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Categories: Biology: Developmental, Biology: Zoology

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Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Reptile roadkill reveals new threat to endangered lizard species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The chance sighting of a dead snake beside a sandy track in remote Western Australia, and the investigation of its stomach contents, has led researchers to record the first known instance of a spotted mulga snake consuming a pygmy spiny-tailed skink, raising concerns for a similar-looking, endangered lizard species.

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

Vitamin A may play a central role in stem cell biology and wound repair      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Retinoic acid, the active state of Vitamin A, appears to regulate how stem cells enter and exit a transient state central to their role in wound repair.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology
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How does a virus hijack insect sperm to control disease vectors and pests?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A widespread bacteria called Wolbachia and a virus that it carries can cause sterility in male insects by hijacking their sperm, preventing them from fertilizing eggs of females that do not have the same combination of bacteria and virus. A new study has uncovered how this microbial combination manipulates sperm, which could lead to refined techniques to control populations of agricultural pests and insects that carry diseases like Zika and dengue to humans.

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

The Malaria parasite generates genetic diversity using an evolutionary 'copy-paste' tactic      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

All modern Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite in humans, are descendants of one initial infection and so are very closely related, with relatively limited genetic differences. A long-standing mystery in the field has revolved around a very few locations in the P. falciparum genome where there are 'spikes' of mutations -- far more than anywhere else. Researchers have identified two genes in which these unusual mutation spikes result from DNA being copied and pasted from one gene to another.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular
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Cracking epigenetic inheritance: Biologists discovered the secrets of how gene traits are passed on      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team has recently made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the DNA copying machine helps pass on epigenetic information to maintain gene traits at each cell division. Understanding how this coupled mechanism could lead to new treatments for cancer and other epigenetic diseases by targeting specific changes in gene activity.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life
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Scientists raise the alarm: Too many harbour porpoises die each year in fishing nets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In order to keep the population of harbour porpoises in Danish coastal waters stable, only 24 can perish in fishing nets each year. However, over 900 die each year.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology
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The sweet stuff: How insects tell sugars apart      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Whereas humans have one receptor on their tongues that can detect all sorts of sweet things, from real sugar to artificial sweeteners like aspartame, insects have many receptors that each detect specific types of sugars. Researchers have now uncovered one way insect receptors are able to be so selective, an insight they say will help us understand how animals decipher the chemical world and how we might mimic that ability in the future.

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

Early life adversity leaves long-term signatures in baboon DNA      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Early experiences in an animal's life can have a significant impact on its capacity to thrive, even years or decades later, and DNA methylation may help record their effects. In a study of 256 wild baboons, researchers found that resource limitation during early life was associated with many differences in DNA methylation, a small chemical mark on the DNA sequence that can affect gene activity.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Global warming is affecting bats' hibernation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Global change is altering the physiology of the hibernation and behavior of bats, according to a study carried out over a twenty year period. Given the milder winters we are having, bats are accumulating less fat reserves in autumn, they shorten their hibernation periods and they leave their winter shelter sooner. These changes could alter the migration pattern of bats and the phenology of their seasonal displacements.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology
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Scientists CT scanned thousands of natural history specimens, which you can access for free      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Natural history museums have entered a new stage of scientific discovery and accessibility with the completion of openVertebrate (oVert), a five-year collaborative project among 18 institutions to create 3D reconstructions of vertebrate specimens and make them freely available online.

Biology: Zoology Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Bee-2-Bee influencing: Bees master complex tasks through social interaction      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Bumblebees successfully learned a two-step puzzle box task through social observation. This task was too complex for individual bees to learn on their own. Observing trained demonstrator bees performing the first unrewarded step was crucial for successful social learning. Individual bees failed to solve the puzzle without previous demonstration, despite extensive exposure.

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

Synthetic gene helps explain the mysteries of transcription across species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

'Random DNA' is naturally active in the one-celled fungi yeast, while such DNA is turned off as its natural state in mammalian cells, despite their having a common ancestor a billion years ago and the same basic molecular machinery, a new study finds.

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

Decoding the language of epigenetic modifications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Epigenetic changes play important roles in cancer, metabolic and aging-related diseases, but also during loss of resilience as they cause the genetic material to be incorrectly interpreted in affected cells. A major study now provides important new insights into how complex epigenetic modification signatures regulate the genome. This study will pave the way for new treatments of diseases caused by faulty epigenetic machineries.

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

Do some electric fish sense the world through comrades' auras?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It would be a game-changer if all members of a basketball team could see out of each other's eyes in addition to their own. Biologists have found evidence that this kind of collective sensing occurs in close-knit groups of African weakly electric fish, also known as elephantnose fish. This instantaneous sharing of sensory intelligence could help the fish locate food, friends and foes.

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

Lab-grown liver organoid to speed up turtle research, making useful traits easier to harness      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers developed protocols for growing organoids that mimic a turtle liver, the first organoids developed for a turtle and only the second for any reptile. The discovery will aid deeper study of turtle genetics, including the cause of traits with potential medical applications for humans such as the ability to survive weeks without oxygen.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Conservation actions for SA's white shark population now a matter of urgency      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A group of marine biologists specializing in shark ecology, genetics and fisheries have challenged the findings from a recent study suggesting that South Africa's white shark population has not decreased, but simply redistributed eastwards to flee predation from orcas.