Biology News

Fleas are Parasitic Scorpionflies, Genetic Analysis Reveals

Atopopsyllus cionus may carry evidence of an ancestral strain of the bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis). Image credit: George Poinar Jr.
Dec 23, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

Fleas are not a separate insect order, as previously thought, and are a lineage of scorpionflies, which evolved when they started feeding on the blood of vertebrates sometime between 290 and 165 million years ago (Permian to Jurassic periods), according to a new genetic analysis of fleas and related insects. An ancient flea species called Atopopsyllus cionus may carry evidence of an ancestral strain of the bubonic plague (Yersinia pestis). Image credit:...

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The flower of Gastrodia agnicellus, showing the stem and part of the rhizome. Image credit: Rick Burian.

Botanist Discovers New Species of Potato Orchid in Madagascar

Dec 21, 2020 by Natali Anderson

Dr. Johan Hermans, a botanist specializing in orchids and an honorary research associate of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has discovered a new species...

The western gray kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) in Donnelly Mills, Western Australia. Image credit: Sean Mack / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Kangaroos Can Intentionally Communicate with Humans

Dec 17, 2020 by News Staff

Kangaroos, marsupial mammals that have never been domesticated, can intentionally communicate with humans, according to new research led by the University...

Pika et al. conducted the first systematic, quantitative large-scale assessment of physical and social cognitive performance of common ravens (Corvus corax) with a special focus on development. Image credit: Ralph Capri23auto.

4-Months-Old Ravens Parallel Great Apes in Cognitive Skills, Study Shows

Dec 15, 2020 by News Staff

By 4 months of age, the cognitive performance of common ravens (Corvus corax) in experimental tasks is similar to those of two great ape species, chimpanzees...

An eastern honeybee (Apis cerana). Image credit: Rushen B.

Eastern Honeybees Use Animal Feces to Protect Their Colonies from Giant Hornets

Dec 11, 2020 by News Staff

In a paper published this week in the journal PLoS ONE, an international team of researchers described an extraordinary collective defense used by eastern...

Possibly a new species of beaked whale. Image credit: Simon Ager / Sea Shepherd.

Marine Biologists Discover Possible New Species of Beaked Whale

Dec 10, 2020 by News Staff

Marine biologists working with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society believe that they have discovered a previously unknown species of beaked whale in...

Beta-caryophyllene and caryophyllene oxide-induced horse manure rolling behavior of Ginny, the giant panda at Beijing Zoo. Image credit: Zhou et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2004640117.

Wild Giant Pandas Roll in Horse Manure to Increase Cold Tolerance

Dec 9, 2020 by News Staff

Wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) not only frequently sniff and wallow in fresh horse manure at low ambient temperatures, but also actively rub...

A microbial cell (center of the picture) detected from a sediment core sample at the depth of 1176.8 m at 120 degrees Celsius. Scale bar - 20 μm. Image credit: JAMSTEC / IODP.

Scientists Find Single-Celled Microorganisms in Deep, Hot Subseafloor Sediments

Dec 4, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has discovered microbial life, in particular bacterial vegetative cells, in up to 1.2-km-deep and up to 120 degrees...

Ilyophis arx eels swarm around a small bait package deployed on the summit of an unnamed abyssal seamount in the southwestern Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the central Pacific Ocean. Image credit: Deep Sea Fish Ecology Lab, University of Hawaii.

Marine Researchers Discover Largest Aggregation of Fishes Ever Observed at Abyssal Depths

Dec 2, 2020 by News Staff

Marine biologists from the United States and the United Kingdom have recorded over 100 deep water-dwelling cutthroat eels, identified as Ilyophis arx,...

Acromyrmex echinatior worker (left) aggressively interacts with Atta cephalotes soldier (right). Image credit: Li et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-19566-3.

Leaf-Cutter Ants Have Biomineral Armor

Nov 26, 2020 by Natali Anderson

A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Smithsonian Institution has discovered a dense layer of biogenic high-magnesium...

Willis et al. performed comparative transcriptomic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans responses to varying degrees of hypergravity and to two spaceflight experiments. Image credit: Willis et al., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101734.

Spaceflight-Induced Microgravity Affects Genes, Study Shows

Nov 25, 2020 by News Staff

A genetic analysis of transparent nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans  on the International Space Station showed ‘subtle changes’ in about 1,000 genes;...

Xu et al. present the first anatomical and histological evidence of tail repair with regrowth in an archosaur, the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis); the regrown alligator tails constituted approximately 6-18% of the total body length and were morphologically distinct from original tail segments. Image credit: Norbert Nagel / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Young American Alligators Can Regrow Their Tails, Study Shows

Nov 24, 2020 by News Staff

Young American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) have the ability to regrow their tails up to 18% of their total body length, according to a study...

High-resolution bee species richness projections. Image credit: Orr et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.053.

Scientists Map Distribution of Bee Species Worldwide

Nov 19, 2020 by News Staff

Using a uniquely comprehensive checklist of bee distributions and over 5,800,000 public bee occurrence records, a team of researchers from China, the United...

Amphimedon queenslandica. Image credit: University of Queensland.

Sea Sponge from Great Barrier Reef Unravels 700-Million-Year-Old Mystery of Evolution

Nov 17, 2020 by News Staff

Humans, mice, zebrafish, and most likely other animals, share enhancers — DNA regions that help to regulate gene expression and evolve rapidly —...

The Popa langur (Trachypithecus popa). Image credit: Thaung Win.

New Species of Primate Discovered in Myanmar

Nov 12, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of biologists and taxonomists has discovered a new species in the langur genus Trachypithecus living in the forests of Myanmar. The...

Petauroides volans, the southern species of the greater glider. Image credit: Steven Kuiter.

Australia’s Greater Glider is Actually Three Different Species

Nov 9, 2020 by Natali Anderson

The greater glider (Petauroides volans), a large, nocturnal gliding marsupial endemic to Australia, isn’t one species, but rather three distinct ones. Petauroides...

This image is a digital reproduction of a painting by John Lewin of a platypus in 1808.

Ultraviolet Fluorescence Discovered in Platypus

Nov 6, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

The fur of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), one of only five extant species of monotremes (egg-laying mammals), absorbs ultraviolet light at wavelengths...

Examples of leaf-cutter bee use of a sumac leave and two pieces of plastic flagging. Image credit: Wilson et al.

Leaf-Cutter Bees Use Plastic in Nest Construction, Study Says

Nov 5, 2020 by News Staff

Leaf-cutter bees, members of the genus Megachile, are among the most recognizable solitary bees due to their habit of cutting out small circles of leaves...

New Study Reveals There Are Four Distinct Species of Gentoo Penguins

Nov 5, 2020 by News Staff

Gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) have previously been recognized to be a single species divided into several subspecies. However, a study led by University...

Meroglossa gemmata. Image credit: James Dorey, Flinders University.

Researchers Find Two Species of Low-Light-Foraging Bees in Australia

Nov 2, 2020 by News Staff

Two Australian bee species, Reepenia bituberculata and Meroglossa gemmata, have adapted their vision for night-time conditions, according to a paper published...

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