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Categories: Biology: Zoology
Published Tracing the evolution of ferns' surprisingly sweet defense strategy
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Plants and the animals that eat them have evolved together in fascinating ways, creating a dynamic interplay of survival strategies. Many plants have developed physical and chemical defenses to fend off herbivores. A well-known strategy in flowering plants is to produce nectar to attract 'ant bodyguards.' Recent research explores the evolution of this same defense strategy in ferns.
Published Antibiotic pollution disrupts the gut microbiome and blocks memory in aquatic snails
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Antibiotics prevent snails from forming new memories by disrupting their gut microbiome -- the community of beneficial bacteria found in their guts.
Published Acute sense of touch helps hummingbirds hover near a flower without bumping into it
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Hummingbird flight mechanics have been well studied but far less is known about how their sense of touch helps them sip nectar from a flower without bumping into it. Most of what scientists know about how touch is processed in the brain comes from studies on mammals, but bird brains are very different from mammal brains. New research shows that touch and air pressure on the wings and legs activate specific clusters of neurons in two regions of the forebrain to create a map of their body, which may help hummingbirds make nuanced adjustments to flight.
Published Researchers improve satellite surveillance of emperor penguins
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New phenological and behavioral models will help scientists collect more accurate counts of emperor penguins. Emperor penguins are at the top of the food web. They are a reflection of how lower levels of the marine food web are being impacted by climate change. Systematic data collection on the biological component of ecosystems is still in its infancy, especially in harsh environments, in which consistent and repeatable research is particularly hard to achieve.
Published Slugs and snails love the city, unlike other animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Most native species avoid more urbanized areas of Los Angeles, but slugs and snails may actually prefer these environments, according to a new study.
Published Bird flu: Diverse range of vaccines platforms 'crucial' for enhancing human pandemic preparedness
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Review of research to-date suggests vaccination remains the most effective strategy for avian influenza prevention and control in humans, despite varying vaccine efficacy across strains.
Published Marine Protected Areas don't line up with core habitats of rare migratory fish, finds new research
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 62% of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) designated to protect rare migratory fish species are outside of their core habitats, according to a new modeling study.
Published Bringing back an ancient bird
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Using ancient DNA extracted from the toe bone of a museum specimen, biologists have sequenced the genome of an extinct, flightless bird called the little bush moa, shedding light into an unknown corner of avian genetic history. The work is the first complete genetic map of the turkey-sized bird whose distant living cousins include the ostrich, emu, and kiwi.
Published Tracking animals without markers in the wild
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers developed a computer vision framework for posture estimation and identity tracking which they can use in indoor environments as well as in the wild. They have thus taken an important step towards markerless tracking of animals in the wild using computer vision and machine learning.
Published Global activity of seafloor biodiversity mapped
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A team of scientists has used artificial intelligence (AI) to map the activities of seafloor invertebrate animals, such as worms, clams and shrimps, across all the oceans of the world.
Published Secrets of sargassum: Scientists advance knowledge of seaweed causing chaos in the Caribbean and West Africa
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team tracked and studied floating sargassum in order to unlock its potential to be used to produce sustainable products.
Published On repeat: Biologists observe recurring evolutionary changes, over time, in stick insects
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An evolutionary biologist reports evidence of repeatable evolution in populations of stick insects.
Published Entomologist sheds light on 250-year-old mystery of the German cockroach
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Entomologists have solved the 250-year-old origin puzzle of the most prevalent indoor urban pest insect on the planet: the German cockroach. The team's research findings, representing the genomic analyses of over 280 specimens from 17 countries and six continents, show that this species evolved some 2,100 years ago from an outdoor-living species in Asia.
Published High H5N1 influenza levels found in mice given raw milk from infected dairy cows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Mice administered raw milk samples from dairy cows infected with H5N1 influenza experienced high virus levels in their respiratory organs and lower virus levels in other vital organs, according to new findings. The results suggest that consumption of raw milk by animals poses a risk for H5N1 infection and raises questions about its potential risk in humans.
Published Autonomous medical intervention extends 'golden hour' for traumatic injuries with emergency air transport
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Research report that a closed loop, autonomous intervention nearly quadrupled the 'golden hour' during which surgeons could save the lives of traumatically wounded people injured in remote locations.
Published Caterpillars can detect their predators by the static electricity they emit
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Caterpillars respond defensively to electric fields similar to those emitted by their natural predators, scientists have found.
Published Designing a better nest to help endangered turtles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source With Ontario's eight species of turtles considered at risk, a new nest designed by researchers has the potential to significantly bolster their struggling populations. The habitat is the first designed for turtles in rock barren landscapes, such as the research site around Georgian Bay. It uses moss and lichen. The researchers found that the design provided a more stable environment for incubating eggs compared to natural sites, where the probability of an egg hatching was only 10 per cent compared to 41 per cent in the created site.
Published Birdsong and human voice built from same genetic blueprint
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Humans have been long fascinated by bird song and the cacophony of other avian sounds -- from coos and honks to quacks and peeps. But little is known about how the unique vocal organ of birds -- the syrinx -- varies from species to species or its deeper evolutionary origins. A trio of recent studies is changing that. The studies include high-resolution anatomical scans of syrinxes from hummingbirds and ostriches -- the world's smallest and largest bird species -- and the discovery that the syrinx and larynx, the vocal organ of reptiles and mammals, including humans, share the same developmental programming.
Published Finding the beat of collective animal motion
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Virtual Reality experiments have illuminated the rhythmic glue that could keep animals moving in synchrony.
Published Constantly on the hunt for food: Harbor porpoises more vulnerable than previously thought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Constantly on the hunt for food: Harbor porpoises more vulnerable than previously thought to the disturbances from humans. The small whales spend more than 60 percent of their day hunting small fish to stay warm in the cold waters. New research shows that harbor porpoises spend little energy on this hunting strategy, but that it makes them vulnerable to human disturbance.