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Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Ecology: Extinction
Published Taking a 'one in a million' shot to tackle dopamine-linked brain disorders



With the help of a tiny, transparent worm called Caenorhabditis elegans, researchers have identified novel players in dopamine signaling by taking advantage of a powerful platform generated via the Million Mutation Project (MMP) for the rapid identification of mutant genes based on their functional impact. They can seek insights from simpler organisms whose genes bear striking similarity to those found in humans and where opportunities for genetic insights to disease can be pursued more efficiently and inexpensively.
Published Millions of years for plants to recover from global warming



Catastrophic volcanic eruptions that warmed the planet millions of years ago shed new light on how plants evolve and regulate climate. Researchers reveal the long-term effects of disturbed natural ecosystems on climate in geological history and its implications for today.
Published Nature at risk in the hunt for the perfect selfie



The need for a dramatic selfie or the perfect landscape photo is proving detrimental to nature, a new research collaboration has found.
Published Mix of factors prompts owl monkeys to leave their parents



There comes a point in the lives of young owl monkeys when they leave their parents and strike out on their own to find a mate. In a new study of a wild population of Azara's owl monkeys in northern Argentina, researchers reveal that a combination of social and ecological factors influences when these tree-dwelling monkeys peel away from their parents and siblings. According to their findings -- which were based on 25 years of genetic and demographic data for several generations of owl monkeys, covering more than 330 individuals -- none of the individuals, regardless of their sex, reproduced in the same group where they were born. In all cases, the researchers found, the animals either departed from their natal group or died before reproducing.
Published Lemurs use long-term memory, smell, and social cues to find food



How do foraging animals find their food? A new study shows that lemurs use smell, social cues, and long-term memory to locate hidden fruit -- a combination of factors that may have deep evolutionary roots.
Published New report on Great Barrier Reef shows coral cover increases before onset of serious bleaching, cyclones



Coral cover has increased in all three regions on the Great Barrier Reef and is at regional highs in two of the three regions, according to a new report. But the results come with a note of caution.
Published Living with a killer: How an unlikely mantis shrimp-clam association violates a biological principle



When clams gamble on living with a killer, sometimes their luck may run out, according to a new study.
Published Researchers find gene which determines marsupial fur color



Fur is a defining characteristic of mammals, coming in a wide variety of colors and patterns -- thanks to a world-first study, we now know which genes make a marsupial's coat black or grey.
Published The race to discover biodiversity: 11 new marine species and a new platform for rapid species description



A new paper describes a ground-breaking experiment that united 25 independent taxonomists from 10 countries. The initiative boasts the discovery of 11 new marine species from all over the globe, occurring at depths from 5.2 to 7081 meters. It also represents a significant step forward in accelerating the pace at which new marine species are described and published.
Published Fossil shows how penguins' wings evolved



A tiny fossil penguin plays a huge role in the evolutionary history of the bird, an international study shows.
Published Climate anomalies may play a major role in driving cholera pandemics



New research suggests that an El Nino event may have aided the establishment and spread of a novel cholera strain during an early 20th-century pandemic, supporting the idea that climate anomalies could create opportunities for the emergence of new cholera strains.
Published Half a billion-year-old spiny slug reveals the origins of mollusks



Exceptional fossils with preserved soft parts reveal that the earliest mollusks were flat, armored slugs without shells. The new species, Shishania aculeata, was covered with hollow, organic, cone-shaped spines. The fossils preserve exceptionally rare detailed features which reveal that these spines were produced using a sophisticated secretion system that is shared with annelids (earthworms and relatives).
Published Warming stops tiny organisms working together



Hotter conditions prevent two tiny organisms working together for mutual benefit, new research shows.
Published Mass extinction 66 million years ago triggered rapid evolution of bird genomes



Study finds that the mass extinction caused by an asteroid about 66 million years ago led to critical changes in bird genomes that ultimately sparked the incredibly diversity living birds.
Published 3D models provide unprecedented look at corals' response to bleaching events



Marine biologists are providing a glimpse into coral 'bleaching' responses to stress, using imaging technology to pinpoint coral survival rates following multiple bleaching events off the island of Maui. Using a time series of coral reef 3D models from Maui, the researchers tracked the bleaching response of 1,832 coral colonies from 2014 to 2021. The seven-year data set provided detailed imagery of the reefs year-by-year, allowing the team to identify patterns of coral growth and survivorship through sequential bleaching events that occurred in 2015 and 2019.
Published Researchers explore cancer susceptibility in birds



In one of the largest studies of cancer susceptibility across bird species, researchers describe an intriguing relationship between reproductive rates and cancer susceptibility.
Published Monarch butterflies need help, and a little bit of milkweed goes a long way



Researchers and community scientists monitored urban milkweed plants for butterfly eggs to learn what makes these city gardens more hospitable to monarchs. They found that even tiny city gardens attracted monarchs and became a home to caterpillars.
Published Scientists discover entirely new wood type that could be highly efficient at carbon storage



Researchers undertaking an evolutionary survey of the microscopic structure of wood from some of the world's most iconic trees and shrubs have discovered an entirely new type of wood.
Published Scientists using new sound tech to save animals from extinction



Scientists are using new technology to help endangered animals by listening to their sounds.
Published Platypus and chicken reveal how chromosomes balance between the sexes



Geneticists uncover new insights into how sex chromosome systems work in the platypus and the chicken -- which will lead to better understandings of our own sex chromosome evolution and gene regulation.