Biology News

New Study Highlights Role of Gene Expression in Human Brain Evolution

An anatomical illustration from Johannes Sobotta’s Human Anatomy, 1908.
Jan 2, 2025 by News Staff

University of California, Santa Barbara’s Professor Soojin Yi and colleagues aimed to determine how genes in different types of brain cells have evolved compared to those in chimpanzees. They found that, while our genes code for almost all the same proteins as other apes, many of our genes are much more productive than those of other primates. Differential gene expression in the human brain compared to nonhuman primate brains is a key molecular...

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Guo et al. confirmed the distinct taxonomic position of Hainan tea within Camellia sinensis, providing valuable insights for resource conservation and molecular breeding. Image credit: Lin2015.

Hainan Island’s Tea Plants Are Unique Variety of Camellia sinensis: Study

Jan 2, 2025 by News Staff

Tea (Camellia sinensis), originating in China over 3,000 years ago, has transitioned from a medicinal herb to a widely consumed beverage. Despite considerable...

By analyzing the variation of FAAs among 339 tea accessions in two years, we can know that the determined components of FAAs including arginine, glutamine, glutamate, alanine, and theanine with the highest diversity index differed among different genetic resources and intraspecific accessions. Meanwhile, their amounts in Camellia sinensis were all significantly higher than in the wild relatives. The study confirmed the significant opposite trend between chlorophyll and FAA profiles. Image credit: Sci.News.

New Research Sheds More Light on Genetic Makeup of Tea

Dec 26, 2024 by News Staff

Free amino acids (FAAs) positively determine the tea quality, notably theanine, endowing umami taste of tea infusion. However, their concentrations vary...

The ‘blob-headed’ bristlemouth armored catfish (Chaetostoma sp.). Image credit: Conservation International / Robinson Olivera.

‘Blob-Headed’ Catfish among New Species Discovered in Peru

Dec 26, 2024 by News Staff

In 2022, biologists with Conservation International conducted a survey that uncovered a trove of biodiversity in the heart of the Alto Mayo landscape,...

An example of an autonomous recording unit (left) and camera trap (right) station. Image credit: Growcott et al., doi: 10.1002/rse2.429.

Leopards Can Be Identified by Their Vocalizations, New Study Shows

Dec 24, 2024 by News Staff

Conservation requires accurate information about species occupancy, populations and behavior. However, gathering these data for elusive, solitary species,...

Anauralia is the phenomenon of an absence of auditory sensory imagery -- not hearing anything in one’s inner ear. Image credit: Vat Loai.

Some People Can’t Imagine Sounds: Anauralia

Dec 19, 2024 by News Staff

Some people can’t imagine a dog barking or a police siren; songs can’t get stuck in their heads; they have no inner voices. Anauralia was proposed...

Phylogeny of 455 species of primates synthesized using Chrono-STA. The root of the phylogeny is recovered at 71.3 million years ago. The crown of Strepsirrhini is at 57 million years ago, and the crown of Haplorhini is at 68.5 million years ago. The crown of Simiiformes is at 42.2 million years ago. Image credit: Craig et al., doi: 10.3389/fbinf.2024.1495417.

Researchers Unveil New Primate Family Tree

Dec 17, 2024 by News Staff

Primates, consisting of apes, monkeys, tarsiers, and lemurs, are among the most charismatic and well-studied animals on Earth. Phylogeny of 455 species...

Deinococcus radiodurans. Image credit: USU / Michael Daly.

New Research Reveals How Deinococcus Bacteria Withstand Extreme Radiation

Dec 16, 2024 by News Staff

A radiation-resistant bacterium called Deinococcus radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human. The...

Rates of evolution of jaw morphology in Lepidosauria. Image credit: Ballell et al., doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2052.

New Study Sheds More Light on Evolution of Lepidosaurs

Dec 11, 2024 by News Staff

New research led by University of Bristol scientists sheds light on how lepidosaurs — the most diverse clade of tetrapods, including lizards and...

Dulcibella camanchaca, holotype female. Image credit: Weston et al., doi: 10.1080/14772000.2024.2416430.

