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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published First live birth of a chimeric monkey using embryonic stem cell lines
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of researchers has reported for the first time the live birth of a monkey that contains a high proportion of cells derived from a monkey stem cell line. This 'chimeric' monkey is composed of cells that originate from two genetically distinct embryos of the same species of monkey. This has previously been demonstrated in rats and mice but, until now, has not been possible in other species, including non-human primates.
Published Zen and the art of mitochondrial maintenance: The machinery of death makes a healthier life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source While we all aspire for a long lifespan, what is most coveted is a long period of vigor and health, or 'healthspan,' that precedes the inevitable decline of advancing age. Researchers have discovered that instruments of death that cells use to commit suicide when things go wrong contribute to making a longer and healthier life by revitalizing the specialized cellular compartments called mitochondria.
Published Temperature increase triggers viral infection
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have mapped on an atomic level what happens in a virus particle when the temperature is raised.
Published How animals get their stripes and spots
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research helps explain how sharp patterns form on zebras, leopards, tropical fish and other creatures. Their findings could inform the development of new high-tech materials and drugs.
Published Head lice evolution mirrors human migration and colonization in the Americas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new analysis of lice genetic diversity suggests that lice came to the Americas twice -- once during the first wave of human migration across the Bering Strait, and again during European colonization.
Published Animals like crickets use the ground to amplify calls
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When animals 'sing' sitting on the ground -- such as when crickets chirp -- their volume and reach increase dramatically, by as much as ten-fold. This result contradicts long-held beliefs in the field of animal communication, which presume the ground is a hindrance to sound transmission.
Published Yeast with an over half synthetic genome is created in the lab
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have combined over seven synthetic chromosomes that were made in the lab into a single yeast cell, resulting in a strain with more than 50% synthetic DNA that survives and replicates similarly to wild yeast strains. A global consortium is working to develop the first synthetic eukaryote genome from scratch. The team has now synthesized and debugged all sixteen yeast chromosomes.
Published Scientists take major step towards completing the world's first synthetic yeast
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of Scientists has completed construction of a synthetic chromosome as part of a major international project to build the world's first synthetic yeast genome. The work represents completion of one of the 16 chromosomes of the yeast genome, which is part of the biggest project ever in synthetic biology; the international synthetic yeast genome collaboration. The collaboration, known as 'Sc2.0' has been a 15-year project involving teams from around the world (UK, US, China, Singapore, UK, France and Australia), working together to make synthetic versions of all of yeast's chromosomes. Alongside this paper, another 9 publications are also released today from other teams describing their synthetic chromosomes. The final completion of the genome project -- the largest synthetic genome ever -- is expected next year.
Published Obesity linked to neurodegeneration through insulin resistance
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a link between obesity and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease. Using the common fruit fly, the research shows that a high-sugar diet -- a hallmark of obesity -- causes insulin resistance in the brain, which in turn reduces the ability to remove neuronal debris, thus increasing the risk of neurodegeneration.
Published 450-million-year-old organism finds new life in Softbotics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used fossil evidence to engineer a soft robotic replica of pleurocystitids, a marine organism that existed nearly 450 million years ago and is believed to be one of the first echinoderms capable of movement using a muscular stem.
Published Video technology could transform how scientists monitor changes in species evolution and development
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research combines microscope and video technology to analyze how different species develop, and how changes in the timings of any developments can be tracked. A detailed analysis of the Energy Proxy Traits (EPTs) that result from these processes has provided researchers with the first evidence that traditionally measured timings of developmental events are associated with far broader changes to the full set of an embryo's observable characteristics.
Published The fascinating relationship between mice and a plant that flowers once a century in terms of seed dispersal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered several factors that affect field mouse behavior using seeds from dwarf bamboo plants, a plant that flowers once in a century. Their findings not only suggest the previously underappreciated role of mice in the forest ecosystem, but also show that they store small sasa seeds for later use. These challenge a previously held model of mouse behavior.
Published Two fins are better than one: Fish synchronize tail fins to save energy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source They say two heads are better than one. But in the world of fish, it appears two fins are better than one. Researchers have produced a theoretical model that demonstrates the underlying mechanisms behind how fish will synchronize their fin movements to ride each other's vortices, thereby saving energy.
Published Rats have an imagination, new research suggests
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a novel system to probe a rat's thoughts, finding that animals can control their brain activity to imagine remote locations.
Published Chimpanzees use hilltops to conduct reconnaissance on rival groups, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research on neighboring chimpanzee communities in the forests of West Africa suggests a warfare tactic not previously seen beyond humans is regularly used by our closest evolutionary relatives.
Published Research outlines how sex differences have evolved
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have shown that sex differences in animals vary dramatically across species, organs and developmental stages, and evolve quickly at the gene level but slowly at the cell type level.
Published Female sex determining gene identified in mice
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have identified a gene which is an early determining factor of ovary development in mice.
Published A known environmental hazard can change the epigenetics of cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team of researchers has discovered that formaldehyde, a widely spread pollutant and common metabolite in our body, interferes in the epigenetic programming of the cell. This finding expands the knowledge of formaldehyde, previously considered only as a DNA mutagen, and helps establishing a further link with cancer.
Published Immunology: Dysfunction of mitochondria drives the exhaustion of T cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In the immune system's fight against cancer and infections, the T cells often lose their power. Now immunologists may have found a possible explanation for this phenomenon.
Published New study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying lipid recycling within cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Our understanding of how cells recycle lipids through autophagy -- a form of cellular degradation -- has grown significantly, thanks to a recent study. Using yeast as a model organism, the researchers explored the molecular mechanisms leading to the degradation of the phospholipid bilayers making up the cell membranes. Their findings improve our understanding of cellular degradation processes and related metabolic disorders.