Biology News

Australian Stinging Trees Make Spider- and Cone Snail-Like Venom

Stinging nettles of the genus Dendrocnide produce potent neurotoxins: (A) sign at a North Queensland National Park advising caution around stinging trees; (B) Dendrocnide excelsa petioles are covered in stinging hairs; (C) scanning electron micrograph of trichome structure on the leaf of Dendrocnide moroides; (D-G) cutaneous reaction resulting from an accidental sting with Dendrocnide moroides documented with an iPhone XR and NEC G120W2 thermal imager, illustrating almost immediate local piloerection (arrowheads in D), development of wheals where stinging hairs penetrate the skin (arrows in E), as well as a long-lasting axon reflex erythema (arrows in F and G) and associated local increase in skin temperature (degrees Celsius); (H) HPLC chromatogram of trichome extract from Dendrocnide excelsa; diamonds indicate nocifensive responses elicited by intraplantar administration of individual fractions in vivo in C57BL6/J mice, with a single late-eluting peak identified as the main pain-causing fraction. Image credit: Irina Vetter, Thomas Durek & Darren Brown, University of Queensland.
Sep 18, 2020 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the University of Queensland and King’s College London has found that the venom of Australian Dendrocnide trees contains previously unidentified neurotoxic peptides and that the 3D structure of these pain-inducing peptides is reminiscent of spider and cone snail venoms targeting the same pain receptors, thus representing a remarkable case of inter-kingdom convergent evolution of animal and plant venoms. Stinging nettles...

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Five types of human leukocytes. Image credit: Syed H. Shirazi et al, doi: 10.3233/THC-161133.

Human Leukocytes Use Molecular Paddles to Swim, New Study Shows

Sep 16, 2020 by News Staff

Human white blood cells, or leukocytes, swim using a newly-described mechanism called molecular paddling, according to new research led by University Grenoble...

Meekan et al found evidence that male whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) attain asymptotic sizes of around 8.5-9 m at Ningaloo Reef, which suggests that females are more likely to reach the largest sizes (over 12 m) observed in the species. Image credit: Andre Rereuka / Australian Institute of Marine Science, University of Western Australia.

Female Whale Sharks Overtake Males to Become World’s Largest Fish

Sep 16, 2020 by News Staff

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest fish, growing to maximum known sizes of 18 m (59 feet) total length. A new study led by University...

Abronia morenica on a tree branch. Image credit: Adam Clause.

New Species of Alligator Lizard Discovered in Mexico

Sep 14, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers has discovered a new species of the lizard genus Abronia living in the forests of western Chiapas, Mexico. Abronia...

Top left: photograph of the cave angel fish (Cryptotora thamicola) in dorsal view. Bottom left: μCT of skeleton in lateral view. Right: μCT scan of pelvis in transverse view. Image credit: Zach Randall, Florida Museum of Natural History / Brooke Flammang, New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Study: At Least Eleven Species of Hillstream Loach Fish Have Land-Walking Abilities

Sep 9, 2020 by News Staff

In a study published in the Journal of Morphology, an international team of scientists has pieced together the ancestral relationships that make up the...

Herring gulls. Image credit: Georg Wietschorke.

Herring Gulls Pay Attention to Human Gaze, New Study Finds

Sep 9, 2020 by News Staff

According to new research published in the journal Animal Behaviour, European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) — a large species of seabird in the...

Lady Foot, a Highland wild dog native to New Guinea. Image credit: New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation.

Original New Guinea Singing Dogs Still Exist in the Wild, Study Shows

Sep 8, 2020 by News Staff

The founding population of the New Guinea singing dog, a small-to-medium-sized canid thought to be extinct in the wild since the 1970s, is not, in fact,...

Crowley et al conducted a Q-methodological study to investigate the views of domestic cat owners in the UK on the roaming and hunting behaviors of their pets; they identified five distinctive cat-owner perspectives: (1) Concerned Protectors focus on cat safety, (2) Freedom Defenders prioritize cat independence and oppose restrictions on behavior, (3) Tolerant Guardians believe outdoor access is important for cats but dislike their hunting, (4) Conscientious Caretakers feel some responsibility for managing their cats’ hunting, and (5) Laissez-faire Landlords were largely unaware of the issues surrounding roaming and hunting behavior. These photos show the Q-sorting procedure, with assistance from several cats: (a) participants read each of the 62 statements and place each statement card into one of three piles (‘agree,’ ‘disagree,’ and ‘neutral’); (b) participants then arrange the statement cards in relation to a constrained distribution from ‘most agree,’ through ‘neutral,’ to ‘most disagree;’ (c) a completed Q-sort, with cards turned over to show unique statement numbers on the reverse side; the alphanumeric code C03 in the lower-left corner (written over the photograph) is a participant ID code. Image credit: Crowley et al, doi: 10.1002/fee.2254.

