Biology News

Study: Electric Discharges from Electric Eels Enhance DNA Transformation in Fish Larvae

Electric organ discharge exposure from electric eel to zebrafish larvae. Image credit: Sakaki et al., doi: 10.7717/peerj.16596.
Dec 6, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Electric eels — three species of freshwater fish in the genus Electrophorus — are known for their ability to produce electric organ discharge reaching voltages of up to 860 V. Given that gene transfer via intense electrical pulses is a well-established technique in genetic engineering, biologists from Nagoya University and Kyoto University hypothesized that electric eels could potentially function as a gene transfer mechanism in their...

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Mesechinus orientalis in Xuancheng, Anhui, China. Image credit: Shi et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615.

New Species of Forest Hedgehog Discovered in China

Dec 5, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Scientists from Anhui Normal University and elsewhere have identified a new species of the hedgehog genus Mesechinus living the scrubland and subtropical...

Lovich et al. show that eye movement-related eardrum oscillations contain parametric information about horizontal and vertical eye displacement as well as initial/final eye position with respect to the head. Image credit: Lovich et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2303562120.

Eye Movements Can Be Decoded by Sounds They Generate in Ears, Study Shows

Nov 27, 2023 by News Staff

New research shows that the small sounds generated within the ear by the brain contain accurate information about contemporaneous eye movements in the...

This illustration depicts a 3D computer-generated image of a group of Escherichia coli. Image credit: James Archer, CDC.

Study: Escherichia coli Bacteria Remember Their Swarming Experience for Several Generations

Nov 27, 2023 by News Staff

In humans, repeated encounters with a wide variety of stimuli can reactivate specific neurons to produce long-term memories. In new research, biologists...

One of the first-ever photographs of the Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi). Image credit: Expedition Cyclops.

Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Rediscovered After 60 Year-Absence to Science

Nov 10, 2023 by News Staff

Named after Sir David Attenborough, the Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi) was captured for the first time in photos and video...

Fernandez-Velasco et al. show that left-handedness is not associated with either a benefit or a deficit in spatial ability. Image credit: Adrian.

Left-Handedness is Not Linked to Better Spatial Skills: Study

Nov 10, 2023 by News Staff

There is an active debate concerning the association of handedness and spatial ability. Past studies used small sample sizes. Determining the effect of...

The tiger (Panthera tigris). Image credit: Chiem Seherin.

Comparative Genomic Study Sheds New Light on Cat Evolution

Nov 7, 2023 by News Staff

New research led by Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri scientists explains how cats, including domestic cats, lions, tigers, Geoffroy’s...

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris). Image credit: Michael Gäbler / CC BY 3.0 Deed.

European Wildcats and Domestic Cats Did Not Mix Until 1960s, New Research Shows

Nov 7, 2023 by Natali Anderson

In two related studies, researchers from the University of Oxford and elsewhere sequenced the genomes of wildcats and domestic cats, including 48 modern...

Lauren Scott & Brittany Florkiewicz show that cat facial signals correspond to different social functions, which have likely been influenced by domestication. Image credit: Sci.News / Makieni777 / Rise-a-mui / Alexas_Fotos / Dorothe / Vaclav Zavada / Artem Makarov / Daga Roszkowska / Birgit / Pasi Mammela.

Study: Domestic Cats Have 276 Distinct Facial Expressions

Nov 6, 2023 by Natali Anderson

In a new study published in the journal Behavioural Processes, researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center and Lyon College documented the...

Lai et al. developed a novel system combining virtual reality and a brain-machine interface to probe the rat’s inner thoughts.

Rats Have Imagination, New Study Reveals

Nov 6, 2023 by News Staff

The hippocampus holds a model of the environment that can be mentally traversed during recall or simulation. It is unknown whether animals can intentionally...

Gene expression data reveal the deployment of the patterning system in the sea star Patiria miniata. Image credit: Formery et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06669-2.

Bodies of Starfish and Other Echinoderms are Really Just Heads, New Research Suggests

Nov 2, 2023 by News Staff

For centuries, naturalists have puzzled over what might constitute the head of starfish. When looking at a worm, or a fish, it’s clear which end is the...

