Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Ecology: Sea Life Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Optics
Published

Pollution monitoring through precise detection of gold nanoparticles in woodlice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers introduce a novel imaging method to detect gold nanoparticles in woodlice. Their method, known as four-wave mixing microscopy, flashes light that the gold nanoparticles absorb. The light flashes again and the subsequent scattering reveals the nanoparticles' locations. With information about the quantity, location, and impact of gold nanoparticles within the organism, scientists can better understand the potential harm other metals may have on nature.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Jellyfish and fruit flies shed light on the origin of hunger regulation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To survive, all organisms must regulate their appetite. Hormones and small proteins called neuropeptides perform this process, stimulating feelings of hunger and fullness. When researchers noted the similarities between GAWamide, a neuropeptide that regulates feeding in the Cladonema jellyfish, and myoinhibitory peptide, a neuropeptide that regulates feeding in fruit flies, they decided to test whether they could exchange the two. Their success in doing so highlights the deep evolutionary origins of feeding regulation.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Environmental: Ecosystems Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Woolly mammoths evolved smaller ears and woolier coats over the 700,000 years that they roamed the Siberian steppes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers compared the genomes of woolly mammoths with modern day elephants to find out what made woolly mammoths unique, both as individuals and as a species. The investigators report that many of the woolly mammoth's trademark features -- including their woolly coats and large fat deposits -- were already genetically encoded in the earliest woolly mammoths, but these and other traits became more defined over the species' 700,000+ year existence. They also identified a gene with several mutations that may have been responsible for the woolly mammoth's miniscule ears.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Newly discovered probiotic could protect Caribbean corals threatened by deadly, devastating disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered the first effective bacterial probiotic for treating and preventing stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a mysterious ailment that has devastated Florida's coral reefs since 2014 and is rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean. The probiotic treatment provides an alternative to the use of the broad-spectrum antibiotic amoxicillin, which has so far been the only proven treatment for the disease but which runs the risk of promoting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Coral skeletons influence reef recovery after bleaching      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Natural disasters can devastate a region, abruptly killing the species that form an ecosystem's structure. But how this transpires can influence recovery. While fires scorch the landscape to the ground, a heatwave leaves an army of wooden staves in its wake. Storm surges and coral bleaching do something similar underwater.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Red tide warning system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Current methods to monitor red tide are limited. Using AUTOHOLO, a new autonomous, submersible, 3D holographic microscope and imaging system, a study is the first to characterize red tide in the field and breaks new ground for monitoring harmful algal blooms.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

Analysis of dinosaur eggshells: Bird-like Troodon laid 4 to 6 eggs in a communal nest      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international research team has determined that Troodon, a dinosaur very close to modern birds, was a warm-blooded animal (an endotherm), but had a reproductive system similar to that of modern reptiles. The scientists applied a new method which allowed for accurate determination of the temperature when the egg's carbonate shell was formed. Furthermore, the researchers showed that Troodon laid 4 to 6 eggs per clutch. As nests with up to 24 Troodon eggs had been found, the scientists conclude that several Troodon females laid their eggs in communal nests.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography
Published

Ocean warming intensifies viral outbreaks within corals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A groundbreaking three-year study in the South Pacific has found evidence that ocean warming can trigger outbreaks of 'dinoflagellate-infecting RNA viruses' that attack symbiotic algae inside corals. Coral reef viruses have gained greater attention since being implicated in 2021 as a possible cause of stony coral tissue loss disease that has decimated Florida and Caribbean reefs for almost a decade.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Extinction Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Dinosaurs Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

Predatory dinosaurs such as T. rex sported lizard-like lips      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study suggests that predatory dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, did not have permanently exposed teeth as depicted in films such as Jurassic Park, but instead had scaly, lizard-like lips covering and sealing their mouths.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: General Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Scientists discover hidden crab diversity among coral reefs      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The Indo-West Pacific is the largest marine ecosystem on Earth, but scientists who study its diversity have to contend with a problem so well-known it was remarked upon by Charles Darwin: related species in the IWP have similar appearances, making it difficult to assess just how many there are. A new study reveals that nearly identical crab species have one consistently distinguishing feature, which only evolves when their ranges overlap.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Earth prefers to serve life in XXS and XXL sizes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Life comes in all shapes in sizes, but some sizes are more popular than others, new research has found. A survey of body sizes of all Earth's living organisms has uncovered an unexpected pattern. Contrary to what current theories can explain, our planet's biomass -- the material that makes up all living organisms -- is concentrated in organisms at either end of the size spectrum.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Juvenile black rockfish affected by marine heat wave but not always for the worse, research shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Larvae produced by black rockfish, a linchpin of the West Coast commercial fishing industry for the past eight decades, fared better during two recent years of unusually high ocean temperatures than had been feared, new research finds.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Detecting coral biodiversity in seawater samples      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have developed a method to measure coral biodiversity through extracting the environmental DNA (or eDNA) from a liter of surface seawater collected from above a reef. The method has been confirmed to work through observations made by scientific divers in the same areas of ocean. This has paved the way for large-scale comprehensive surveys of reef-building coral to take place and removes the reliance of direct observations made through scientific scuba diving or snorkeling.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Sea Life
Published

How whale shark rhodopsin evolved to see, in the deep blue sea      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A group of researchers discovered that the rhodopsin -- a protein in the eye that detects light -- of whale sharks has changed to efficiently detect blue light, which penetrates deep-sea water easily. The amino acid substitutions -- one of which is counterintuitively associated with congenital stationary night blindness in humans -- aid in detecting the low levels of light in the deep-sea. Although these changes make the whale shark rhodopsin less thermally stable the deep-sea temperature, allows their rhodopsin to keep working. This suggests that the unique adaptation evolved to function in the low-light low-temperature environment where whale sharks live.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Turtles and crocodiles with unique characteristics are more likely to go extinct      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New study demonstrates that the most endangered turtles and crocodile species are those that have evolved unique life strategies. Many of the most threatened species carry out important ecosystem functions that other species depend on. Habitat loss was identified as the key overall threat to turtles and crocodiles, followed by climate change and global trade. Unique species faced additional pressure from local consumption, diseases, and pollution.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Landslides Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Some coastal salt marshes are keeping up with sea level rise -- for now      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The world's salty, tidal marshes are hotspots of carbon storage and productivity, building up sediments and plant material to stay above sea level. However, as sea level rises at an increasing rate, scientists debate whether it's possible for wetlands to win the race. New research reveals how salt marshes along the U.S. East Coast have responded to accelerating sea level rise by building elevation more quickly to keep pace with the sea over the last century.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Geography
Published

Climate change threatens global fisheries      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The diet quality of fish across large parts of the world's oceans could decline by up to 10 per cent as climate change impacts an integral part of marine food chains, a major study has found.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Phytoplankton blooms offer insight into impacts of climate change      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The first study into the biological response of the upper ocean in the wake of South Pacific cyclones could help predict the impact of warming ocean temperatures, researchers believe.