Biology News

Chitons See with Ceramic Eyes, New Research Shows

Close-up image of the shell of the West Indian fuzzy chiton (Acanthopleura granulata) shows the two kinds of sensory organs that cover the shell surface: the eyes are the dark bumps with shiny centers; the exact function of other sensory organs called aesthetes - small bumps with black centers - is not yet known. Image credit: Ling Li et al.
Nov 23, 2015 by Enrico de Lazaro

Marine biologists have long known that armored mollusks called chitons have hundreds of small eyes dotting the surface of their hard turtlelike shells. Now new research, published in the journal Science, shows that these eyes – called ocelli – are true eyes, capable of forming focused images. Two West Indian fuzzy chitons (Acanthopleura granulata). Image credit: Hans Hillewaert / CC BY-SA 4.0. Chitons – the only mollusks with living...

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Male specimen of Iandumoema smeagol foraging in its natural habitat. Image credit: Ricardo Pinto-da-Rocha et al.

Iandumoema smeagol: New Eyeless Harvestman Species Found in Brazil

Nov 20, 2015 by Sergio Prostak

A team of Brazilian arachnologists has described a new species of cave-dwelling harvestman in the genus Iandumoema, bringing the total number of species...

An Asian elephant named Mineko blowing at bamboo. Image credit: Kaori Mizuno et al.

Elephants Use Their Trunks as Leaf-Blowers to Acquire Inaccessible Food

Nov 8, 2015 by News Staff

In a paper published in the journal Animal Cognition, Japanese scientists report on two female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Kamine Zoo, Japan,...

Acmella nana, a new species in the genus Acmella, the world’s tiniest snail. Image credit: VermeuleMany of the new snails were discovered by sieving soil; in some areas, a few litres of soil can yield thousands of micro-snail shells, most, such as these from Peninsular Malaysia, measuring just one or two millimeters. Image credit: Reuben Clements / Rimba.n JJ et al.

World’s Smallest Snail Found: Acmella nana

Nov 3, 2015 by News Staff

A tiny snail shell with a diameter of 0.028 inches (0.7 mm) was found on the Malaysian portion of the island of Borneo by a group of scientists from the...

Francis’ Woolly Horseshoe Bat: New Species of Bat Discovered

Nov 2, 2015 by News Staff

A new species of woolly horseshoe bat has been described from Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The Francis’ woolly horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus francisi). Image...

A selective mating approach within the population that started in 1957 has resulted in an over tenfold difference in the size of the chickens. Image credit: John McCormick / Virginia Tech.

Mitochondrial Evolution Can Happen Much Faster Than Thought, New Study Reveals

Oct 28, 2015 by News Staff

A new study published this week in the journal Biology Letters overturns the popular assumption that the mitochondrial evolution is only visible over long...

The American eel (Anguilla rostrata). Image credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Adult American Eel Spotted for First Time in Sargasso Sea

Oct 27, 2015 by News Staff

After a hundred years of debate, a team of Canadian scientists has proved that American eels (Anguilla rostrata) really do migrate to the Sargasso Sea...

The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-132 crew member on space shuttle Atlantis after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred on May 23, 2010, ending a seven-day stay that saw the addition of a new station module, replacement of batteries and resupply of the orbiting outpost. Image credit: NASA.

Actinobacteria, Other Microorganisms Thrive on International Space Station

Oct 27, 2015 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the United States and Sweden used state-of-the-art molecular analysis to explore the microbial environment on the International...

Archaea were first found in extreme environments, such as volcanic hot springs; pictured here is Grand Prismatic Spring of Yellowstone National Park. Image credit: Jim Peaco / National Park Service.

Bathyarchaeota: New Deep-Sea Methane-Consuming Microorganisms Discovered

Oct 26, 2015 by News Staff

An international team of biologists from Australia and the United States has discovered two new species of methane-metabolizing archaea. Archaea were first...