While a human perpetrator may take pains not to leave their own DNA behind, transferred cat hair contains its own DNA that could provide a link between a suspect and a crime-scene, or a victim. Image credit: Alexas_Fotos.

Hair Shed by Pet Cats is Useful Source of Forensic Evidence, Study Says

Nov 1, 2023 by News Staff

A single cat hair contains DNA which could link a suspect and a crime-scene, or a victim, according to a new study led by University of Leicester scientist...

Male of Psaironeura angeloi perched along small stream, near Chindul, in Manabí Province, Ecuador. Image credit: K.J. Tennessen.

Entomologist Discovers Beautiful New Species of Damselfly

Oct 31, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Dr. Kenneth Tennessen, a researcher at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, has described a new species of the damselfly genus Psaironeura from...

Understanding the genetic basis of convergence at broad phylogenetic scales remains a key challenge in biology. Kingfishers are a cosmopolitan bird radiation with diverse colors, diets, and feeding behaviors -- including the archetypal plunge-dive into water. Given the sensory and locomotor challenges associated with air-water transitions, kingfishers offer a powerful opportunity to explore the effects of convergent behaviors on the evolution of genomes and phenotypes, as well as direct comparisons between continental and island lineages. Eliason et al. use whole-genome sequencing of 30 diverse kingfisher species to identify the genomic signatures associated with convergent feeding behaviors. Image credit: Robert Balog.

New DNA Study Shines Light on Plunge-Diving Behavior in Kingfishers

Oct 26, 2023 by News Staff

In new research, ornithologists from the Field Museum and elsewhere analyzed the whole genomes of 30 diverse kingfisher species to identify the genomic...

The crest-tailed mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda). Image credit: Bobby Tamayo / CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed.

Three New Species of Mulgaras May Already Be Extinct

Oct 25, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Scientists from Curtin University, the Western Australian Museum and Murdoch University have identified three new species of mulgaras — small carnivorous...

The epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum) at Océanopolis, Brest, France. Image credit: Strobilomyces / CC BY-SA 3.0 Deed.

Sharks Have Very Low Mutation Rates, New Study Shows

Oct 24, 2023 by News Staff

Sharks occupy diverse ecological niches and play critical roles in marine ecosystems, often acting as apex predators. They are considered a slow-evolving...

Lazaro et al. aimed to compare the reinforcing value and efficacy between food and leisure stimuli for domestic dogs by comparing rates of behavior when receiving access to either their top-preferred food or leisure items. The results indicate that, overall, dogs exhibit a stronger preference for and food is more likely to function as a reinforcer than leisure items for domestic dog’s behavior. Even when dogs had equal preference for both types of stimuli in preference assessments, they showed a higher response rate when working for their preferred food during progressive-ratio trials. Image credit: Congerdesign.

Pet Dogs Prefer Food Over Toys, New Study Shows

Oct 18, 2023 by News Staff

In a University of Florida-led study, scientists allowed pet dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) to pick their favorite food and favorite toy, then put them...

The slaty-backed nightingale-thrush (Catharus fuscater) in Costa Rica. Image credit: Simon Pierre Barrette / CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed.

Cryptic New Bird Species Identified in Panama

Oct 16, 2023 by Natali Anderson

In new research, ornithologists from Drexel University, the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science, and Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture conducted...

Space weather from the Sun, such as coronal mass ejections, disturbs Earth’s magnetic field, causing the aurorae and potentially decreasing the magnetic field’s reliability for migrating birds. Image credit: John Megahan.

Severe Space Weather Events Disrupt Nocturnal Bird Migrations, Researchers Find

Oct 11, 2023 by News Staff

Earth’s magnetic field is occasionally but regularly impacted by bursts of energy from the Sun (space weather), such as coronal mass ejections. Birds...

Tomiyamichthys elliotensis, underwater photograph, approx. 5 cm in length, Lady Elliot Island, Queensland, Australia. Image credit: M.V. Erdmann.

New Species of Shrimpgoby Discovered at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef

Oct 10, 2023 by Natali Anderson

The newly-discovered species of gobiid fish, Tomiyamichthys elliotensis (common name is the Lady Elliot shrimp goby), is currently known only from Lady...

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