Showing 20 articles starting at article 641
< Previous 20 articles Next 20 articles >
Categories: Biology: Developmental, Paleontology: Climate
Published Major North American oil source yields clues to one of earth's deadliest mass extinctions
(via sciencedaily.com) Geologists studying the Bakken Shale Formation discovered a critical kill mechanism behind a series of extinctions some 350 million years ago.
Published Short-distance migration critical for climate change adaptation
(via sciencedaily.com) Short-distance migration, which accounts for the vast majority of migratory movements in the world, is crucial for climate change adaptation, according to new research. Contrary to common assumptions, most migratory movements are people moving short distances, largely due to economic, social and environmental factors, such as climate change.
Published Elegantly modeling Earth's abrupt glacial transitions
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Milutin Milankovitch hypothesized that the timing of glacial transitions has been controlled by the orbital parameters of the Earth, which suggests that there may be some predictability in the climate, a notoriously complex system. Now researchers propose a new paradigm to simplify the verification of the Milankovitch hypothesis. The new 'deterministic excitation paradigm' combines the physics concepts of relaxation oscillation and excitability to link Earth's orbital parameters and the glacial cycles in a more generic way.
Published An internal thermometer tells the seeds when to germinate
(via sciencedaily.com) Germination is a crucial stage in the life of a plant as it will leave the stage of seed resistant to various environmental constraints (climatic conditions, absence of nutritive elements, etc.) to become a seedling much more vulnerable. The survival of the young plant depends on the timing of this transition. It is therefore essential that this stage be finely controlled. Botanists have now discovered the internal thermometer of seeds that can delay or even block germination if temperatures are too high for the future seedling. This work could help optimize plant growth in a context of global warming.
Published Phage attacks shown in new light
(via sciencedaily.com) New methodology and tools provide an opportunity to watch in unprecedented detail as a phage attacks a bacterium.
Published Rhythmic eating pattern preserves fruit fly muscle function under obese conditions
(via sciencedaily.com) Obese fruit flies are the experimental subjects in a study of the causes of muscle function decline due to obesity. In humans, skeletal muscle plays a crucial role in metabolism, and muscle dysfunction due to human obesity can lead to insulin resistance and reduced energy levels.
Published Most detailed geological model reveals Earth's past 100 million years
(via sciencedaily.com) Previous models of Earth's recent (100 million years) geomorphology have been patchy at best. For the first time a detailed continuous model of the Earth's landscape evolution is presented, with potential for understanding long-term climate and biological development.
Published Illuminating the evolution of social parasite ants
(via sciencedaily.com) The findings offer a new way to understand how some ants become total layabouts.
Published Fluorescent protein sheds light on bee brains
(via sciencedaily.com) An international team of bee researchers has integrated a calcium sensor into honey bees to enable the study of neural information processing including response to odors. This also provides insights into how social behavior is located in the brain.
Published Wisconsin cave holds tantalizing clues to ancient climate changes, future shifts
(via sciencedaily.com) A newly published study of a stalagmite found in Cave of the Mounds reveals previously undetected history of the local climate going back thousands of years. Researchers describe evidence for an ice age punctuated by massive and abrupt warming events across much of the Northern Hemisphere.
Published Researchers bioengineer an endocrine pancreas for type 1 diabetes
(via sciencedaily.com) Scientists recently developed an efficient way to transplant pancreatic islets and demonstrated that the method can effectively reverse type 1 diabetes in nonhuman primates.
Published Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacteria produce a molecule that paralyzes immune system cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Researchers have discovered a strong immunological effect of the molecule LecB -- and a way to prevent it.
Published Ice Age survivors
(via sciencedaily.com) Large-scale genomic analysis documents the migrations of Ice Age hunter-gatherers over a period of 30,000 years -- they took shelter in Western Europe but died out on the Italian peninsula.
Published Oldest human genome from southern Spain
(via sciencedaily.com) A new study reports on genomic data from a 23,000-year-old individual who lived in what was probably the warmest place of Europe at the peak of the last Ice Age. The oldest human genome recovered from the southern tip of Spain adds an important piece of the puzzle to the genetic history of Europe.
Published New study unveils epigenetic 'traffic lights' controlling stop and go for gene activity
(via sciencedaily.com) A major new study reveals a 'traffic light' mechanism controlling genetic activity within cells -- a system which could potentially be targeted by cancer drugs already in development. The research describes how 'epigenetic' changes to the structure of DNA can act as a stop-go signal in determining whether a gene should be read. Unlike our genetic make-up, which is well understood, the world of epigenetics is still largely unexplored and referred to as the 'dark matter' of the genome.
Published Reassessment of Storegga event: Second major landslide recognized
(via sciencedaily.com) Submarine landslides have a large tsunami potential and occurred on the central Norwegian shelf more frequently in the past than previously thought. Scientists investigate the Nyegga landslide off the coast of Norway. The submarine landslide occurred in the same area as the well-known Storegga event 8,150 years ago. The new findings suggest that approximately one-third of the seafloor material missing -- previously attributed to the Storegga event -- was removed by the Nyegga event 20,000 years ago. This raises questions about the frequency of large submarine landslides and their associated tsunami hazard.
Published Mapping unknown territory
(via sciencedaily.com) A detailed atlas of gene expression in the zebrafish brain.
Published Climate trends in the west, today and 11,000 years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) What we think of as the classic West Coast climate began just about 4,000 years ago, finds a study on climate trends of the Holocene era.
Published Cells avoid multitasking
(via sciencedaily.com) Textbooks will tell you that in dividing cells, production of new DNA peaks during the S-phase, while production of other macromolecules, such as proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides, continues at more or less the same level. Molecular biologists have now discovered that this is not true: protein synthesis shows two peaks and lipid synthesis peaks once.
Published Successful cure of HIV infection after stem cell transplantation, study suggests
(via sciencedaily.com) Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the treatment of severe blood cancers is the only medical intervention that has cured two people living with HIV in the past. An international group of physicians and researchers has now identified another case in which HIV infection has been shown to be cured in the same way. The successful healing process of this third patient was for the first time characterized in great detail virologically and immunologically over a time span of ten years.