Bacillus subtilis. Image credit: Josef Reischig / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Bacteria Communicate Like Neurons in Human Brain, New Study Finds

Oct 23, 2015 by News Staff

Bacteria communicate with one another through similar electrical signaling mechanisms as neurons in the human brain, a new study published in the journal...

Brazilian stingless bees (Scaptotrigona depilis). Image credit: Cristiano Menezes.

Entomologists: Brazilian Stingless Bee Must Cultivate Special Type of Fungus to Survive

Oct 23, 2015 by News Staff

A team of entomologists has discovered that a stingless bee species from Brazil feeds its larvae on a special type of fungus grown in the nest. Brazilian...

This image shows a group of black and gold howler monkeys roaring. This species commonly has several adult males (black fur) and adult females (golden fur) in a group. Image credit: Mariana Raño.

Howler Monkeys with More Deep Roars Produce Less Sperm, Study Finds

Oct 23, 2015 by News Staff

Male howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) with the most impressive howling roars have paid for those abilities in sperm, according to a study led by University...

Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise: New Subspecies of Galapagos Giant Tortoise Discovered

Oct 21, 2015 by News Staff

There are two subspecies of the Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) – not just one, as had been long believed – living on the island...

Musa nanensis: male inflorescence. Image credit: P. Srisanga.

Musa nanensis: New Species of Wild Banana Discovered in Thailand

Oct 18, 2015 by News Staff

A team of Thai botanists has announced the discovery of what they say is a new species of wild banana. Musa nanensis: male inflorescence. Image credit:...

A honeybee foraging on a citrus flower, which is one of the flowers whose nectar contains caffeine. Image credit: Jon Sullivan.

Plants Use Caffeine-Laced Nectar to Trick Honeybees into Pollination

Oct 17, 2015 by News Staff

According to a new paper in the journal Current Biology, honeybees may select caffeinated nectar over an uncaffeinated but otherwise equal-quality alternative....

Sommera cusucoana: tip of shoot with flower, developing fruits, and leaf pair emerging between pair of stipules. Image credit: A.C. Dietzsch.

Scientists Uncover New Coffee Tree Species in Honduras

Oct 15, 2015 by News Staff

A new species of coffee tree has been described from the Cusuco National Park, a national park in Honduras. Sommera cusucoana: tip of shoot with flower,...

This image shows the structure of DNA calculated with the supercomputer simulations (in color) superimposed upon the electron cryo-tomography data (in white or yellow); one can see that the familiar double helix has been either simply bent into a circle or twisted into a figure-8. Image credit: Thana Sutthibutpong.

Research Casts New Light on 3D Structure of DNA

Oct 13, 2015 by News Staff

Using a multidisciplinary approach, an international team of scientists has revealed in never-before-seen detail the 3D structure of biologically active...

The Montagne d’Ambre dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus andysabini) in its natural habitat. The population of this new species is found in and just outside the boundaries of Montagne d’Ambre National Park, Madagascar. Image credit: Edward E. Louis, Jr.

Montagne d’Ambre Dwarf Lemur: New Species Found

Oct 12, 2015 by News Staff

In northern Madagascar’s Montagne d’Ambre National Park, Dr Runhua Lei of the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and his colleagues from Australia,...

Phylogeny of birds. Image credit: Richard O. Prum et al., doi: 10.1038/nature15697.

Ornithologists Publish Most Comprehensive Avian Tree of Life

Oct 9, 2015 by News Staff

The most comprehensive and accurate avian tree of life has been published in the current issue of the journal Nature. Phylogeny of birds. The five major,...

Scydosella musawasensis. Image credit: Alexey Polilov.

Scydosella musawasensis: World’s Tiniest Beetle Lives in Colombia

Oct 9, 2015 by News Staff

The smallest known beetle – and the smallest non-parasitoid insect – has a body length of 0.325 mm, according to entomologist Dr Alexey Polilov...

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