Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Mystery solved: The oldest fossil reptile from the alps is an historical forgery      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Palaeontological analysis shows that a renowned fossil thought to show soft tissue preservation is in fact just paint. The fossil discovered in 1931 was thought to be an important specimen for understanding early reptile evolution. While not all of the celebrated fossil is a forgery, scientists urge caution in how the fossil is utilized in future.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

With just a little electricity, researchers boost common catalytic reactions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A simple new technique could boost the efficiency of some key chemical processing, by up to a factor of 100,000, researchers report. The reactions are at the heart of petrochemical processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and many other industrial chemical processes.

Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Meow or rooaaar: Exotic cats' ability to recognize familiar caregivers' voices      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Biologists present compelling evidence that exotic cats possess the remarkable ability to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar human voices.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Ancient retroviruses played a key role in the evolution of vertebrate brains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is essential for myelin production in mammals, amphibians, and fish. The gene sequence, which they dubbed 'RetroMyelin,' is likely a result of ancient viral infection, and comparisons of RetroMyelin in mammals, amphibians, and fish suggest that retroviral infection and genome-invasion events occurred separately in each of these groups.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Some Pre-Roman humans were buried with dogs, horses and other animals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some people from an ancient community in what is now northern Italy were interred with animals and animal parts from species such as dogs, horses and pigs. The reasons remain mysterious, but might indicate an enduring companion relationship between these humans and animals, or religious sacrificial practices, according to a new study.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

By growing animal cells in rice grains, scientists dish up hybrid food      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

From lab-grown chicken to cricket-derived protein, these innovative alternatives offer hope for a planet struggling with the environmental and ethical impacts of industrial agriculture. Now, scientists add a new recipe to the list -- cultured beef rice -- by growing animal muscle and fat cells inside rice grains. The method results in a nutritious and flavorful hybrid food that, once commercialized, could offer a more affordable protein alternative with a smaller carbon footprint.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Great apes playfully tease each other      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Babies playfully tease others as young as eight months of age. Since language is not required for this behavior, similar kinds of playful teasing might be present in non-human animals. Now cognitive biologists and primatologists have documented playful teasing in four species of great apes. Like joking behavior in humans, ape teasing is provocative, persistent, and includes elements of surprise and play. Because all four great ape species used playful teasing, it is likely that the prerequisites for humor evolved in the human lineage at least 13 million years ago.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Desert ants: The magnetic field calibrates the navigation system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Desert ants find their way during an early learning phase with the help of the Earth's magnetic field. The associated learning process leaves clear traces in their nervous system.

Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

The hidden rule for flight feathers -- and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists examined hundreds of birds in museum collections and discovered a suite of feather characteristics that all flying birds have in common. These 'rules' provide clues as to how the dinosaur ancestors of modern birds first evolved the ability to fly, and which dinosaurs were capable of flight.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Not only in information technology: Restart also works in chemical simulations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered that a known practice in information technology can also be applied to chemistry. Researchers found that to enhance the sampling in chemical simulations, all you need to do is stop and restart.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Key advance for capturing carbon from the air      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A chemical element so visually striking that it was named for a goddess shows a 'Goldilocks' level of reactivity -- neither too much nor too little -- that makes it a strong candidate as a carbon scrubbing tool.

Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers discovered in Colombia and Ecuador      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers in the jungles and cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Surprisingly vibrant color of 12-million-year-old snail shells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Snail shells are often colorful and strikingly patterned. This is due to pigments that are produced in special cells of the snail and stored in the shell in varying concentrations. Fossil shells, on the other hand, are usually pale and inconspicuous because the pigments are very sensitive and have already decomposed. Residues of ancient color patterns are therefore very rare. This makes a new discovery all the more astonishing: researchers found pigments in twelve-million-year-old fossilized snail shells.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Towards A Better Way of Releasing Hydrogen Stored in Hydrogen Boride Sheets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Hydrogen stored in hydrogen boride sheets can be efficiently released electrochemically, report scientists. Through a series of experiments, they demonstrated that dispersing these sheets in an organic solvent and applying a small voltage is enough to release all the stored hydrogen efficiently. These findings suggest hydrogen boride sheets could soon become a safe and convenient way to store and transport hydrogen, which is a cleaner and more sustainable fuel.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Surprising behavior in one of the least studied mammals in the world      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Beaked whales are among the least studied mammals in the world. Now, a new study reveals surprising information about the Baird's beaked whale species.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Organic Chemistry
Published

Illuminating the invisible: Detecting proteins linked to diseases      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers have pioneered a new way to visualize the smallest protein clusters, skirting the physical limitations of light-powered microscopes and opening new avenues for detecting the proteins implicated in diseases like Alzheimer's and testing new treatments.