Predatory Crustacean Species Discovered in Atacama Trench

Dec 10, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

The Atacama Trench stretches along the eastern South Pacific Ocean, plunging to depths exceeding 8,000 m off the coast of northern Chile. Dulcibella camanchaca,...

Transgenic hybrid poplar with increased expression levels of BSTR enhanced photosynthesis efficiency and biomass under greenhouse conditions. Image credit: Feyissa et al., doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.11.002.

Newly-Discovered Gene Enhances Photosynthetic Efficiency and Plant Productivity

Dec 4, 2024 by News Staff

Biologists have identified a new gene in California poplar trees (Populus trichocarpa) — named BOOSTER — that enhances photosynthesis and can...

A Homo heidelbergensis, a Neanderthal and a Cro-Magnon. Image credit: SINC / José Antonio Peñas.

Increases in Brain Size Occurred within Human Lineages Comprising Single Species, New Study Reveals

Nov 29, 2024 by News Staff

New research by scientists from the University of Reading and the University of Durham shows that encephalization (i.e., relative brain size increase)...

Carcinus maenas. Image credit: Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Do Crustaceans Feel Pain? Study Demonstrates Existence of Nociceptive Responses in Shore Crabs

Nov 26, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Nociceptors are receptors that detect injurious stimuli and are necessary to convey such information from the periphery to the central nervous system....

An Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) licks nectar from the Ethiopian red hot poker flower (Kniphofia foliosa). Image credit: Adrien Lesaffre.

Ethiopian Wolves Become First Large Carnivore Documented Feeding on Nectar

Nov 20, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Nectar foraging by Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) may contribute to the pollination of the Ethiopian red hot poker flower (Kniphofia foliosa), according...

Choanoflagellate Sox can induce pluripotency in mammalian cells. Image credit: Gao et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54152-x.

Researchers Recreate Mouse from Choanoflagellate Gene that Predates Animals

Nov 19, 2024 by News Staff

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London and the University of Hong Kong have created mouse stem cells capable of generating a fully developed mouse...

Pseudogonatodes fuscofortunatus. Image credit: Schargel et al., doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae120.

Scientists Discover New Species of Gecko in Venezuela

Nov 18, 2024 by Natali Anderson

An international team of researchers has described a new species of miniaturized gecko in the genus Pseudogonatodes from the Peninsula de Paria in northeastern...

β-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is an abundant ketone body. To date, all known pathways of BHB metabolism involve the interconversion of BHB and primary energy intermediates. Moya-Garzon et al. identified a previously undescribed BHB secondary metabolic pathway via CNDP2-dependent enzymatic conjugation of BHB and free amino acids. Image credit: Moya-Garzon et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.10.032.

Metabolic Compound Found to Regulate Appetite and Body Weight

Nov 13, 2024 by News Staff

Until now, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) has been known as a compound produced by the liver to be used as fuel. In a new study, researchers discovered that...

Bathydevius caudactylus has a voluminous hooded structure at one end, a flat tail fringed with numerous finger-like projections at the other, and colorful internal organs. Image credit: Bruce H. Robison & Steven H.D. Haddock / MBARI.

New Species of Bioluminescent Sea Slug Discovered

Nov 13, 2024 by News Staff

Marine biologists at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have described an exceptional sea slug (nudibranch) species, new to science, from...

Strigopagurus fragarchela. Image credit: Queensland Museum.

New Species of Hermit Crab Discovered in Australia

Nov 12, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Marine biologists at Queensland Museum Kurilpa have described a new species of hermit crab, Strigopagurus fragarchela (common name is the strawberry-clawed...

To investigate whether chimpanzee task performance is influenced by the presence of audience members, Lin et al. analyzed cognitive task data for multiple chimpanzees across various types of tasks. Image credit: Akiho Muramatsu.

Study: Chimps Perform Better on Challenging Computer Tasks When They Have Audience

Nov 12, 2024 by News Staff

Human cognitive performance can be significantly influenced by the presence of audience members. While often associated with reputation management, which...

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