Mammals Evolved Big Brains After Big Disasters (Mass Extinction and Climate Change)
Largest study of its kind reveals the way relative brain size of mammals changed over the last 150 million years. Scientists from Stony Brook University…
Biology News
At Least Four Independent Traits Affect Dogs’ Ability To Establish Eye Contact With Humans
Shorter headed dogs, visually cooperative breeds, younger and playful dogs form eye contact faster. According to new research by Hungarian ethologists, at least four independent…
Scientists Shrink Pancreatic Cancer Tumors by Starving Their Cellular “Neighbors”
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute demonstrated for the first time that blocking “cell drinking,” or macropinocytosis, in the thick tissue surrounding a…
Just Like Bees, Wasps Are Valuable for Ecosystems, Economy and Human Health
Wasps deserve to be just as highly valued as other insects, like bees, due to their roles as predators, pollinators, and more, according to a…
New Test Can Predict Severe COVID-19 Cases
As of April 2021, more than 3 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19. Early in the pandemic, researchers developed accurate diagnostic tests and identified…
Researchers Solve a 350-Year-Old Puzzle and Discover a New Rule of Nature
Researchers have solved the missing piece of a 350-year-old puzzle of how the pointed body parts of many animals grow to form their shape —…
Microbiologists Have Found a Way to Use Bacteria to Remove Microplastics From the Environment
Microbiologists have found a way to use bacteria to trap microplastics, removing them from the environment and making them easier to recycle. Today at the…
COVID-19 Silences the Immune Response in Infected Cells in the Gut
Scientists transform human intestinal cells into ‘mini guts’ to follow the infection process. In an effort to determine the potential for COVID-19 to begin in…
Ancient DNA Reveals New Spot in the Tree of Life for Extinct “Horned” Crocodile
New ancient DNA-based study on Madagascar crocodile suggests that modern crocodiles likely originated in Africa. A study led by scientists at the American Museum of…
Women’s Menstrual Cycles Temporarily Synchronize With Moon Cycles
Women temporarily synchronize their menstrual cycles with the luminance and gravimetric cycles of the Moon. An analysis of long-term menstrual cycle records kept by 22…
Surprise in the Deep Sea: Mysterious Ocean-Floor Trails Show Arctic Sponges on the Move
The aquatic animal known as the sponge is often described as entirely sessile: once they’ve settled in a spot and matured, they aren’t generally thought…
Tyrannosaurus rex Mystery Solved: How Dinosaurs Delivered Bone-Crushing Bites
New research addresses longstanding mystery on the anatomy of the Tyrannosaurus rex jaw. Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs chomped through bone by keeping a joint in their…
Startling New Evidence Shows a Mouse’s Bite Holds Venomous Potential
Startling new evidence shows mammal salivary glands and snake venom glands share a common genetic foundation. Venoms are a mixture of proteins that animals have…
Whisker Simulation Gives New Insight Into Mammals’ Mysterious Sense of Touch
New model provides clues into how whisker bending translates to sensory touch signals. We know your cat’s whiskers are handsome — but you can’t even…
Hope and Warning for the Survival of the Sumatran Rhinoceros Delivered by Genome Sequencing
A study led by researchers at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm shows that the last remaining populations of the Sumatran rhinoceros display surprisingly low…
New Era in Coral Biology Research: Scientists Have Cultured the First Stable Coral Cell Lines
The ability to culture coral cells could usher in a new era in coral biology research. Researchers have successfully grown cells from the stony coral,…
60-Year Scientific Mystery About DNA Replication Solved
Over the last 60 years, scientists have been able to observe how and when genetic information was replicated, determining the existence a “replication timing program,”…
Good News and Bad News for African Elephants: Range Is Just 17% of What It Could Be
A study reported in the journal Current Biology has both good news and bad news for the future of African elephants. While about 18 million…
