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Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published Finding hidden genetic treasure: Study uncovers untapped diversity in historic wheat collection



A decade-long study has discovered huge genetic potential that is untapped in modern wheat varieties.
Published Research into structures of ape hearts provide insight into human evolution



Researchers have discovered new insights into the human heart's structure, revealing its evolutionary history. This study enhances understanding of heart development and its implications for treating heart disease.
Published The genetic 'switches' of bone growth



In mammals, only 3% of the genome consists of coding genes which, when transcribed into proteins, ensure the biological functions of the organism and the in-utero development of future individuals. But genes do not function alone. They are controlled by other sequences in the genome, called enhancers, which, like switches, activate or deactivate them as required. A team has now identified and located 2700 enhancers -- among millions of non-coding genetic sequences -- that precisely regulate the genes responsible for bone growth. This discovery sheds light on one of the major factors influencing the size of individuals in adulthood, and explains why their failure could be the cause of certain bone malformations.
Published Study on architecture of heart offers new understanding of human evolution



An international research team has uncovered a new insight into human evolution by comparing humans' hearts with those of other great apes.
Published Modifying genomes of tardigrades to unravel their secrets



Some species of tardigrades are highly and unusually resilient to various extreme conditions fatal to most other forms of life. The genetic basis for these exceptional abilities remains elusive. Researchers have now successfully edited genes using the CRISPR technique in a highly resilient tardigrade species previously impossible to study with genome-editing tools. The successful delivery of CRISPR to an asexual tardigrade species directly produces gene-edited offspring. The design and editing of specific tardigrade genes allow researchers to investigate which are responsible for tardigrade resilience and how such resilience can work.
Published Paleontology: New fossil fish genus discovered



Paleontologists have identified a new genus of fossil goby, revealing evolutionary secrets of a lineage that stretches back millions of years.
Published Female AI 'teammate' generates more participation from women



An artificial intelligence-powered virtual teammate with a female voice boosts participation and productivity among women on teams dominated by men, according to new research.
Published Virtual reality as a reliable shooting performance-tracking tool



Virtual reality technology can do more than teach weaponry skills in law enforcement and military personnel, a new study suggests: It can accurately record shooting performance and reliably track individuals' progress over time.
Published Researchers create realistic virtual rodent



To help probe the mystery of how brains control movement, scientists have created a virtual rat with an artificial brain that can move around just like a real rodent. The researchers found that activations in the virtual control network accurately predicted neural activity measured from the brains of real rats producing the same behaviors.
Published Novel Genetic Clock discovers oldest known marine plant



An international research team has discovered the oldest known marine plant using a novel genetic clock. This 1400-year-old seagrass clone from the Baltic Sea dates back to the Migration Period. The research project is a significant step towards better understanding and protecting marine ecosystems.
Published People feel more connected to 'tweezer-like' bionic tools that don't resemble human hands



Some say the next step in human evolution will be the integration of technology with flesh. Now, researchers have used virtual reality to test whether humans can feel embodiment -- the sense that something is part of one's body -- toward prosthetic 'hands' that resemble a pair of tweezers. They report that participants felt an equal degree of embodiment for the tweezer-hands and were also faster and more accurate in completing motor tasks in virtual reality than when they were equipped with a virtual human hand.
Published Marsupials key to discovering the origin of heater organs in mammals



Around 100 million years ago, a remarkable evolutionary shift allowed placental mammals to diversify and conquer many cold regions of our planet. New research shows that the typical mammalian heater organ, brown fat, evolved exclusively in modern placental mammals. The research team demonstrated that marsupials, our distant relatives, possess a not fully evolved form of brown fat. They discovered that the pivotal heat-producing protein called UCP1 became active after the divergence of placental and marsupial mammals. This finding is crucial for understanding the role of brown fat in mammalian evolution, endothermy, and metabolism.
Published Early summer fishing can have an evolutionary impact, resulting in smaller salmon



A new genetic study found that heavy fishing in the early part of the fishing season may result in younger and smaller Atlantic salmon. This information can help to conserve large fish essential for the diversity and viability of salmon populations.
Published 'Missing' early sea sponges discovered



Geobiologists reported a 550 million-year-old sea sponge that had been missing from the fossil record. The discovery sheds new light on a conundrum that has stumped zoologists and paleontologists for years.
Published Small, but smart: How symbiotic bacteria adapt to big environmental changes



Lucinid clams, inconspicuous inhabitants of the seafloor and one of the most diverse group of animals in the ocean, rely on symbiotic bacteria for their survival. Researchers now reveal the evolutionary journey of these tiny tenants. Faced with a drastically changing environment following the closure of the Isthmus of Panama, they acquired new metabolic skills to enable their own survival. Understanding the adaptive strategies of bacteria provides insight into their potential responses to challenging environmental changes, such as those caused by human activities.
Published Best of both worlds: Innovative positioning system enhances versatility and accuracy of drone-viewpoint mixed reality applications



Researchers have developed an innovative positioning system that enhances the versatility and accuracy of drone-viewpoint mixed reality (MR) applications by aligning real and virtual world coordinates without predefined routes. By integrating visual positioning systems and natural feature-based tracking, this technology is expected to be applied to urban landscape simulation, maintenance, and inspection work.
Published Food drove the evolution of giraffes' long neck



A study explores body proportions of Masai giraffes, lending insight into why giraffes have such long necks and how this trait might have evolved.
Published How sharks survived a major spike in Earth's temperature



The sharks we know today as the open ocean's top predators evolved from stubby bottom dwellers during a dramatic episode of global warming millions of years ago.
Published An unlikely hero in evolution: Worms



One of Earth's most consequential bursts of biodiversity -- a 30-million-year period of explosive evolutionary changes spawning innumerable new species -- may have the most modest of creatures to thank for the vital stage in life's history: worms.
Published Children's visual experience may hold key to better computer vision training



A novel, human-inspired approach to training artificial intelligence (AI) systems to identify objects and navigate their surroundings could set the stage for the development of more advanced AI systems to explore extreme environments or distant worlds, according to new research.