Biology News

Researchers Discover How Piezo Protein Senses Touch

Piezo proteins transduce physical forces and are activated by mechanical indentation and stretching of cell membranes. By reconstituting these channels in lipid bilayers, Syeda et al show that Piezo 1 channels are stimulated in the absence of other cellular components via a variety of methods, including osmotic imbalance and membrane perturbation. Image credit: Syeda et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.10.033.
Nov 15, 2016 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Cell Reports reveals that a protein called Piezo 1 is directly responsible for sensing touch. Knowledge about Piezo 1 could be relevant for designing better pain medications and exploring future therapies for blood disorders, hypertension and more. Piezo proteins transduce physical forces and are activated by mechanical indentation and stretching of cell membranes. By reconstituting these channels in lipid bilayers,...

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The Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) can reach record-breaking speeds, according to McCracken et al. Image credit: Max Planck Institute for Ornithology.

Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat is Fastest Flying Animal, New Study Says

Nov 10, 2016 by News Staff

A study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science shows that the Brazilian free-tailed bat can achieve flight speeds of 100 mph (160 km per hour)...

Chimpanzee fishing algae. Image credit: PanAf Project / Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Chimps Discovered Using Tools to Fish for Algae

Nov 9, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Chimpanzees in Guinea are regularly using long and robust tools to fish for algae, reveals new research published this month in the American Journal of...

Hippo family in Botswana. Image credit: Hans Stieglitz / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Plant-Eating Mammals Have Bigger Bellies, Claims New Study

Nov 7, 2016 by News Staff

Herbivorous, or plant-eating, mammals have bigger bellies than their usually slim carnivorous counterparts, according to a study led by University of Zurich...

Stiphrornis erythothorax, until now the only species in the genus Stiphrornis, by Joseph Smit, 1883, in the Catalogue of the birds in the British Museum, vol. 7.

Three New Species of Forest Robin Discovered in Africa

Nov 7, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Researchers have described three new species in the previously monotypic bird genus Stiphrornis: two from West Africa and one from the Congo. Stiphrornis...

Schematic of gradual induction of severe hypoxemia. Image credit: Yuji Nakada et al, doi: 10.1038/nature20173.

Study: Extremely Low-Oxygen Environment Leads to Heart Regeneration in Adult Mice

Nov 4, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from Japan, UK and the United States has been able to regenerate heart muscle by placing adult mice in a low-oxygen...

A common swift (Apus apus). Image credit: N. Camilleri.

Common Swifts Can Stay Ten Months in Air without Landing, Claim Ornithologists

Oct 31, 2016 by News Staff

Common swifts (Apus apus) remain airborne for 10 months of their non-breeding period, according to a new study by Lund University ornithologists. A common...

Mark et al demonstrate that vitamin D promotes protein homeostasis and slows aging in the nematode C. elegans. Image credit: Karla A. Mark et al.

Vitamin D Enhances Lifespan and Protein Homeostasis, New Study Shows

Oct 26, 2016 by News Staff

A new animal study published in the journal Cell Reports shows vitamin D engages longevity genes to increase lifespan and prevent the accumulation of toxic...

Illacme tobini. Scale bar - 1 mm. Image credit: P.E. Marek et al.

Researchers Discover New Species of Leggy Millipede in California

Oct 24, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of millipede, called Illacme tobini, has been discovered in a cave in Sequoia National Park, California. Illacme tobini. Scale bar –...

New Species of Drywood Termite Discovered in Colombia

Oct 23, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of drywood termite has been described from tropical dry forests of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Proneotermes macondianus. Scale bars –...

Examples of flaked stones produced by bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus). Scale bars - 5 cm. Image credit: Tomos Proffitt et al.

Brazilian Capuchin Monkeys Unintentionally Make Sharp-Edged Stone Flakes

Oct 21, 2016 by News Staff

A University of Oxford-led team of scientists has observed bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally...

According to a new study, the mouths of migraine sufferers harbor more nitrate-reducing microbes than people who do not get migraine headaches. Image credit: Sasha Wolff / CC BY 2.0.

Scientists Find Link between Migraines and Nitrate-Reducing Oral Bacteria

Oct 21, 2016 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the University of Chicago and the University of California, San Diego, has found that migraine sufferers harbor significantly...

A daring jumping spider (Phidippus audax), an adult female. Image credit: Ryan Kaldari.

Jumping Spiders Can ‘Hear’ Sounds over Greater Distances than Previously Thought

Oct 17, 2016 by News Staff

Spiders are sensitive to airborne vibrations from nearby sources. They are supposed to respond to sounds and ‘hear,’ but only when the sound is coming...

A prairie kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) in Kansas. Image credit: Don Becker / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Yellow-Bellied Kingsnake is Actually Three Separate Species

Oct 11, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a new study published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, the yellow-bellied kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster), a snake...

Humans aren’t the only ones who can tell when someone’s beliefs don’t match reality. Image credit: Jochemy.

Study: Great Apes Understand False Beliefs

Oct 10, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Science, three different species of great apes — chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan — are...

The buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). Image credit: Spacebirdy / CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Bumblebees Can Learn to Pull Strings for Reward, New Study Shows

Oct 5, 2016 by News Staff

String pulling is a popular problem-solving task for investigating cognitive abilities in apes and birds, but has never been tested in insects. Now, buff-tailed...

This image shows thirst neurons (blue) in mouse SCN. Image credit: C. Gizowski et al / McGill University.

Study Says Biological Clock Stimulates Thirst before Sleep

Sep 29, 2016 by News Staff

According to a study in rodents led by Prof. Charles Bourque of McGill University, the brain’s biological clock stimulates thirst in the hours before...

The new study provides further evidence of possible genetic influences on obesity, through heritable bacteria found in the fecal microbiome.

New Link Found between Body Fat, Fecal Bacteria

Sep 28, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has found a new link between the diversity of bacteria in the human fecal microbiome and levels of visceral fat (body...

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

Study: Great Tits Choose Spring Neighbors Based on Winter Friendships

Sep 23, 2016 by News Staff

Great tits (Parus major) pick their spring breeding sites to be near their winter flockmates, according to a new study by scientists at the University...

The Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus), one of the snake species studied by the team. Image credit: Alexandre Roux / CC BY-SA 2.0.

New Research Sheds Light on Snake Vision

Sep 20, 2016 by News Staff

The first major study of visual pigment genes and lenses in snakes has found that the reptiles match their vision to their lifestyles. The Montpellier...

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