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Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Computer Science: General
Published How killifish embryos use suspended animation to survive over 8 months of drought
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source 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 Echidnapus identified from an 'Age of Monotremes'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australian researchers have found evidence of the oldest known platypus and a new species, dubbed 'echidnapus', which has a platypus-like anatomy alongside features that more closely resemble an echidna.
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 AI headphones let wearer listen to a single person in a crowd, by looking at them just once
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have developed an artificial intelligence system that lets someone wearing headphones look at a person speaking for three to five seconds to 'enroll' them. The system then plays just the enrolled speaker's voice in real time, even as the pair move around in noisy environments.
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 Sexual parasitism helped anglerfish invade the deep sea during a time of global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfishes are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate. Now, researchers show that sexual parasitism arose during a time of major global warming and rapid transition for anglerfishes from the ocean floor to the deep, open sea.
Published Gene could unlock big wheat yields for a growing population
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A study has discovered molecular pathways regulated by a gene traditionally used to control wheat-flowering behavior could be altered to achieve greater yields.
Published Exploring diversity in cell division
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Animals and fungi predominantly use two different modes of cell division -- called open and closed mitosis, respectively. A new study has shown that different species of Ichthyosporea -- marine protists that are close relatives of both animals and fungi -- use either open and closed mitosis, closely correlated to whether the species has multinucleate life cycle stages. The study demonstrates the way animals do cell division might have evolved long before animals themselves did and how this is linked to an organism's life cycle.
Published Study finds widespread 'cell cannibalism,' related phenomena across tree of life
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers describe cell-in-cell phenomena in which one cell engulfs and sometimes consumes another. The study shows that cases of this behavior, including cell cannibalism, are widespread across the tree of life. The findings challenge the common perception that cell-in-cell events are largely restricted to cancer cells. Rather, these events appear to be common across diverse organisms, from single-celled amoebas to complex multicellular animals.
Published New crystal production method could enhance quantum computers and electronics
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists describe a new method to make very thin crystals of the element bismuth -- a process that may aid the manufacturing of cheap flexible electronics an everyday reality.
Published How AI helps programming a quantum computer
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have unveiled a novel method to prepare quantum operations on a given quantum computer, using a machine learning generative model to find the appropriate sequence of quantum gates to execute a quantum operation. The study marks a significant step forward in unleashing the full extent of quantum computing.
Published Researchers discover hidden step in dinosaur feather evolution
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists discover 'zoned development' in dinosaur skin, with zones of reptile-style scales and zones of bird-like skin with feathers. A new dinosaur skin fossil has been found to be composed of silica -- the same as glass.
Published Genes provide hope for the survival of Arabia's last big cat
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The release of captive bred animals carefully selected for their genes can make a significant contribution to the successful recovery of the dwindling wild population and avert the prospect of extinction. Despite revealing extremely low levels of genetic diversity in the wild leopard population in Oman, the research team discovered higher levels of genetic diversity in captive leopards across the region. This important genetic resource has the potential for a major role in successful recovery of the Arabian leopard.
Published AI chips could get a sense of time
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Artificial neural networks may soon be able to process time-dependent information, such as audio and video data, more efficiently.
Published Blueprints of self-assembly
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have taken a step closer to replicating nature's processes of self-assembly. The study describes the synthetic construction of a tiny, self-assembled crystal known as a 'pyrochlore,' which bears unique optical properties. The advance provides a steppingstone to the eventual construction of sophisticated, self-assembling devices at the nanoscale -- roughly the size of a single virus.
Published Evolutionary history of extinct duck revealed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The study's findings show mergansers arrived in the New Zealand region at least seven million years ago from the Northern Hemisphere, in a separate colonisation event to that which led to the Brazilian merganser.
Published Diverse headgear in hoofed mammals evolved from common ancestor
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source From the small ossicones on a giraffe to the gigantic antlers of a male moose -- which can grow as wide as a car -- the headgear of ruminant hooved mammals is extremely diverse, and new research suggests that despite the physical differences, fundamental aspects of these bony adaptations likely evolved from a common ancestor.
Published Modern plant enzyme partners with surprisingly ancient protein
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered that a protein responsible for the synthesis of a key plant material evolved much earlier than suspected. This new research explored the origin and evolution of the biochemical machinery that builds lignin, a structural component of plant cell walls with significant impacts on the clean energy industry.
Published World's smallest quantum light detector on a silicon chip
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have made an important breakthrough in scaling quantum technology by integrating the world's tiniest quantum light detector onto a silicon chip.
Published A new 'rule of biology' may have come to light, expanding insight into evolution and aging
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A molecular biologist may have found a new 'rule of biology.' The rule challenges long-held notions that most living organisms prefer stability over instability because stability requires less energy and fewer resources.