Prehistoric Shark Hid Its Largest, Sharpest Teeth
Some, if not all, early sharks that lived 300 to 400 million years ago not only dropped their lower jaws downward but rotated them outwards…
Biology News
COVID-19: Vibrations of Coronavirus Proteins May Play Role in Infectivity and Lethality
Study suggests mechanical properties of spike proteins can predict infectivity and lethality of different coronaviruses. When someone struggles to open a lock with a key…
Researchers Create First Global Map of Bee Species
There are over 20,000 species of bee, but accurate data about how these species are spread across the globe are sparse. However, researchers reporting in…
How the Architecture of the Cell Nucleus Can Change Gene Activity in Plants
Genes that give plant nucleus its shape discovered, also regulate copper tolerance. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have identified how the architecture of the…
Scientists Snap Molecular Building Blocks of Brain Computing – Critical Step Towards Resolving the Atomic Details of the Brain
Synapses are specialized devices where learning and memory occur. The efficient transmission of synaptic signals relies on the delicate structure and complex molecular composition of…
Very Hungry, Very Angry Caterpillars Head-Butt to Get What They Want
Florida Atlantic University study shows how monarch butterfly caterpillars go from peaceful feeders to aggressive fighters in their quest for milkweed. Inspired by his own…
Blue Whales Return to South Georgia After Near Extinction From Whaling 50 Years Ago
An international research team led by UK scientists has revealed the return of critically endangered Antarctic blue whales to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia,…
Lurking in Genomic Shadows: How Giant Viruses Fuel the Genetic Evolution of Organisms
Viruses are tiny invaders that cause a wide range of diseases, from rabies to tomato spotted wilt virus and, most recently, COVID-19 in humans. But…
Zoonosis Threat: Urgent Call for More Effective Wildlife Trade Legislation in Wake of COVID-19
International research team including Göttingen University makes urgent call for more effective wildlife trade legislation. Many diseases, such as COVID-19, have made the jump from…
Birds Play by Different Evolutionary Rules in the Amazon’s “Sand Forests”
Birds travel across habitats patches to breed, unlike their forest counterparts. Picture the Amazon. You’re thinking lush rainforests teeming with animals, right? It turns out,…
Global Coral Reef Survival: Could Key Gene System Discovery Be Suffocating Corals’ Last Gasp?
Ocean deoxygenation is now being recognized as major threat to future global coral reef survival. Oxygen is life, in or out of the water, raising…
Where the Wild Things Are: Scientists Map and Forecast Apex Predator Populations at Unprecedented Scale
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), together with national and international collaborators, have developed statistical methods that allows mapping and forecasting of…
Diet Can Modulate Male Fertility: Nut Consumption Causes Changes in Sperm DNA Function
Adding nuts to a Western-style diet has an effect on its epigenetics; this research shows, for the first time, that there are regions in the…
Genetic Sequencing of 240 Mammals to Help Identify the Mutations That Lead to Human Diseases
A large international consortium led by scientists at Uppsala University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has sequenced the genome of 130 mammals…
New Understanding of Coral Skeleton Growth Suggests Ways to Restore Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are vibrant communities that host a quarter of all species in the ocean and are indirectly crucial to the survival of the rest….
Live Capture: Researchers Develop Virus Live Stream to Study Viral Infections
Researchers from the Hubrecht Institute and Utrecht University developed an advanced technique that makes it possible to monitor a virus infection live. The researchers from…
Discovery of New Seal Species Rewrites Evolutionary History
An international team of biologists, led by Monash University, has discovered a new species of extinct monk seal from the Southern Hemisphere – describing it…
Evolution Favors New Epidemic Diseases of “Intermediate” Severity
New epidemic diseases have an evolutionary advantage if they are of “intermediate” severity, research shows. Scientists tested the theory that pathogens (disease-causing organisms) that inflict…
