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Categories: Biology: Genetics, Ecology: Research
Published 'Biodiversity time machine' provides insights into a century of loss



AI analysis shows pollution levels, extreme weather events and increasing temperatures devastates biodiversity in freshwater lakes.
Published City and highway lights threaten mountain lion habitats



Artificial light pollution at night threatens mountain lion habitat, making it a factor to consider for wildlife crossings and land use, finds a new study.
Published The fascinating relationship between mice and a plant that flowers once a century in terms of seed dispersal



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 New algae species rewrites understanding of reef systems



An international team of marine scientists has identified and officially named four species of algae new to science, challenging previous taxonomical assumptions within the Porolithon genus. The discovery has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the ecological role of these algae in the coral reef ecosystem.
Published Plants' ingenious defense against mutational damage



How do plants deal with mutations in their 'power stations'? By exploiting randomness to create diversity, say researchers.
Published Threatened sharks and rays caught off Cyprus



Sharks and rays from threatened species are being caught off northern Cyprus, according to a new study by scientists who are working with local authorities and fishers to protect the animals.
Published Crust-forming algae are displacing corals in tropical waters worldwide



Over the past few decades, algae have been slowly edging corals out of their native reefs across the globe by blocking sunlight, wearing the corals down physically, and producing harmful chemicals. But in recent years, a new type of algal threat has surfaced in tropical regions like the Caribbean -- one that spreads quickly and forms a crust on top of coral and sponges, suffocating the organisms underneath and preventing them from regrowing. Marine biologists report that peyssonnelioid alga crusts, or PACs, are expanding quickly across reefs worldwide, killing off corals and transforming entire ecosystems.
Published Large herbivores such as elephants, bison and moose contribute to tree diversity



Using global satellite data, a research team has mapped the tree cover of the world's protected areas. The study shows that regions with abundant large herbivores in many settings have a more variable tree cover, which is expected to benefit biodiversity overall.
Published New secrets about cat evolution revealed



By comparing genomes of several cat species, the project has helped researchers understand why cat genomes tend to have fewer complex genetic variations (such as rearrangements of DNA segments) than other mammal groups, like primates. It also revealed new insights into which parts of cat DNA are most likely to evolve rapidly and how they play a role in species differentiation.
Published New antibiotic approach proves promising against lyme bacterium



Using a technique that has shown promise in targeting cancer tumors, a team has found a way to deploy a molecular warhead that can annihilate the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Published To restore ecosystems, think about thwarting hungry herbivores



Re-establishing plantings of trees, grasses and other vegetation is essential for restoring degraded ecosystems, but a new survey of almost 2,600 restoration projects from nearly every type of ecosystem on Earth finds that most projects fail to recognize and control one of the new plants' chief threats: hungry critters that eat plants.
Published Research outlines how sex differences have evolved



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



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



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 Research connecting gut bacteria and oxytocin provides a new mechanism for microbiome-promoted health benefits



Researchers found that the hormone oxytocin, known to be involved in regulating feeding and social behavior and until now to be produced mostly in the brain, is also produced in the human intestine. Furthermore, gut resident bacteria L. reuteri can affect the production of gut-made oxytocin, providing the first insights into a mechanism by which these bacteria can influence human health.
Published Immunology: Dysfunction of mitochondria drives the exhaustion of T cells



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 Investigators examine shifts in coral microbiome under hypoxia



A new study provides the first characterization of the coral microbiome under hypoxia, insufficient oxygen in the water.
Published New study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms underlying lipid recycling within cells



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.
Published First mice engineered to survive COVID-19 like young, healthy humans



Researchers have genetically engineered the first mice that get a human-like form of COVID-19, according to a new study.
Published Where is a sea star's head? Maybe just about everywhere



A new study that combines genetic and molecular techniques helps solve the riddle of sea star (commonly called starfish) body plans, and how sea stars start life with bilateral body symmetry -- just like humans -- but grow up to be adults with fivefold 'pentaradial' symmetry.