Biology: Evolutionary
Published

Agriculture needs fresh approach to tackle insect resistance to biopesticides, new analysis finds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Insect pests which attack crops have extraordinary powers to develop resistance to greener pesticides and a new way to manage resistance risks is needed, according to a recent analysis.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Microbiology Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Scientists transform algae into unique functional perovskites with tunable properties      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have transformed single-cell algae into functional perovskite materials. The team has converted mineral shells of algae into lead halide perovskites with tunable physical properties. The new perovskites have unique nano-architectures unachievable by conventional synthetic production. The method can be applied to the mass production of perovskites with tunable structural and electro-optical properties from single-celled organisms.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Evolutionary
Published

Surprising similarities in stone tools of early humans and monkeys      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have discovered artefacts produced by old world monkeys in Thailand that resemble stone tools, which historically have been identified as intentionally made by early hominins. Until now, sharp-edged stone tools were thought to represent the onset of intentional stone tool production, one of the defining and unique characteristics of hominin evolution. This new study challenges long held beliefs about the origins of intentional tool production in our own lineage.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Zoology
Published

Jewel beetles evolve to see new colors by duplicating their genes      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Jewel beetles are striking insects, easily recognized by their vivid colors and metallic sheen. New research investigated the complex evolutionary history of jewel beetles' vision.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New ultrasound method could lead to easier disease diagnosis      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new ultrasound method that can measure the level of tension in human tissue -- a key indicator of disease -- has been developed.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology
Published

Illuminating the evolution of social parasite ants      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The findings offer a new way to understand how some ants become total layabouts.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Biology: Zoology
Published

Fluorescent protein sheds light on bee brains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

An international team of bee researchers has integrated a calcium sensor into honey bees to enable the study of neural information processing including response to odors. This also provides insights into how social behavior is located in the brain.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

The future of touch      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Haptic holography promises to bring virtual reality to life, but a new study reveals a surprising physical obstacle that will need to be overcome.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary
Published

Pink + pink = gold: hybrid hummingbird's feathers don't match its parents      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists thought a gold-throated hummingbird was a new species. DNA revealed that it's a hybrid of two different species, each with pink throats. The discovery sheds light on how birds produce feather colors and how hummingbirds evolved their dazzling hues.

Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

Better metric for prioritizing conservation of 'evolutionarily distinctive' species      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have published an updated metric for prioritizing species' conservation that incorporates scientific uncertainty and complementarity between species, in addition to extinction risk and evolutionary distinctiveness.

Biology: Evolutionary Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds
Published

Parental investment may have aided evolution of larger brains      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A review of evidence from prior research provides new support for the possibility that the evolution of larger brains in some species was enabled through increased energy investment by parents in their offspring.

Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Jurassic shark: Shark from the Jurassic period was already highly evolved      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Cartilaginous fish have changed much more in the course of their evolutionary history than previously believed. Evidence for this thesis has been provided by new fossils of a ray-like shark, Protospinax annectans, which demonstrate that sharks were already highly evolved in the Late Jurassic.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Ultrasound device may offer new treatment option for hypertension      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new device that calms overactive kidney nerves with ultrasound consistently lowered blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension, researchers have found.

Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Ecology: Trees
Published

Who are the first ancestors of present-day fish?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

What is the origin of the ancestors of present-day fish? What species evolved from them? A 50-year-old scientific controversy revolved around the question of which group, the 'bony-tongues' or the 'eels', was the oldest. A study has just put an end to the debate by showing through genomic analysis that these fishes are in fact one and the same group, given the rather peculiar name of 'Eloposteoglossocephala'. These results shed new light on the evolutionary history of fish.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular
Published

Evolutionary history of detoxifying enzymes reconstructed      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Biochemists have succeeded in resurrecting the ancestral genes of five detoxifying enzymes which are present in all tetrapods to show how their divergence in function has occurred.

Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

The rediscovery of an ethereal fairy lantern brightly illuminates their mysterious past      (via sciencedaily.com) 

After more than 30 years, botanists have rediscovered Thismia kobensis, a type of mysterious-looking rare plant commonly referred to as 'fairy lanterns'. Thismia kobensis was presumed extinct and the surprise rediscovery of this Japanese variety has illuminated hidden aspects of fairy lanterns that have puzzled and fascinated botanists for centuries.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Molecular Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient proteins offer new clues about origin of life on Earth      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By simulating early Earth conditions in the lab, researchers have found that without specific amino acids, ancient proteins would not have known how to evolve into everything alive on the planet today -- including plants, animals, and humans.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

Faster and sharper whole-body imaging of small animals with deep learning      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team presents technology that enhances photoacoustic computed tomography using a deep-learning approach.

Biology: Evolutionary
Published

How birds got their wings      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Modern birds capable of flight all have a specialized wing structure called the propatagium without which they could not fly. The evolutionary origin of this structure has remained a mystery, but new research suggests it evolved in nonavian dinosaurs. The finding comes from statistical analyses of arm joints preserved in fossils and helps fill some gaps in knowledge about the origin of bird flight.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Microbiology
Published

Deadly waves: Researchers document evolution of plague over hundreds of years in medieval Denmark      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists who study the origins and evolution of the plague have examined hundreds of ancient human teeth from Denmark, seeking to address longstanding questions about its arrival, persistence and spread within Scandinavia.