduce...

Bergström et al. provide insights into long-standing questions on the origin of dogs. Image credit: Jessica Rae Peto.

Dogs were Domesticated in Eastern Eurasia, Ancient DNA Study Suggests

Jun 29, 2022 by News Staff

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) was the first species to give rise to a domestic population, and they remained widespread throughout the latest Ice Age when...

Underwater photograph of the thrush sneaky wrasse (Pteragogus turdus), adult individual, Ishigaki-jima Island. Image credit: K. Nishiyama.

New Species of Wrasse Discovered

Jun 29, 2022 by Natali Anderson

A team of ichthyologists from the Kagoshima University and the Kagoshima University Museum has discovered a new species of the fish genus Pteragogus living...

Péter et al. describe the appearance and subsequent spread of well-digging behavior in a previously apparently naïve community of wild East African chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Image credit: Péter et al., doi: 10.1007/s10329-022-00992-4.

Forest-Living East African Chimpanzees are Digging Wells for Cleaner Water: Study

Jun 28, 2022 by News Staff

Digging wells to access or filter drinking water is a relatively rare behavior in the animal kingdom — only a handful of species have been documented...

Single filament of Ca. Thiomargarita magnifica. Image credit: Jean-Marie Volland.

Newly-Discovered Species of Bacterium is Visible to Naked Eye

Jun 24, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Cells of most bacterial species are around 2 micrometers in length, with some of the largest specimens reaching 750 micrometers. The newly-discovered species,...

External morphology of Stylobates calcifer with host hermit crab Pagurodofleinia doederleini. The upper (A) and posterior (B) views and the marginal views of the right and left sides (C, D, respectively) of the living specimen. The upper and marginal views (E, F, respectively) of the preserved specimen. Scale bars - 5 mm. Image credit: Yoshikawa et al., doi: 10.1086/719160.

New Species of Symbiotic Sea Anemone Discovered Off Coast of Japan

Jun 23, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Scientifically named Stylobates calcifer, the new sea anemone species lives in a symbiotic relationship with a species of hermit crab called Pagurodofleinia...

Frog-eating bats were able to remember what they learned for up to four years in the wild. Image credit: Marcos Guerra.

Some Bats Have Remarkable Long-Term Memory, Study Shows

Jun 20, 2022 by News Staff

In new research, a team of scientists from the Ohio State University acquainted 49 frog-eating bats with a series of ringtones that attracted their attention,...

The village of Tel Tsaf, Israel: an overview of Area C with courtyard buildings, comprising rectangular and rounded rooms and rounded silos. Image credit: Y. Garfinkel.

New Evidence Suggests Olive and Fig Trees Were Cultivated as Early as 7,000 Years Ago

Jun 16, 2022 by News Staff

Archeologists excavating at the Chalcolithic site of Tel Tsaf in the Jordan Valley, Israel, have discovered one of the earliest examples of fruit tree...

A cat (Felis catus) licks and chews silver vine (Actinidia polygama) leaves. Image credit: Masao Miyazaki & Reiko Uenoyama.

Plant-Damaging Behavior Plays Important Role in Gaining Pest-Repellency in Cats: Study

Jun 15, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

New research provides evidence that the physical damage of catnip (Nepeta cataria) and silver vine (Actinidia polygama) leaves by feline licking and chewing...

Takagi et al. examined whether domestic cats learn that human utterances indicate specific objects in their daily life. Image credit: Corina.

Cats Learn Names of Their Feline Friends, New Study Shows

Jun 13, 2022 by Natali Anderson

Humans communicate with each other through language, which enables us talk about things beyond time and space. Do non-human animals learn to associate...

Ancyromonas sigmoides, an understudied microbe that holds enormous promise for investigations into the origin of eukaryotes. Image credit: Naoji Yubuki.

Chromatin First Evolved in Ancient Microbes 1-2 Billion Years Ago, New Research Suggests

Jun 13, 2022 by News Staff

Chromatin is the ensemble of genomic DNA and a large number of proteins. Despite its fundamental role in biology of eukaryotic cells, scientists lack a...

Fernanda, the only known living Fernandina giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus), now lives at the Galápagos National Park’s Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Santa Cruz Island. Image credit: Galápagos Conservancy.

Fernandina Island Tortoise Is Not Extinct, New Study Confirms

Jun 10, 2022 by News Staff

The status of the Fernandina Island Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis phantasticus) has been a mystery, with the species known from a single specimen...

The western honeybee (Apis mellifera). Image credit: David Hablützel.

New Zealand Honeydew Honey Has Excellent Antioxidant Properties, Study Shows

Jun 8, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

A team of researchers at the Auckland University of Technology has profiled the chemical composition of New Zealand honeydew honey and compared its antioxidant...

Bista et al. explored how the red panda (Ailurus fulgens), an iconic endangered habitat specialist, behaves when faced with disturbances and habitat fragmentation. Image credit: Damber Bista.

Red Panda is Being Driven Closer to Extinction, New Study Shows

Jun 7, 2022 by News Staff

Using GPS telemetry, scientists from the University of Queensland, the University of Southern Queensland and the Red Panda Network have monitored 10 red...

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