The Secret of Motivation: How Neural Circuits Drive Hungry Individuals to Peak Performance
Success is no accident: To reach your goal you need perseverance. But where does the motivation come from? An international team of researchers led by…
Biology News
Tracking Basking Sharks Yields Fascinating Insights Into Their Behavior
Tracking the world’s second-largest shark species has revealed that it moves to different depths depending on the time of year. Basking sharks spend most of…
Incredible Imaging Shows How Neural Circuits Form in a Developing Embryo [Video]
Cells that eventually become neurons (red, orange, and yellow spheres) migrate during embryonic development. The migrating baby neurons that build the spinal cord are color-coded…
New Clues to the Origin of Life on Earth From Microbial Remains in Ancient Rocks
Western Australia’s famous 3.5-billion-year-old stromatolites contain microbial remains of some of the earliest life on Earth, UNSW scientists have found. Scientists have found exceptionally preserved…
Viruses Like Herpes and Zika Will Need to Be Reclassified, Here’s Why
New findings reveal many different structural models, which can eventually lead to developing more targeted antiviral vaccines. New research reveals that the way viruses were…
Brain Mechanism Linking Chronic Pain and Depression Identified
Molecular Link Between Chronic Pain and Depression Revealed Researchers at Hokkaido University have identified the brain mechanism linking chronic pain and depression in rats. Their…
New Research Finally Explains Why Spider Silk Is So Incredibly Tough
Scientists from the University of Würzburg have discovered that spider silk contains an exceptional protein. It generates high bonding strength by making use of an…
Bats Hunt Their Prey Using Private and Social Information
In the arms race between predators and prey, each evolves more and more sophisticated ways of catching or escaping from the other. Rachel Page, staff…
What Species Fights Infection More Effectively, a Mouse or an Elephant?
Hamilton College researcher reveals body size shapes mammal immune defenses. What species is better at fighting an infection, a mouse or an elephant? Body size…
Crappy News for the Dung Beetle and Agriculture, Greenhouse Gasses
You mightn’t think that the life of a dung beetle, a creature who eats poop every day of its short life, could get any worse,…
Monterey Bay Aquarium Surrogate-Reared Sea Otters Helped Restore Threatened Population
Scientists estimate surrogate-raised otters and their wild offspring account for more than half of the sea otter population growth over the past 15 years; now…
Railroad Worms Emit Red Light – Now Scientists Finally Know How It Works
Differences in the molecular structures explain the different colors of this bioluminescence in different species. This discovery has the potential for new biotechnological applications, such…
DNA Methylation Data Offers First Glimpse at What Ancient Denisovans May Have Looked Like
If you could travel back in time 100,000 years, you’d find yourself living among multiple groups of humans, including anatomically modern humans, Neanderthals, and Denisovans….
Guppies Unlock a Key Question About Evolution
Guppies, a perennial pet store favorite, have helped a UC Riverside scientist unlock a key question about evolution: Do animals evolve in response to the…
March of the Multiple Penguin Genomes – Extensive Study Provides Unparalleled Information
The Penguin Genome Consortium sequences all living penguin species genomes to understand the evolution of life on the ice. An article that presents the first…
‘Death Star’ Bacterial Structures Can Be Tapped to Deliver Drugs to Targeted Cells in Humans
Not all bacteria spread diseases, many are beneficial and this strain has nanoscale syringes that deliver proteins which cause metamorphosis in marine animals, and could…
World’s Largest Amphibian Discovered: New Species of Giant Salamander
74-year-old museum specimen, which once lived at ZSL London Zoo, identified as a new species of giant salamander and probably the world’s biggest amphibian. Using…
Intense Brain Activity Drives Need for Sleep, Not Just How Long You’ve Been Awake
The intensity of brain activity during the day, notwithstanding how long we’ve been awake, appears to increase our need for sleep, according to a new…