Biology News

Scientists Replicate Folding Human Brain in 3D

Gel model of a fetal brain after being immersed in liquid solvent, the resulting compression led to the formation of folds similar in size and shape to real brains. Image credit: Tuomas Tallinen et al.
Feb 2, 2016 by News Staff

A variety of hypotheses on how the brain folds have been proposed but none have been directly used to make testable predictions. Now, a group of scientists led by Harvard University researcher L. Mahadevan has shown that while many molecular processes are important in determining cellular events, what ultimately causes the brain to fold is a mechanical instability associated with buckling. Gel model of a fetal brain after being immersed in liquid...

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The Sulawesi snouter (Hyorhinomys stuempkei). Image credit: Jake Esselstyn / Louisiana State University.

Top 20 New Species Discovered in 2015 – Part 2

Jan 28, 2016 by Sergio Prostak

A shape-shifting frog from Ecuador, a giant virus from Siberia, and a bioluminescent shark are among the twenty most bizarre species discovered in the...

White-cheeked macaques (Macaca leucogenys), juveniles of different age. Image credit: Cheng Li et al.

Top 20 New Species Discovered in 2015

Jan 28, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A shape-shifting frog from Ecuador, a giant virus from Siberia, a bioluminescent shark, a ruby seadragon, and the world’s smallest snail are among the...

Secretary bird Madeleine attacks his prey. Image credit: Jason Shallcross.

Study: Secretary Birds Stamp on Their Prey with Force 5 Times Their Weight

Jan 26, 2016 by Natali Anderson

According to a new study published this week in the journal Current Biology, Secretary birds can kick with 195 Newtons, which is equivalent to about 5...

Photographs of (a) plains, (b) mountain, and (c) Grevy’s zebra, and (d) African wild ass in the Tierpark Zoo, Berlin. Image credit: Tim Caro.

Why Do Zebras Have Stripes? Not for Camo, Scientists Say

Jan 25, 2016 by News Staff

In a study published online in the journal PLoS ONE, scientists found that zebra stripes cannot be involved in allowing the animals to blend in with the...

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). Image credit: Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Biologists: Carnivorous Venus Flytraps Can Count

Jan 25, 2016 by News Staff

Carnivorous plants, such as the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula), depend on an animal diet when grown in nutrient-poor soils. They sense the arrival of...

Liolaemus uniformis: male (top) and female. Image credit: Troncoso-Palacios J. et al.

Scientists Discover New Species of Iguana

Jan 23, 2016 by News Staff

Scientists have discovered a new species of iguana in the mountains of central Chile, called Liolaemus uniformis. Liolaemus uniformis: male (top) and female....

An adult male of Frankixalus jerdonii is emerging out of a tree hole. Image credit: S.D. Biju.

Scientists Describe New Genus of Tree Hole Breeding Frogs

Jan 22, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A new genus of tree hole breeding frogs has been described and named by a group of scientists led by University of Delhi researcher S. D. Biju. An adult...

The Himalayan forest thrush (Zoothera salimalii). Image credit: Craig Belsford.

Himalayan Forest Thrush: Scientists Discover New Species of Bird

Jan 20, 2016 by News Staff

A group of scientists led by Dr. Per Alström of Uppsala University has described a new species of bird from the northeastern India and adjacent parts...

This picture of elusive bush dogs was taken by a camera trap in the wet tropical forest of Pirre, Panama. Image credit: GEMAS Panamá / Fundación Natura / Fondo Darién / Fundación Yaguará Panamá / Southern Illinois University.

Camera Traps ‘Capture’ Elusive Bush Dogs in Panama

Jan 20, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Motion-sensitive cameras placed at several sites in Panama have captured images of the bush dog (Speothos venaticus), one of the most enigmatic of the...

Proportional diversity of arthropod orders across all rooms in the study. Image credit: Bertone M.A. et al., doi: 10.7717/peerj.1582.

U.S. Homes Harbor More Than 500 Different Species of Insects and Their Relatives

Jan 20, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Americans share their houses with any of more than 500 different morphospecies of arthropods (insects and their relatives) – at least on a short-term...

Encyclia inopinata. Image credit: Carlos L. Leopardi-Verde.

Encyclia inopinata: New Species of Orchid Discovered in Mexico

Jan 19, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Dr. Carlos Leopardi-Verde of the Universidad de Colima and his colleagues from Mexico and the United States have described a new orchid species from the...

Researchers conducting fieldwork in the Kimberley. Image credit: University of Melbourne.

Scientists Find 20 New Species of Freshwater Fish in Australia

Jan 13, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A team of scientists led by University of Melbourne researcher Dr Matthew Le Feuvre has described twenty new species of freshwater fish from the rivers...

Examples of stimuli used in the study: faces (human happy versus angry, dog playful versus aggressive) and their correspondent vocalizations. Image credit: Natalia Albuquerque et al.

New Study Shows Dogs Can Recognize Dog, Human Emotions

Jan 13, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Dogs can recognize emotions in both dogs and humans by combining information from different senses, according to a study published today in the journal...

Lonchura striata. Image credit: Thimindu Goonatillake / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Songbirds Sing Like Humans, Researchers Say

Jan 12, 2016 by News Staff

Vocal muscles of songbirds work like those of human speakers and singers, according to Emory University scientist Dr Samuel Sober and his colleagues from...

The Sichuan bush warbler (Locustella chengi), Laojun Shan, China. Image credit: Per Alström et al.

Top New Bird Discoveries of 2015

Jan 5, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A small warbler from China, a cryptic species of owl from the Middle East, and a tiny tapaculo from South America are just three of the incredible bird...

The rosette-nosed chameleon Rhampholeon spinosus - a small (up to 50–55 mm snout-vent length, 3 - 3.5 g), tree-dwelling chameleon - can stick out its tongue with a peak acceleration 264 times greater than the acceleration due to gravity. Image credit: Philip L. Shirk et al., doi: 10.1111/ddi.12239.

Small Chameleons Have Mighty Tongues, Scientist Says

Jan 4, 2016 by News Staff

According to Brown University researcher Dr Christopher Anderson, small chameleon species project their tongues further than large species, achieving projection...

A new genus Paragallinula is established for the lesser moorhen, which was previously assigned to the genus Gallinula. This photograph illustrates two diagnostic character states differentiating the new genus from Gallinula: the orange coloration on the frontal shield does not cover the entire shield, and the lack of a contrasting reddish band on the legs proximal to the ankle joint. Image credit: Mark Tittley, via George Sangster et al, doi: 10.5852/ejt.2015.153.

Paragallinula: Ornithologists Describe New Bird Genus

Jan 2, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of ornithologists from Sweden and New Zealand has described a new genus for a bird species called the lesser moorhen. A new genus...

The Ninja Lanternshark (Etmopterus benchleyi), adult female, 45.8 cm long. Image credit: V.E. Vásquez et al.

Ninja Lanternshark: New Species of Bioluminescent Shark Discovered

Dec 29, 2015 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of bioluminescent shark has been described from eight specimens collected off the Pacific coast of Central America at depths ranging between...

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

New Caledonian Crows Caught on Camera Making Hooked Stick Tools

Dec 28, 2015 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has captured first video recordings documenting how New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) make ‘hooked...

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