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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Ecology: Animals

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Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

Evolutionary chance made this bat a specialist hunter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It is generally believed that, for millions of years, bats and the insects they hunt at night have adapted to each other in an evolutionary arms race to become better at finding or avoiding each other. Now, a new study shows that this may not be the case at all.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals
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Researcher finds proof of menopause in wild chimpanzees      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers studying the Ngogo community of wild chimpanzees in western Uganda's Kibale National Park for two decades has published a report showing that females in this population can experience menopause and post-reproductive survival.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Animals
Published

Fruit, nectar, bugs and blood: How bat teeth and jaws evolved for a diverse dinnertime      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Noctilionoid bat species evolved wildly different faces as they adapted to exploit diverse food sources -- including insects, fruit, nectar, blood and fish. New research shows that those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Roosters might recognize themselves in the mirror      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scrape, cluck, lay eggs -- that's it? Anyone involved in chicken farming knows that the animals are capable of much more. Researchers have found evidence that roosters could recognize themselves in a mirror. Whether this is successful, however, depends on the experimental conditions -- a finding that points beyond the experiment with roosters and could also be of importance for other animal species.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Environmental: Water
Published

To navigate the world, we all shimmy like these electric fish      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
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Defect in fruit fly respiratory system may provide insights into human aortic aneurysms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Environmental: Ecosystems
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Research reveals three new marsupial species -- though all likely extinct      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

Bacteria can enhance host insect's fertility with implications for disease control      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Climate
Published

Raining cats and dogs: Global precipitation patterns a driver for animal diversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

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.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Finding the genes that help kingfishers dive without hurting their brains      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists studied the genomes of 30 kingfisher species to try to identify the genes that allow kingfishers to dive headfirst into water without huring their brains. The researchers found that the diving birds have unusual mutations to the genes that produce tau: a protein that helps stabilize tiny structures in the brain, but which can build up in humans with traumatic brain injuries or Alzheimer's disease. The researchers suspect that these variations in the kingfishers' tau proteins might protect their brains when they dive.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species
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Scientists uncover cause of mysterious deaths of elephants in Zimbabwe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A bacterium, closely associated with deadly septicaemia, could have caused the deaths of six African elephants in Zimbabwe and possibly more in neighboring countries. The findings place infectious diseases on the list of pressures on African elephants, whose populations continue to be under threat. 

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
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Origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Primatologists are using genetic analysis to determine the geographic origin of ancient mummified baboons found in Egypt. The team finds evidence that the two legendary trading regions of Punt and Adulis may have been the same place separated by a thousand years of history.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

What do new moms and roaches have in common?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers are studying the dramatic physical transformation that some insects undergo to give birth to live young. This includes suppressing their immune systems to accommodate babies, which is something some insects and people have in common. Understanding how these systems work can help improve treatments for fibromyalgia and other immune disorders. An international team of researchers has examined the complex structural and physiological changes that take place in Hawaii's beetle-mimic cockroaches, which give birth to live young.

Ecology: Animals
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Dingoes given 'almost-human' status in pre-colonial Australia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It's said that a dog is a man's best friend, but the wild dingo is much maligned in Australia. This may not always have been the case though, with new research suggesting that dingoes were buried -- and even domesticated -- by First Nations people prior to European colonization.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature
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Heat waves harm bird reproduction on agricultural lands      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The effects of extreme temperatures on avian reproduction can vary depending on the type of environment that birds call home. A new study found that extreme high temperatures significantly diminish bird reproductive success in agricultural landscapes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
Published

Restoring the function of a human cell surface protein in yeast cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Yeast cells are widely used to study G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large group of cell surface proteins in humans. However, several of these proteins lose their function when introduced into yeast cells. To tackle this issue, researchers developed an innovative strategy to restore GPCR function in yeast cells by inducing random mutations. Their findings can help understand GPCRs better and could pave the way to therapeutic breakthroughs for many diseases.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Stolen genes allow parasitic control of behavior      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has discovered that parasites manipulate their hosts using stolen genes that they likely acquired through a phenomenon called horizontal gene transfer.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Molecular Chemistry: Biochemistry Physics: Optics
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Soft optical fibers block pain while moving and stretching with the body      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New soft, implantable fibers can deliver light to major nerves through the body. They are an experimental tool for scientists to explore the causes and potential treatments for peripheral nerve disorders in animal models.