Biology News

Bony Vertebrates Release Bone-Derived Hormone Osteocalcin in Response to Stress, Study Finds

Berger et al found in mice that almost immediately after the brain recognizes danger, it instructs the skeleton to flood the bloodstream with the bone-derived hormone osteocalcin, which is needed to turn on the fight or flight response. Image credit: Berger et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2019.08.012.
Sep 17, 2019 by News Staff

A new study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, shows that humans and other bony vertebrates need a hormone called osteocalcin to develop an acute stress response, a function critical to survival in the wild; when they encounter an immediate danger, a brain-derived signal stimulates the release of osteocalcin from bone. This fight-or-flight pathway is distinct from others mediated by hormones released by the adrenal glands, such as cortisol,...

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Wild Chinese giant salamander. Image credit: Ben Tapley, Zoological Society of London.

Two New Giant Salamander Species Identified

Sep 17, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the United Kingdom, Canada and China has discovered there are not just one but three distinct species of Chinese giant salamanders....

Yamaguchi et al examined the fermentation hypothesis by characterizing volatile organic compounds and bacteria isolated from anal sac secretions of a male Bengal cat. Image credit: Gidon Pico.

Bacterial Communities Produce Compounds for Scent Marking in Cats: Study

Sep 16, 2019 by Enrico de Lazaro

Smelly organic compounds from male cats are actually made not by the animals, but by bacteria living in their anal sacs, according to new research reported...

Two New Species of Electric Eels Discovered

Sep 13, 2019 by News Staff

The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) has long been assumed to be one species, but an international team of scientists has now discovered there are...

Chestnut-crowned babblers (Pomatostomus ruficeps). Image credit: Niall Stopford.

Building Blocks of Bird Vocalizations Resemble Those of Human Languages, Study Finds

Sep 11, 2019 by News Staff

Human languages are comprised of meaningful words, which themselves are built from different combinations of meaningless sounds, or building blocks. A...

Hoaxed photo of the Loch Ness ‘monster’ from April 21, 1934.

Scientists Find Significant Amount of Eel DNA in Loch Ness

Sep 10, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has announced the results of investigations into the environmental DNA (eDNA) present in Loch Ness, a large freshwater...

Listening gray squirrel. Image credit: Emma C. Lucore / Marie V. Lilly.

Eavesdropping Squirrels: Bird Chatter Acts as Signal for Safety

Sep 6, 2019 by Shelby Traynor

For the small mammals foraging on the forest floor, reading your environment is essential to survival. When a hawk calls, a gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)...

The modified cephalic vascular network provides the blue-banded sea snake (Hydrophis cyanocinctus) with a complementary supply of oxygen to the brain during submersion. Image credit: Alessandro Palci, Flinders University.

Blue-Banded Sea Snake Uses Unusual Network of Large Blood Vessels in Its Head to ‘Breathe’

Sep 6, 2019 by News Staff

The blue-banded sea snake (Hydrophis cyanocinctus) uses a complex system of large blood vessels in its head to draw in extra oxygen when it dives and swims...

A honeybee (Apis mellifera). Image credit: Vijaya Narasimha.

Study Provides New Insights into Honeybee ‘Waggle Dance’ Communication

Aug 29, 2019 by News Staff

According to a study published in the journal eNeuro (bioRxiv.org preprint), changes in vibration-sensitive neurons may equip forager honeybees for waggle...

The carrion crow (Corvus corone). Image credit: Ian Kirk / CC BY 2.0.

Carrion Crows Can Volitionally Control Their Calls, Researchers Say

Aug 28, 2019 by News Staff

Carrion crows (Corvus corone), a species of songbird in the family of Corvidae, can voluntarily control the release and onset of their calls, suggesting...

A New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides). Image credit: Jolyon Troscianko.

New Caledonian Crows Enjoy Using Tools, Study Finds

Aug 26, 2019 by News Staff

New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) are well-known for their sophisticated tool use. According to a new study, these birds behave optimistically...

Newly-hatched blue mason bee larvae feeding on pollen provisions within a hollow reed. Image credit: Shawn Steffan.

Larval Bees are Omnivores, Shows New Study

Aug 23, 2019 by News Staff

Pollen-borne microbes represent an important protein source for larval bees, according to new research. Newly-hatched blue mason bee larvae feeding on...

Azteca ants. Image credit: Lauren Nichols.

Nurseries of Azteca Ants are Cleaner than Human Ones, Researchers Find

Aug 23, 2019 by News Staff

Azteca alfari, a tropical ant species found in North and South Americas, is better at limiting pathogenic microbes in its nest chambers than humans, according...

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

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

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...

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...

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