Biology News

Study: Reef Manta Rays Form Complex and Longer-Lasting Social Relationships

The reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) at Dharavandhoo Thila, Maldives. Image credit: Shiyam Elk Cloner / CC BY-SA 3.0.
Aug 22, 2019 by News Staff

Reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) form social bonds and actively choose their social partners, according to a study by researchers from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, Macquarie University, the University of Papua, and the University of York. The reef manta ray (Manta alfredi) at Dharavandhoo Thila, Maldives. Image credit: Shiyam Elk Cloner / CC BY-SA 3.0. Sharks and rays are often thought to be solitary creatures, but reef manta rays typically form...

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Methanoliparia is an important methanogenic alkane degrader in subsurface environments, producing methane by alkane disproportionation as a single organism. This image shows Methanoliparia cells attached to a droplet of oil. Scale bar - 10 μm. Image credit: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology.

Newly-Discovered Microbe Turns Oil into Methane

Aug 21, 2019 by News Staff

Methanoliparia, a species of archaea from deep-sea oil seeps of the Gulf of Mexico, splits long-chain hydrocarbons into methane and carbon dioxide, according...

The garden warbler (Sylvia borin) is a nocturnal, long-distance migrant that performs long migratory flights over the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea to reach its breeding grounds in Northern Europe. Image credit: Victor Scharnhorst / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Migratory Songbirds Trade Off Safety for Lower Energy Expenditure, New Study Shows

Aug 20, 2019 by News Staff

Each spring and fall, millions of birds switch to migrating at night. Most of these are small songbirds migrating long distances that need to alternate...

Macrobdella mimicus. Image credit: Ian Cook.

New Species of Medicinal Leech Discovered

Aug 19, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of biologists has discovered and described a new species of medicinal leech living in the freshwater wetlands of the eastern United...

Abdo et al discovered a meshlike organ covering the skin that senses dangerous environmental stimuli. Image credit: Tarkan K.

Researchers Discover New Pain Organ in Human Skin

Aug 19, 2019 by News Staff

A team of scientists at Karolinska Institutet has discovered a previously unknown meshlike organ in the skin that is sensitive to painful mechanical damage,...

Sellers et al found regardless of tooth position, age, or diet, crocodiles do not have thick tooth enamel. Image credit: Pexels.

Crocodiles Have Surprisingly Thin Tooth Enamel, Study Shows

Aug 15, 2019 by News Staff

Crocodiles — and their plant-eating ancestors — have thin tooth enamel, a trait that is in stark contrast to humans and other hard-biting species,...

Green biofluorescence in swell sharks (Cephaloscyllium ventriosum). Image credit: Park et al, doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.07.019.

New Form of Biofluorescence Discovered

Aug 13, 2019 by News Staff

A team of U.S. researchers has discovered a previously undescribed group of small molecule metabolites responsible for the green biofluorescence in two...

Goumas et al found that human gaze direction significantly affected gulls’ latency to approach the food: gulls took less time to approach when a human was facing away versus looking directly at them. Image credit: Circe Denyer.

Staring at Seagulls Makes Them Less Likely to Snatch Your Food

Aug 8, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Exeter, UK, put a bag of chips on the ground and tested how long it took herring gulls (Larus argentatus)...

During the fruiting season, western lowland gorillas consistently opened African walnuts using their teeth. Image credit: van Casteren et al, doi: 10.1002/ajpa.23911.

Gorillas Use Their Teeth to Crack Open and Eat African Walnuts

Aug 6, 2019 by News Staff

Gorilla diets are characterized by large amounts of fruits and plants. Hard-object feeding is not generally associated with these great apes as the high...

Reconstruction of Archaeopteryx albersdoerferi. Image credit: Zhao Chuang / Martin Kundrát.

Study: Dinosaur Feathers Evolved for Sexual Display

Aug 5, 2019 by News Staff

New research, published recently in the journal Evolution, shows that some dinosaurs may have taken flight thanks to sex appeal. Persons & Currie explored...

The rain frogs comprise a unique group lacking a tadpole stage of development. Their eggs are laid on land and hatch as tiny froglets. Image credit: BIOWEB-PUCE.

Researchers Discover Eleven New Species of Rain Frogs in Ecuador

Aug 2, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

Nadia Paez, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, and Pontifical Catholic University’s Professor Santiago Ron have discovered eleven new...

Asperoteuthis mangoldae is known only from the waters off the Hawaiian Islands. Image credit: Ocean Exploration Trust.

Elusive Long-Tailed Squid Captured on Film for First Time

Jul 31, 2019 by News Staff

A team of marine biologists with the Nautilus Expedition succeeded in filming Asperoteuthis mangoldae, a recently discovered deep-sea squid species, at...

An artist’s reconstruction of an ancient duck-billed platypus. Image credit: Peter Schouten.

Platelet Cells First Evolved in Carboniferous Platypus-Like Animal

Jul 26, 2019 by News Staff

Platelets are tiny blood cells that help our bodies form clots to stop bleeding. They are found in all mammals but no other group of animals. According...

We consume about 100 million bacterial cells with one apple. Image credit: Pixel2013.

One Apple Contains 100 Million Bacterial Cells, New Study Shows

Jul 25, 2019 by News Staff

Apples are among the most consumed fruits worldwide. They represent a source of direct human exposure to bacterial communities. A new study, published...

The American pocket shark (Mollisquama mississippiensis). Image credit: Michael Doosey.

New Species of Pocket Shark Discovered

Jul 24, 2019 by News Staff

A research team led by NOAA marine biologists has described a new species of pocket shark from the Gulf of Mexico. The American pocket shark (Mollisquama...

Littered cigarette filters reduce growth and alter short-term primary productivity of terrestrial plants. Image credit: Green et al, doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109418.

Study: Littered Cigarette Butts Significantly Reduce Plant Growth

Jul 24, 2019 by News Staff

Most cigarette butts contain a filter made of cellulose acetate fiber, a type of a bioplastic. Around 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered every year,...

The Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel (Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis). Image credit: Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden.

New Flying Squirrel Species Discovered in China

Jul 23, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has discovered a new species of the genus Biswamoyopterus living in the evergreen broad-leaved forests of Mount Gaoligong...

Mischogyne iddii grows white flowers. Image credit: Andrew R. Marshall.

Botanists Discover New Tree Species in Tanzania

Jul 19, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers has discovered a new species of tree growing in the forests of the Usambara Mountains in Tanzania. Mischogyne iddii...

Hospital insects present a potential to contribute to persistence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic bacteria in the hospital environment. Image credit: Virvoreanu Laurentiu.

Insects Experience Chronic Pain after Serious Injury

Jul 15, 2019 by News Staff

Insects can enter a neuropathic pain-like state after nerve injury, according to a new study in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster). Khuong et al offer...

Three western gorilla groups (Conan, Morpheus and Zulu) mingle peacefully as they feed at the Mbeli Bai clearing in the Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, Republic of Congo. Image credit: Wildlife Conservation Society.

Study: Gorillas Live in Complex, Multi-Tiered Societies

Jul 12, 2019 by News Staff

According to new research, gorillas have complex social structures, from lifetime bonds forged between distant relations, to social tiers with striking...

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