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Categories: Biology: Biochemistry, Environmental: Wildfires
Published Wild megalopolis: Study shows unexpected pockets of biodiversity pepper Los Angeles



Researchers, in partnership with the city of Los Angeles, have developed the urban association index to help identify how well or poorly individual wildlife species are doing in the city. The researchers found unexpected pockets of biodiversity deep in the city, but they say it will still be a challenge to elevate Los Angeles' overall level of biodiversity.
Published Bird flu: Diverse range of vaccines platforms 'crucial' for enhancing human pandemic preparedness



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



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 Intermittent fasting shows promise in improving gut health, weight management



Participants following an intermittent fasting and protein-pacing regimen, which involves evenly spaced protein intake throughout the day, saw better gut health, weight loss and metabolic responses. These benefits were notably greater than those seen with simple calorie restriction. The findings could advance our understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiome and metabolism and improve strategies for managing obesity.
Published Scientists identify gene that could lead to resilient 'pixie' corn



A widely found gene in plants has been newly identified as a key transporter of a hormone that influences the size of corn. The discovery offers plant breeders a new tool to develop desirable dwarf varieties that could enhance the crop's resilience and profitability.
Published New deep learning model is 'game changer' for measuring embryo development



A new deep learning model performs a task that biologists have struggled with for centuries -- how to measure the incredibly complex process of embryonic development. Scientists have shown that the AI model, known as Dev-ResNet, can identify what happens and when during embryonic development, from video. While used in pond snail embryos for this study, in future the technique could be used to help accelerate understanding on how climate change, and other external factors, affect humans and animals in the earliest stages of life.
Published Smarter foragers do not forage smarter



Why do primates have big brains? In the Panamanian rainforest, scientists pitted large-brained primates against smaller-brained mammals to find out who was the smartest forager.
Published A unified account of Darwinism's varieties



A new article examines the question of what Darwinism is and how its nonscientific uses relate to the scientific theory of evolution. The authors observe that while some people claim Darwinism's meaning should be limited to scientific content, others call for its abolition altogether. The authors propose a unified account of these varieties of Darwinism.
Published Bringing back an ancient bird



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 Mechanisms for selective multiple sclerosis treatment strategy



Researchers have demonstrated how B cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can contribute to a pathogenic, inflammatory phenotype that contributes to multiple sclerosis (MS); the group has also shown how these problematic B cells can be selectively targeted in a way that reduces the damaging autoimmune response of multiple sclerosis.
Published 'Cloaked' proteins deliver cancer-killing therapeutics into cells



Scientists have designed a way to 'cloak' proteins in a generalized technique that could lead to repurposing things like antibodies for biological research and therapeutic applications.
Published Why do Dyeing poison frogs tap dance?



The toe tapping behavior of various amphibians has long attracted attention from researchers and pet owners. Despite being widely documented, the underlying functional role is poorly understood. In a new paper, researchers demonstrate that Dyeing poison frogs modulate their taps based on specific stimuli.
Published Scientists uncover a multibillion-year epic written into the chemistry of life



Life evolved from simple geochemical processes present on the early Earth. However, the details of this transformation remain a mystery. In this study, researchers modeled the emergence of metabolic pathways from simple geochemical precursors and concluded that surprisingly few reactions in the history of metabolism may have been lost to time.
Published Study suggests 'biodegradable' teabags don't readily deteriorate in the environment and can adversely affect terrestrial species



New research looked at commonly available teabags made using three different compositions of polylactic acid (PLA), which is derived from sources such as corn starch or sugar cane. The teabags were buried in soil for seven months, and a range of techniques were then used to assess whether -- and to what extent -- they had deteriorated. The results showed that teabags made solely from PLA remained completely intact. However, the two types of teabags made from a combination of cellulose and PLA broke down into smaller pieces, losing between 60% and 80% of their overall mass and with the PLA component remaining.
Published Genetic mosaicism more common than thought



Researchers found that approximately one in 40 human bone marrow cells carry massive chromosomal alterations without causing any apparent disease or abnormality. Even so-called normal cells carry all sorts of genetic mutations, meaning there are more genetic differences between individual cells in our bodies than between different human beings. The discovery was enabled by a single-cell sequencing technology called Strand-seq, a unique DNA sequencing technique that can reveal subtle details of genomes in single cells that are too difficult to detect with other methods.
Published Researchers have unveiled a new method to manipulate cell movement in embryos



Scientists have developed a new method that can manipulate the movement of embryonic cells using short-time attractors.
Published Finnish Vole fever spreading further south



Researchers have discovered that bank voles in southern Sweden (Sk ne) carry a virus that can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. This finding was made more than 500 km south of the previously known range. 'We were surprised that such high proportion of the relatively few voles that we caught were actually carrying a hantavirus that makes people ill', says infection disease doctor. The virus strain discovered in Sk ne appears to be more closely related to strains from Finland and Karelia than to the variants found in northern Sweden and Denmark.
Published How killifish embryos use suspended animation to survive over 8 months of drought



The African turquoise killifish lives in ephemeral ponds in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. To survive the annual dry season, the fish's embryos enter a state of extreme suspended animation or 'diapause' for approximately 8 months. Now, researchers have uncovered the mechanisms that enabled the killifish to evolve this extreme survival state.
Published Harnessing green energy from plants depends on their circadian rhythms



Plant hydraulics drive the biological process that moves fluids from roots to plant stems and leaves, creating streaming electric potential, or voltage, in the process. A study closely examined the differences in voltage caused by the concentrations of ions, types of ions, and pH of the fluid plants transport, tying the voltage changes to the plant's circadian rhythm that causes adjustments day and night. According to the authors, this consistent, cyclic voltage creation could be harnessed as an energy source.
Published Florida fossil porcupine solves a prickly dilemma 10-million years in the making



An exceptionally rare fossilized porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida has allowed researchers to trace the evolutionary history for one of North America's rarest mammals.