Cat Owners Fall into Five Categories, Study Shows

Sep 4, 2020 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the University of Exeter has surveyed 56 cat owners, some from rural parts of the UK (mostly in south-west England) and some...

A young adolescent next to an older male African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) in the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana. Image credit: Connie Allen.

Oldest Bulls Play Key Role in Leading All-Male Groups of African Savannah Elephants: Study

Sep 3, 2020 by News Staff

By analyzing leadership patterns of all-male African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) traveling groups along elephant pathways in the Makgadikgadi...

The European mole (Talpa europaea). Image credit: Michael David Hill / CC BY-SA 3.0.

European Moles Hate Eating Sand, New Study Finds

Sep 2, 2020 by News Staff

European moles (Talpa europaea) appear to avoid chewing on sand when eating earthworms because it is likely that they find the sensation as repulsive as...

Adult red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). Image credit: Per Jensen.

Study: Chickens Have Smaller Brains than Their Junglefowl Relatives

Sep 1, 2020 by News Staff

The red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), a species of tropical bird found in south-east Asia, is the primary ancestor of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus...

Light microscope images of Melinnopsis gardelli: (A) holotype, lateral view of complete specimen; (B) holotype, dorsal view of anterior region, arrow indicates postbranchial dorsal membrane; (C) holotype prostomium, arrow indicates slightly raised lip; (D) lateral view of anterior region, arrows indicate acicular neurochaetae and (E) ventral view of anterior region showing ventral shields. Scale bars - 1 mm. Image credit: Gunton et al, doi: 10.3853/j.2201-4349.72.2020.1763.

Two New Species of Deep-Sea Worms Discovered

Aug 26, 2020 by Natali Anderson

An international team of marine biologists has described two new species of the polychaete worm genus Melinnopsis from deep waters off the east coast of...

Tasmanian tigers (Thylacinus cynocephalus) in captivity. Image credit: University of Melbourne / Museums Victoria.

Thylacine Was Smaller Than Previously Estimated

Aug 24, 2020 by News Staff

Until its extinction, the thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus) was the largest living carnivorous marsupial, but little data exist regarding its body mass,...

Platymantis navjoti male in life. Image credit: Cameron Siler, University of Oklahoma.

New Species of Forest Frog Discovered in Philippines

Aug 24, 2020 by Natali Anderson

An international team of field biologists has described a new species of the frog genus Platymantis from Leyte and Samar islands, the Philippines. The...

A Somali sengi (Galegeeska revoilii) at the Assamo locality in Djibouti. As is observed in other sengi species, Somali sengis have some variation in pelage colors. These differences seem to correspond to the color variation of substrates between occurrence localities. At the Assamo site, in the extreme southeastern corner of Djibouti, sengi habitats are comprised of rocks with more rusty coloration than elsewhere in the country. Compared to other Djiboutian sites, sengis from Assamo have dorsal pelage hairs with more pronounced reds. Image credit: Steven Heritage.

Scientists Rediscover Long-Lost Species of Mammal: Somali Sengi

Aug 20, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of researchers from the United States and the Republic of Djibouti has rediscovered the elusive Somali sengi (‘Elephantulus’ revoilii) over...

Mother-pup pair of the greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) in their daytime roost. The pup (dark fur color) is holding on to the mother’s belly (light fur color). Image credit: Michael Stifter.

Mother Bats Use ‘Baby Talk’ to Speak to Their Offspring, New Study Shows

Aug 20, 2020 by News Staff

A special form of vocal feedback in humans, infant-directed speech — also known as motherese or ‘baby talk’ — facilitates language learning...

Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri). Image credit: Michael Van Woert / NOAA NESDIS / ORA.

Genetic Researchers Reconstruct Evolutionary History of Penguins

Aug 18, 2020 by News Staff

In a new study, an international team of scientists used 22 newly-sequenced genomes from 18 extant species of penguins to reconstruct the history of their...

An American grasshopper with an improved brain sensor implant. Image credit: Raman Lab / Washington University in St. Louis.

Grasshoppers Can Discriminate Between Different Explosives’ Smells, Study Finds

Aug 14, 2020 by News Staff

In a new study published this month in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X, a team of scientists at Washington University in St. Louis showed...

Most taste cells selectively respond to a specific stimulus type while broadly responsive cells respond to multiple taste qualities. Image credit: Jhanna Flora / Kathryn Medler.

Researchers Discover New Type of Taste Receptor Cells

Aug 13, 2020 by News Staff

Scientists have discovered a new population of taste cells that can detect multiple types of stimuli, including chemicals from different taste qualities. Most...

Eight New Colonies of Emperor Penguins Discovered in Antarctica

Aug 12, 2020 by News Staff

Using images from ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite, a team of researchers from the British Antarctic Survey has spotted 8 new colonies of emperor...

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