Biology News

Study: Tiny Structures in Wax Coating of Blue-Pigmented Fruits Give Them Their Blue Color

Structural color in wax bloom produces blue appearance on fruits across a wide phylogeny: (A) undamaged highbush blueberries growing on the plant; (B) blueberry with (i) unmodified wax, (ii) mechanical wax removal, (iii) chloroform wax removal, (iv) surface application of (almost) index-matching oil, (v) surface application of water, (vi) outer skin peeled to reveal flesh, and (vii) underside of peeled skin; (C) transmission optical microscopy of peeled blueberry skin from internal edge showing red pigmentation in epidermal cells. Scale bar - 200 μm; (D) (i and ii) a selection of plum (Prunus domestica) fruits with different cell pigmentation, (i) with wax intact and (ii) with wax removed. Image credit: Middleton et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk4219.
Feb 7, 2024 by News Staff

Many visually guided fruit-eaters have eyes highly adapted for blue sensitivity, which makes it perhaps surprising that blue pigmented fruits are not more common. However, some fruits are blue even though they do not contain blue pigments. In new research, scientists from the University of Bristol and elsewhere investigated dark pigmented fruits with wax blooms, like blueberries, plums, and juniper cones, and found that a structural color mechanism...

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Agasthyagama edge, an uncollected female in its habitat at the type locality in Kulamavu, Idukki district, Kerala, India. Image credit: Sandeep Das.

New Species of Kangaroo Lizard Discovered in India

Feb 2, 2024 by Natali Anderson

A research team led by University of Calicut scientists has described a new species of agamid lizard from the Indian state of Kerala. Agasthyagama edge,...

A new octopus hatchling swims away from its egg near a small outcrop of rock unofficially called El Dorado Hill. Image credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Four New Deep-Sea Octopus Species Discovered in Pacific Ocean

Feb 1, 2024 by News Staff

Marine biologists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor discovered at least four new species of deep-sea octopuses during two 2023 expeditions...

The clouded tiger cat (Leopardus pardinoides). Image credit: Johannes Pfleiderer.

Scientists Identify Cryptic New Species of Tiger Cat

Jan 31, 2024 by Natali Anderson

In 2013, the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus), a species of small spotted cat from the Americas, was split into two species: the northern tiger cat (Leopardus...

A photograph of the tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus, in the center of a phylogeny of CAHS, the largest of the six desiccation-related protein families analyzed by Fleming et al. Image credit: Kazuharu Arakawa, Keio Institute of Advanced Biosciences.

New Research Sheds Light on Evolutionary History of Tardigrade Extremotolerance

Jan 30, 2024 by News Staff

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, can tolerate high doses of radiation, low-oxygen environments, desiccation, and both high and low temperatures...

Vasas et al. show 3 male orange sulphurs (Colias eurytheme). These butterflies display strong angle-dependent UV iridescence on the dorsal side of their wings. The UV-iridescent portions appear more orange to the human observer than the otherwise yellow wings (see human-visible inset). The avian false color depiction (main image) is based on the coordinates of the receptor noise-limited (RNL) opponent space. Coordinates in this space represent differences in an animal’s photoreceptor responses, and the distances between the coordinates approximate the perceptual distances between the colors. The inset color key illustrates human-visible colors around the perimeter of a circle colored according to RNL coordinates, where UV colors start at the epicenter and mix with other colors. In this depiction, the UV-iridescent portions appear purple, because they most strongly reflect in the ultraviolet and the red part of the spectrum. The ventral part of the wings, visible when the animals are in their resting position, are depicted as gray-brown, just like the leaves, as they are close to the achromatic point. Image credit: Vasas et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002444.

Novel Camera System and Software Records Natural Animal-View Videos with Over 90% Accuracy

Jan 24, 2024 by News Staff

A new camera system and associated software package allows scientists to produce videos that accurately replicate the colors that different animals see...

Bierenbroodspot et al. sequenced 24 new transcriptomes of Klebsormidiophyceae and combined them with 14 previously published genomic and transcriptomic datasets. Image credit: Bierenbroodspot et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.070.

Study: Multicellularity Emerged in Streptophyte Plants about One Billion Years Ago

Jan 23, 2024 by News Staff

New research led by University of Goettingen scientists provides evidence that the first multicellular streptophytes likely lived about a billion years...

Tardigrade observed using a confocal fluorescent microscope; the tardigrade was overexposed to 5-MF, a cysteine selective fluorescent probe, that allows for visualization of internal organs. Image credit: Smythers et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295062.

