Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

Pasteurization inactivates highly infectious avian flu in milk, study suggests      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers found no infectious virus in the sampled pasteurized milk products tested for H5N1.

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

Blue and great tits deploy surprisingly powerful memories to find food      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Blue and great tits recall what they have eaten in the past, where they found the food and when they found it, a new study shows. In the first experiment of its kind to involve wild animals, blue and great tits demonstrated 'episodic-like' memory to cope with changes in food availability when foraging. The same study may suggest that humans leaving out seeds and nuts for garden birds could be contributing to the evolution of these memory traits.

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

Genetic patterns of world's farmed, domesticated foxes revealed via historical deep-dive      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Domesticated animals play a prominent role in our society, with two-thirds of American families enjoying the companionship of pets and many others relying on animal products for their nutritional needs. But the process of domestication remains a bit of a mystery.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

New and improved camera inspired by the human eye      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computer scientists have invented a camera mechanism that improves how robots see and react to the world around them. Inspired by how the human eye works, their innovative camera system mimics the tiny involuntary movements used by the eye to maintain clear and stable vision over time.

Biology: Zoology
Published

New model could help provide expectant mothers a clearer path to safe fish consumption      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research creates a framework to better balance the nutritional benefit of fish consumption with the risk of mercury exposure to the developing brain.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Environmental: General Physics: Optics
Published

Light-controlled artificial maple seeds could monitor the environment even in hard-to-reach locations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a tiny robot replicating the aerial dance of falling maple seeds. In the future, this robot could be used for real-time environmental monitoring or delivery of small samples even in inaccessible terrain such as deserts, mountains or cliffs, or the open sea. This technology could be a game changer for fields such as search-and-rescue, endangered species studies, or infrastructure monitoring.

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

New mathematical model sheds light on the absence of breastfeeding in male mammals      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mathematicians ave put forward a hypothesis which suggests that the reason male mammals don't breastfeed might be driven by the rich community of microbes that lives in breast milk and which plays an important part in establishing the gut microbiome of the infant.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Water
Published

Pacific cod can't rely on coastal safe havens for protection during marine heat waves      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

During recent periods of unusually warm water in the Gulf of Alaska, young Pacific cod in near shore safe havens where they typically spend their adolescence did not experience the protective effects those areas typically provide, a new study found.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
Published

Bird flu stays stable on milking equipment for at least one hour      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

H5N1 virus in unpasteurized milk is stable on metal and rubber components of commercial milking equipment for at least one hour, increasing its potential to infect people and other animals.

Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature
Published

Invasive ants spread by hitchhiking on everyday vehicles      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Ants might spread to new locations by stowing away on everyday vehicles. Previously, this was thought to occur mostly on agricultural equipment.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Researchers find genetic stability in a long-term Panamanian hybrid zone of manakin birds      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

We often think of species as separate and distinct, but sometimes they can interbreed and create hybrids. When this happens consistently in a specific area, it forms what's known as a hybrid zone. These zones can be highly dynamic or remarkably stable, and studying them can reveal key insights into how species boundaries evolve -- or sometimes blur. Researchers now describe a hybrid zone between two manakin species in Panama that has overall remained relatively stable over the past 30 years.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Zoology
Published

Brain's 'escape switch' controlled by threat sensitivity dial      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Neuroscientists have discovered how the brain bidirectionally controls sensitivity to threats to initiate and complete escape behaviour in mice. These findings could help unlock new directions for discovering therapies for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General
Published

Researchers develop new training technique that aims to make AI systems less socially biased      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have created a new, cost-effective training technique for artificial intelligence systems that aims to make them less socially biased.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Next platform for brain-inspired computing      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Computers have come so far in terms of their power and potential, rivaling and even eclipsing human brains in their ability to store and crunch data, make predictions and communicate. But there is one domain where human brains continue to dominate: energy efficiency.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Robots face the future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found a way to bind engineered skin tissue to the complex forms of humanoid robots. This brings with it potential benefits to robotic platforms such as increased mobility, self-healing abilities, embedded sensing capabilities and an increasingly lifelike appearance. Taking inspiration from human skin ligaments, the team included special perforations in a robot face, which helped a layer of skin take hold.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Meet CARMEN, a robot that helps people with mild cognitive impairment      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Meet CARMEN, short for Cognitively Assistive Robot for Motivation and Neurorehabilitation -- a small, tabletop robot designed to help people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) learn skills to improve memory, attention, and executive functioning at home.