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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Ecology: Extinction
Published Where is a sea star's head? Maybe just about everywhere



A new study that combines genetic and molecular techniques helps solve the riddle of sea star (commonly called starfish) body plans, and how sea stars start life with bilateral body symmetry -- just like humans -- but grow up to be adults with fivefold 'pentaradial' symmetry.
Published Pinpointing HIV immune response



New research combining computer modeling and experiments with macaques shows the body's immune system helps control human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections largely by suppressing viral production in already infected cells while also killing viral infected cells, but only within a narrow time window at the start of a cell's infection.
Published Maternal microbiota can affect fetal development



Significant differences in the gene activity of the fetal intestine, brain and placenta were identified, depending on the microbes in the mother's body and the compounds produced by them. The findings indicate that maternal microbes are important to her offspring's development and health.
Published New Nijmegen method reveals hidden genetic variations



Many hidden genetic variations can be detected with Chameleolyser, a new method. The information is already yielding new patient diagnoses and may also lead to the discovery of as yet unknown disease genes.
Published Advanced assisted reproduction in white rhinos is safe and reliable, shows evaluation of procedures



The BioRescue project develops and pioneers advanced assisted reproduction technologies (aART) for conservation in the face of the imminent extinction of most rhino species and subspecies. In a new scientific analysis, the team evaluated 65 aART procedures conducted from 2015 to 2022. The evaluation showed that aART is safe for the donor females with no detrimental health effects, and successful in that it yielded 51 embryos.
Published New map of 20th century land use in Britain helps researchers demystify biodiversity change



Researchers have mapped how land use changed across Britain throughout the last century. The new map reveals how and where some 50 per cent of semi-natural grassland was lost, including 90 per cent of the country's lowland meadows and pasture, as the nation intensified its agriculture.
Published Australasia's hidden pollination crisis could threaten biodiversity and food security



Australasia's hidden pollination crisis, mirroring global threats, could pose a significant risk to regional biodiversity and food security, new research has found.
Published Amazon deforestation linked to long distance climate warming



Deforestation in the Amazon causes land surfaces up to 100 kilometers away to get warmer, suggests a new study. The research suggests that tropical forests play a critical role in cooling the land surface -- and that effect can play out over considerable distances.
Published Amphibians have one more thing to worry about--mercury



The first widescale assessment of methylmercury in adult amphibians in the U.S. to date shows that, in amphibians, this toxic compound is common, widespread and, at least for some, can reach very high levels.
Published Offset markets: New approach could help save tropical forests by restoring faith in carbon credits



A new approach to valuing the carbon storage potential of natural habitats aims to help restore faith in offset schemes, by enabling investors to directly compare carbon credit pricing across a wide range of projects.
Published Scientists create special 'telomouse' with human-like telomeres



Researchers introduce the 'Telomouse'. By making a subtle genetic alteration in standard lab mice, they've made the mouse telomeres, which protect the chromosome ends, more closely resemble those in humans. The Telomouse model, developed by incorporating a genetic variation from a mouse species with naturally shorter telomeres, provides a valuable resource for in-depth aging and cancer research. This discovery promises to reveal new insights into the genetics of aging and may contribute to enhanced longevity and well-being.
Published Controlling organoids with light



Organoids help researchers understand biological processes in health and in disease. It is, however, difficult to influence the way in which they organize themselves into complex tissues. Now a group has found a new way to do so.
Published 75% of exclusive hardwood may be illegally harvested



The tropical wood type ipe is popular for building exclusive wooden decks, and in North America and Europe, the demand for the material has increased sharply. Now, a study shows that more than three-quarters of all ipe from the top producing region in Brazil could have been harvested illegally.
Published Endangered whales live in area earmarked for gas exploration



Endangered whales and dolphins live year-round in an area of the Mediterranean earmarked for oil and gas exploration, new research shows.
Published To navigate the world, we all shimmy like these electric fish



An electric knifefish shimmies in the water for the same reason a dog sniffs or a human glances around a new place -- to make sense of their surroundings. For the first time, scientists demonstrate that a wide range of organisms, even microbes, perform the same pattern of movements in order to sense the world.
Published Defect in fruit fly respiratory system may provide insights into human aortic aneurysms



A team of researchers has gained new insights into the respiratory system of fruit flies -- the so-called tracheal system -- which could be important for future research into aneurysms. Scientists carried out genetic, cell biological and biochemical studies on Drosophila embryos. They found that the cells in the fruit fly's tracheal system are connected to the extracellular matrix by the proteins Dumpy and Piopio.
Published Research reveals three new marsupial species -- though all likely extinct



The exciting discovery of three new species of a small Australian marsupial has been tempered by the sad fact that each of the newly identified species of mulgara is likely already extinct.
Published Bacteria can enhance host insect's fertility with implications for disease control



New research reveals how the bacteria strain Wolbachia pipientis enhances the fertility of the insects it infects, an insight that could help scientists increase the populations of mosquitoes that do not carry human disease.
Published Raining cats and dogs: Global precipitation patterns a driver for animal diversity



A team has identified several factors to help answer a fundamental ecological question: why is there a ridiculous abundance of species some places on earth and a scarcity in others? What factors, exactly, drive animal diversity? They discovered that what an animal eats (and how that interacts with climate) shapes Earth's diversity.
Published Tiny spirits roam the corals of Japan -- two new pygmy squids discovered



Named after Japanese folklore, two cephalopod species have been discovered in the coastal waters of the Okinawa Islands.