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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...

Representatives from each of the 23 clades of breeds. Breeds and clades are listed for each picture from left to right, top to bottom: (A) Akita/Asian spitz; (B) Shih tzu/Asian toy; (C) Icelandic sheepdog/Nordic spitz; (D) Miniature schnauzer/schnauzer; (E) Pomeranian/small spitz; (F) Brussels griffon/toy spitz; (G) Puli/Hungarian; (H) Standard poodle/poodle; (I) Chihuahua/American toy; (J) Rat terrier/American terrier; (K) Miniature pinscher/pinscher; (L) Irish terrier/terrier; (M) German shepherd dog/New World; (N) Saluki/Mediterranean; (O) Basset hound/scent hound; (P) American cocker spaniel/spaniel; (Q) Golden retriever/retriever; (R) German shorthaired pointer/pointer setter; (S) Briard/continental herder; (T) Shetland sheepdog/UK rural; (U) Rottweiler/drover; (V) Saint Bernard/alpine; (W) English mastiff/European mastiff. Image credit: Parker et al, doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.03.079.

DNA Study Sheds Light on Evolution of Dog Breeds

May 1, 2017 by News Staff

Genetic material from 161 modern breeds helped a team of researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) of the National Institutes...

The Livingstone’s mole-rat (Fukomys livingstoni). Image credit: Rebecca Gelernter, www.nearbirdstudios.com.

Two New Species of African Mole-Rats Discovered in Tanzania

May 1, 2017 by News Staff

Scientists working in Tanzania have discovered and named two new species of the mole-rat genus Fukomys. The research was published in the journal PeerJ. The...

Sericomyrmex radioheadi, worker. Image credit: A. Ješovnik & T.R. Schultz, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.670.11839.

Three New Species of Fungus-Farming Ants Discovered in South America

Apr 26, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

Three new species of the ant genus Sericomyrmex have been discovered in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Sericomyrmex radioheadi, worker....

This image shows a wax worm chewing a hole through plastic; polyethylene debris can be seen attached to the caterpillar. Image credit: Federica Bertocchini / Paolo Bombelli / Chris Howe.

Wax Moth Caterpillars Found to Eat Polyethylene

Apr 25, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of researchers from Spain and the United Kingdom has found that a caterpillar of the greater wax moth (Galleria mellonella) —...

Prof. Gary Lewin holding a naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber). Image credit: Roland Gockel, MDC.

Study: Oxygen-Deprived Naked Mole-Rats Turn into ‘Plants’

Apr 24, 2017 by News Staff

Deprived of oxygen, African naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) can survive by metabolizing a type of sugar called fructose just as plants do, a new...

Single flying pigeon. Image credit: Takao Sasaki.

Pigeons May Share Human Ability to Build on Work of Others

Apr 21, 2017 by News Staff

A team of researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Zoology has shown that the elements of the capacity of humans to build on the work...

Once standing on the mat, elephants were instructed to pick up the stick and give it to the experimenter. Image credit: E. Gilchrist.

Elephants Have Surprising Level of Self-Understanding

Apr 18, 2017 by News Staff

According to new research, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are able to recognize their own bodies as obstacles to success in problem-solving, further...

Kuphus polythalamia infographic. Image credit: University of Utah.

Kuphus polythalamia: Marine Biologists Study Giant Mud-Dwelling Shipworm for First Time

Apr 18, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of marine biologists, led by researchers at Northeastern University and the University of Utah, is the first to investigate a never...

Transmission electron microscopy image of a candidate Klosneuvirus particle detected in the Klosterneuburg waste water treatment plant biomass. The particle exhibits features reminiscent of Mimiviridae including a faceted, multi-layered envelope surrounding a central core. Image credit: Schulz et al.

Klosneuviruses: New Group of Giant Viruses Discovered

Apr 11, 2017 by News Staff

Researchers from Austria and the United States have identified a group of giant viruses — Klosneuviruses — that harbor components of many other...

The Angolan dwarf galago (Galagoides kumbirensis) prefers moist, tall forest, primary, and secondary and semiarid baobab savannah-woodland. Image credit: Elena Bersacola.

Galagoides kumbirensis: New Species of Dwarf Galago Discovered in Angola

Apr 10, 2017 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international group of primatologists has discovered a new primate, Galagoides kumbirensis (Angolan dwarf galago), with features not been seen by science...