Biology News

Do Muscle-Less and Heartless Sea Anemones Hold Key to Heart Regeneration?

The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis). Image credit: Sinigaglia et al / University of Vienna.
Jun 30, 2017 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the University of Florida has found genes known to form heart cells in humans and other animals in the gut of the starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis), a brainless, muscle-less and heartless marine animal native to the east coast of the United States. The findings point to potential for tweaking communication between human genes and advancing our ability to treat heart conditions and stimulate regenerative healing. The...

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Male (right) and female paratypes of the blue-winged amazon (Amazona gomezgarzai). Image credit: T. Silva et al, doi: 10.7717/peerj.3475.

New Species of Amazon Parrot Discovered in Mexico

Jun 28, 2017 by Natali Anderson

A new species of parrot has been discovered in the tropical forests of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Male (right) and female paratypes of the blue-winged...

The São Tomé grosbeak (Crithagra concolor). Image credit: Alexandre Vaz / Melo et al, doi: 10.1111/ibi.12466.

Meet Sao Tome Grosbeak, World’s Largest Canary

Jun 22, 2017 by Natali Anderson

A critically endangered bird species called the São Tomé grosbeak is the world’s largest canary, 50% heavier than the next largest species, according...

The Rugege highlands forest chameleon (Kinyongia rugegensis). Image credit: Eli Greenbaum.

Three New Chameleon Species Discovered in Central Africa

Jun 20, 2017 by News Staff

A team of herpetologists, led by Dr. Eli Greenbaum, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, has discovered three...

The Suriname lowland forest cottontail (Sylvilagus parentum). Image credit: UOL / IUCN.

New Species of Cottontail Rabbit Identified: Sylvilagus parentum

Jun 14, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of cottontail rabbit (genus Sylvilagus) has been described from the lowlands of western Suriname by Portland State University Professor Luis...

A 2016 representation of the tree of life. Image credit: Laura A. Hug et al, doi: 10.1038/nmicrobiol.2016.48.

SYMPHY: Researchers Propose New ‘Tree of Life’ Framework that Incorporates Symbiomes

Jun 13, 2017 by News Staff

In 1859, Charles Darwin included a novel tree of life in his book ‘On the Origin of Species.’ Now, a Rutgers University-led research team wants to...

The Humboldt’s flying squirrel (Glaucomys oregonensis), the third-known species of flying squirrel in North America and the 45th known species of flying squirrel in the world. Image credit: Nick Kerhoulas.

Cryptic New Species of Flying Squirrel Identified in North America

Jun 7, 2017 by News Staff

Scientists reporting in the Journal of Mammalogy on May 30 have identified a new species of flying squirrel living in the Pacific Coast region of North...

Chimpanzees share the human capacity to build on the knowledge of others. Image credit: Marcel Langthim.

Chimpanzees Show ‘Cumulative Culture’

Jun 1, 2017 by News Staff

Chimpanzees share our human ability to amass knowledge, a new study led by a University of St Andrews researcher has found. Chimpanzees share the human...

The Yaku glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium yaku) in life. Top row: adult male, holotype, in dorsal and ventral view. Bottom row: adult male, paratype. Image credit: Guayasamin et al, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.673.12108.

New Glassfrog Species Discovered in Ecuador

May 29, 2017 by Natali Anderson

Herpetologists are claiming they have discovered a new species of frog living in the Amazonian lowlands of Ecuador. The Yaku glassfrog (Hyalinobatrachium...

According to Williams et al, the earliest metabolisms of the Archaea were based on the anaerobic reduction of carbon dioxide, and likely evolved during the earliest period of Earth’s evolutionary history. This is an artist’s impression of an Archean landscape. Image credit: Tim Bertelink / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scientists Improve Evolutionary Tree of Life for Archaea

May 28, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international group of researchers from UK, France, Hungary and Sweden has provided new insights into the origins of the Archaea, the group of simple...

Eulophophyllum kirki. Image credit: Peter Kirk.

Leaf-Mimicking Insect, Freshwater Stingray, Omnivorous Rat among ESF’s Top 10 Species of 2016

May 23, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of taxonomists led by experts at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) selected the top 10 from among the...

A study by Nora et al provides new insights into the rules governing human genome organization. Image credit: Nora et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.05.004.

New Study Expands Understanding of How DNA is Organized in Human Cells

May 22, 2017 by News Staff

After decades of research aiming to understand how DNA is organized in our cells, a team of researchers from the Gladstone Institutes, the Massachusetts...

Ploughing with a yoke of horned cattle in Ancient Egypt.

Did Hunter-Gatherers Intentionally Domesticate Wild Plants?

May 18, 2017 by News Staff

New research from the University of Sheffield, UK, has shed light on how hunter-gatherers adopted agriculture and how crops were domesticated to depend...

The Acentria’s fritillary (Melitaea acentria), female, Mt. Hermon (1,800 m), Israel, May 7, 2016. Image credit: V. Lukhtanov, doi: 10.3897/CompCytogen.v11i2.12370.

New Species of Butterfly Discovered in Israel: Acentria’s Fritillary

May 13, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of the butterfly genus Melitaea has been discovered in northern Israel, according to a paper published in the journal Comparative Cytogenetics. The...

According to Janecka et al, the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is actually three different subspecies. Image credit: Dingopup / The Cat Survival Trust / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Three Subspecies of Snow Leopard Revealed

May 12, 2017 by Natali Anderson

There are three different subspecies of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the world’s most elusive large big cat, according to a new study published...

This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic image depicts Enterococcus faecalis. Image credit: Pete Wardell / CDC.

First Enterococci Appeared on Earth during Ordovician Period, Says Study

May 11, 2017 by News Staff

According to a new study published today in the journal Cell, the enterococci — gram-positive aerobic bacteria and a leading cause of hospital-acquired...

Two female great tits. Image credit: Shirley Clarke / Fordingbridge Camera Club / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Male Great Tits Choose Their Neighbors Based on Personality

May 9, 2017 by News Staff

Male great tits (Parus major) choose neighbors with similar personalities to their own, according to new research from the University of Oxford, UK. Johnson...

Two New Species of Tarsiers Discovered in Indonesia

May 8, 2017 by News Staff

Two new tarsier species have been discovered in the forests of the northern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Gursky’s spectral tarsier (Tarsius...

Varanus douarrha. Image credit: Valter Weijola.

Varanus douarrha: Researchers Rediscover Long-Lost Species of Monitor Lizard

May 3, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has found and re-described a species of monitor lizard, Varanus douarrha, from the island of New Ireland in the Bismarck...

According to Leitao-Goncalves et al, gut bacteria control food choice and egg laying in Drosophila melanogaster. Image credit: Leitao-Goncalves et al, doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2000862.

Gut Bacteria ‘Speak’ to Brain to Control Food Choices in Animals

May 2, 2017 by News Staff

In a study published recently in the journal PLOS Biology, neuroscientists identified three gut bacteria species — Acetobacter pomorum, Lactobacillus...

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