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Categories: Ecology: Trees, Offbeat: Plants and Animals

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Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Spider silk is spun by silkworms for the first time, offering a green alternative to synthetic fibers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have synthesized spider silk from genetically modified silkworms, producing fibers six times tougher than the Kevlar used in bulletproof vests. The study is the first to successfully produce full-length spider silk proteins using silkworms. The findings demonstrate a technique that could be used to manufacture an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic commercial fibers such as nylon.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Researchers issue urgent call to save the world's largest flower -Rafflesia -- from extinction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study finds that most Rafflesia species, which produce the world's largest flowers, face extinction. Lack of protection at local, national, and international levels means that remaining populations are under critical threat.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

16 strange new parasitoid wasp species discovered in Vietnam      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered 16 new species of strange-looking parasitoid wasps from the Loboscelidia group. The study also revealed for the first time the unique parasitic behavior of a captive female from one species, who after parasitizing her host egg, buried the egg in a hole in the soil.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

RNA for the first time recovered from an extinct species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows the isolation and sequencing of more than a century-old RNA molecules from a Tasmanian tiger specimen preserved at room temperature in a museum collection. This resulted in the reconstruction of skin and skeletal muscle transcriptomes from an extinct species for the first time. The researchers note that their findings have relevant implications for international efforts to resurrect extinct species, including both the Tasmanian tiger and the woolly mammoth, as well as for studying pandemic RNA viruses.

Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Canopy gaps help eastern hemlock outlast invasive insect      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Creating physical gaps in the forest canopy give eastern hemlocks more access to resources and help those trees withstand infestation by an invasive insect.

Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Geography
Published

Almost half of koala habitats will be under high bushfire threat by 2070      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The research team generated a series of fire susceptibility maps. These show the proportion of Australia experiencing 'high' or 'very high' fire susceptibility increasing from 14.9% now to 15.66% by 2070 -- while fire susceptibility of areas suitable for the plants that koalas depend on is tipped to jump from 39.56% to 44.61% by 2070.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

That smell: New gut microbe produces smelly toxic gas but protects against pathogens      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Microbiologists have discovered a new intestinal microbe that feeds exclusively on taurine and produces the foul-smelling gas hydrogen sulfide. The researchers have thus provided another building block in the understanding of those microbial processes that have fascinating effects on health. This is also true of Taurinivorans muris: the bacterium shows a protective function against Klebsiella and Salmonella, two important pathogens.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Brain-altering parasite turns ants into zombies at dawn and dusk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It takes over the brains of ants, causing them to cling to blades of grass against their will. The lancet liver fluke has an exceptional lifecycle strategy, in which snails, ants and grazing animals are unwitting actors. Researchers now reveal more about the mind-bending workings of this tiny parasite.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Study shows replanting logged forests with diverse mixtures of seedlings accelerates restoration      (via sciencedaily.com) 

• Twenty-year experiment finds that active replanting beats natural recovery for restoring logged tropical forests. • The higher the diversity of replanted tree species, the more quickly canopy area and biomass recovered. • Results emphasize the importance of preserving biodiversity in pristine forests and restoring it in recovering logged forest.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Pollination by more than one bee species improves cherry harvest      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To obtain the biggest cherry harvest, trees should be pollinated by both honey bees and mason bees. This new study shows yet another benefit of biodiversity.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Floating sea farms: A solution to feed the world and ensure fresh water by 2050      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The sun and the sea -- both abundant and free -- are being harnessed in a unique project to create vertical sea farms floating on the ocean that can produce fresh water for drinking and agriculture.

Computer Science: General Mathematics: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

What do neurons, fireflies and dancing the Nutbush have in common?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Synchronicity is all around us, but it is poorly understood. Computer scientists have now developed new tools to understand how human and natural networks fall in and out of sync.

Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Fiber from crustaceans, insects, mushrooms promotes digestion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Crustaceans, insects and mushrooms are rich sources of the dietary fiber chitin, which activates the immune system and benefits metabolism, according to a new study in mice.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Molecular Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Researchers grow embryonic humanized kidneys inside pigs for 28 days      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have successfully created chimeric embryos containing a combination of human and pig cells. When transferred into surrogate pig mothers, the developing humanized kidneys had normal structure and tubule formation after 28 days. This is the first time that scientists have been able to grow a solid humanized organ inside another species, though previous studies have used similar methods to generate human tissues such as blood or skeletal muscle in pigs.

Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Wildfires Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

New research highlights opportunities to protect carbon and communities from forest fires      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As the climate and wildfire crises have intensified, so too have concerns regarding the loss of carbon captured and stored in forests from decades to centuries of tree growth. A new study describes where to optimize ongoing wildfire mitigation efforts and reduce carbon loss due to wildfire, benefitting communities and climate at the same time. The study evaluated where living trees and the carbon they store are at risk of burning in the future. They then compared these areas to communities that are vulnerable to wildfire as identified in the Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy. Areas of overlap highlight 'opportunity hot spots' where action can reduce the risk from wildfire to both carbon and communities.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: General
Published

Fossil spines reveal deep sea's past      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Right at the bottom of the deep sea, the first very simple forms of life on earth probably emerged a long time ago. Today, the deep sea is known for its bizarre fauna. Intensive research is being conducted into how the number of species living on the sea floor have changed in the meantime. Some theories say that the ecosystems of the deep sea have emerged again and again after multiple mass extinctions and oceanic upheavals. Today's life in the deep sea would thus be comparatively young in the history of the Earth. But there is increasing evidence that parts of this world are much older than previously thought.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Animals Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Human shoulders and elbows first evolved as brakes for climbing apes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that the flexible shoulders and elbows that allow us to throw a football or reach a high shelf may have evolved as a natural braking system that let our primate ancestors get out of trees without dying. The researchers used sports-analysis software to compare the climbing movements of chimpanzees and small monkeys called mangabeys. While the animals climb up trees similarly, the researchers found that the shallow, rounded shoulder joints and shortened elbow bones that chimps have -- similar to humans -- allow them to fully extend their arms above their heads when climbing down, holding onto branches like a person going down a ladder to support their greater weight. When early humans left forests for the grassy savanna, these versatile appendages would have been essential for gathering food and using tools for hunting and defense. The findings are among the first to identify the significance of 'downclimbing' in the evolution of apes and early humans.