Tun Formation in Tardigrades is Mediated by Reactive Oxygen Species, Study Shows

Jan 18, 2024 by News Staff

Tardigrades, commonly known as ‘water bears,’ are eight-legged microscopic invertebrates renowned for their ability to withstand extreme stressors....

A Matabele ant (Megaponera analis) tends to the wound of a fellow ant whose legs were bitten off in a fight with termites. Image credit: Erik Frank / Universität Würzburg.

Matabele Ants Use Antimicrobial Compounds to Treat Infected Wounds, Study Shows

Jan 2, 2024 by News Staff

Infected wounds pose a major mortality risk in animals. Injuries are common in Matabele ants (Megaponera analis), which raid pugnacious prey. New research...

Photographs of live specimens and their habitats: (A) holotype of Calotes wangi; (B) holotype of Calotes wangi hainanensis; (C) allotype of Calotes wangi; (D) allotype of Calotes wangi hainanensis; (E, F) habitats; (G) oral cavity view. Image credit: Huang et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1187.110704.

Scientists Discover New Species of Lizard in Asia

Dec 27, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Researchers have described a new species of the genus Calotes from southern China and northern Vietnam. Photographs of live specimens and their habitats:...

Hylomys dorsalis seen in the wild on Mount Murud, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia. Image credit: Quentin Martinez, www.quentinmartinez.fr.

Five New Species of Soft-Furred Hedgehogs Discovered

Dec 27, 2023 by News Staff

Researchers at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History have performed a comprehensive taxonomic review of the soft-furred hedgehog...

Artistic rendition of Kenyaphrynoides vulcani (A), drawing of a dorsal view of the left hand of the holotype (B), and dorsal (C) and ventral (D) photographs of the holotype prior to preservation. Image credit: Liedtke et al., doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad160.

Newly-Discovered Toad Species Lives on African Volcano

Dec 26, 2023 by News Staff

Scientists have identified a new genus and species of true toad from a single specimen found in the high forests of Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano in...

The plains lark (Corypha kabalii) is one of the least-known lark species in the world. Image credit: Per Alström.

New Study Reveals Unexpected Species Diversity in African Larks

Dec 26, 2023 by Natali Anderson

The species complex comprising the rufous-naped lark (Corypha africana), the Sharpe’s lark (Corypha sharpii), the red-winged lark (Corypha hypermetra),...

Limnonectes phyllofolia. Image credit: Frederick et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292598.

New Species of Tiny Fanged Frog Discovered in Indonesia

Dec 21, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Biologists have discovered a new species of the terrestrially-nesting fanged frog genus Limnonectes living on Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. The species has...

Human colonization and associated bird extinctions: human expansion across the planet is classified into four major waves; major human dispersal routes are indicated with arrows, and silhouettes show example fossil (pre-Holocene - 1500 CE) and observed (1500 CE - present) bird extinctions. Image credit: Cooke et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43445-2.

Humans May Have Led to Extinction of At Least 1,300 Bird Species since Pleistocene: Study

Dec 20, 2023 by News Staff

Birds are among the best-studied animal groups, but their prehistoric diversity is poorly known due to low fossilization potential. Hence, while many human-driven...

Confocal micrograph of Epulopiscium viviparus. Image credit: Sannino et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2306160120.

Researchers Sequence Genome of Giant Symbiotic Bacterium

Dec 19, 2023 by News Staff

Giant bacteria are intriguing, underexplored biological enigmas. Many well-studied giants use abundant internal small-molecule stores and/or light to satisfy...

Bonobos (Pan paniscus) in Edinburgh Zoo. Image credit: Kate Grounds / Edinburgh Zoo.

Bonobos and Chimps Recognize Faces of Their Friends Even after Many Years of Separation

Dec 19, 2023 by News Staff

While human social memory lasts decades and tracks relationships, less is known about non-human ape long-term memory. In a new paper published in the Proceedings...

Transcriptomic cell-type taxonomy of the whole mouse brain. Image credit: Yao et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06812-z.

Researchers Create Comprehensive Map of Mouse Brain

Dec 18, 2023 by News Staff

The mouse is the most commonly used vertebrate experimental model in neuroscience research, and the new atlas paves the way for a greater understanding...

Young Tasmanian devil. Image credit: Keres H. / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Canine Teeth in Marsupial Carnivores Erupt Continuously Through Life, Study Suggests

Dec 13, 2023 by News Staff

New research from the University of Tasmania also confirms a significant, fundamental morphological difference found in Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii)...

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).

SETI Scientists Test Interactive Bioacoustic Playback as Tool for Exploring Non-Human Intelligence

Dec 13, 2023 by News Staff

The Whale-SETI team, which includes researchers from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation, has been studying...

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