Biology News

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

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.
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 in natural settings. Different animals perceive the world differently because of the capabilities of the photoreceptors in their eyes. For example, animals like honeybees and some birds can see UV light, which are outside the range of human perception. Reconstructing the colors that animals actually...

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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...

Hoekstra et al. analyzed the instantaneous flight response of birds across habitats and distances to the synchronized discharging of fireworks throughout the Netherlands on New Year’s Eve. Image credit: Nick.

Fireworks on New Year’s Eve Trigger Strong Flight Responses in Bird Communities, Study Says

Dec 12, 2023 by News Staff

Fireworks are important elements of celebrations globally, but little is known about their effects on wildlife. In new research, scientists at the University...

A bilaterally gynandromorphic green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) near Manizales, Colombia, May 20, 2022. Image credit: John Murillo.

Extremely Rare ‘Half Female, Half Male’ Honeycreeper Snapped in Colombia

Dec 12, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Ornithologists in Colombia have photographed a wild green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) with distinct half green, or female, and half blue, male, plumage. A...

Talpa hakkariensis, holotype. Image credit: Gündüz et al., doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad049.

Cryptic New Species of Mole Discovered in Turkiye

Dec 11, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of the mole genus Talpa has been identified in eastern Türkiye (Turkey) by a team of reseachers from Ondokuz Mayıs University, Indiana...

Rogers et al. discovered 1,150 unique species of animals, plants and fungi around their inner-Brisbane home. Image credit: Penny.

Australian Researchers Find 1,150 Species in Their Suburban Home and Its Backyard

Dec 8, 2023 by News Staff

A challenge among University of Queensland researchers Matt Holden, Andrew Rogers and Russell Yong to identify species around their home in Brisbane, Australia,...

Spottiswoode & Wood show experimentally that honeyguides in Tanzania and Mozambique discriminate among honey hunters’ calls, responding more readily to local than to foreign calls. Image credit: Brian Wood.

Honeyguide Birds Can Recognize Distinct Vocal Signals to Help People Locate Beehives: Study

Dec 8, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator), a species of African bird, are well known to guide other species to beehives. They have even been known to work...

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