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Categories: Biology: Molecular, Ecology: Sea Life
Published Do some electric fish sense the world through comrades' auras?
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source It would be a game-changer if all members of a basketball team could see out of each other's eyes in addition to their own. Biologists have found evidence that this kind of collective sensing occurs in close-knit groups of African weakly electric fish, also known as elephantnose fish. This instantaneous sharing of sensory intelligence could help the fish locate food, friends and foes.
Published Fossils of giant sea lizard with dagger-like teeth show how our oceans have fundamentally changed since the dinosaur era
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fossils of a strange new species of marine lizard with dagger-like teeth that lived 66 million years ago, show a dramatically more biodiverse ocean ecosystem to what we see today.
Published Conservation actions for SA's white shark population now a matter of urgency
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A group of marine biologists specializing in shark ecology, genetics and fisheries have challenged the findings from a recent study suggesting that South Africa's white shark population has not decreased, but simply redistributed eastwards to flee predation from orcas.
Published Microalgae with unusual cell biology
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A globally distributed single-celled organism that occurs in harmful algal blooms has been found to exhibit an unusual organisation of photosynthesis. Researchers have taken a closer look at the unusual cell biology of the species Prorocentrum cordatum from the group of dinoflagellates. The results of their study could help to better understand the role of the species in the environment and the increased occurrence of algal blooms at higher water temperatures.
Published Modeling the origins of life: New evidence for an 'RNA World'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists provide fresh insights on the origins of life, presenting compelling evidence supporting the 'RNA World' hypothesis. The study unveils an RNA enzyme that can make accurate copies of other functional RNA strands, while also allowing new variants of the molecule to emerge over time. These remarkable capabilities suggest the earliest forms of evolution may have occurred on a molecular scale in RNA, and also bring scientists one step closer to re-creating autonomous RNA-based life in the laboratory.
Published Photosynthetic secrets come to light
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Secrets of photosynthesis have been discovered at atomic level, shedding important new light on this plant super-power that greened the earth more than a billion years ago.
Published Orcas demonstrating they no longer need to hunt in packs to take down the great white shark
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An orca (killer whale) has been observed, for the first-ever time, individually consuming a great white shark -- and within just two minutes.
Published Convergent evolution of algal CO2-fixing organelles
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers identified the proteins of a CO2-fixing organelle, namely, 'pyrenoid,' in the marine algal group Chlorarachniophyta and revealed various pyrenoid-associated proteins among algal groups, suggesting the independent evolution of pyrenoids in different algal groups.
Published Light into the darkness of photosynthesis
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers succeed at generating 3D visualizations of chloroplasts' copying machines.
Published How virus causes cancer: Potential treatment
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have discovered a key mechanism used by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also known as human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8), to induce cancer. The research points to effective new treatment options for KSHV-associated cancers, including Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and HHV8-associated multicentric Castleman disease.
Published New role for bacterial enzyme in gut metabolism revealed
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Bile acids long have been known to play a role in human metabolism. Synthesized from cholesterol in the liver, bile acids are involved in digestive processes, particularly in absorbing fat. They also are modified extensively by bacteria, which greatly expand the types of bile acids found in the host. For most of a century, scientists believed that was the end of the bile-acid story. Recent technological advances, however, have led to a greater understanding of the origins of bile acids as well as their chemical relationships to the organisms in the gut microbiome and their host.
Published Scientists identify new 'regulatory' function of learning and memory gene common to all mammalian brain cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Neuroscientists say they have found a new function for the SYNGAP1 gene, a DNA sequence that controls memory and learning in mammals, including mice and humans.
Published Scientists develop novel RNA- or DNA-based substances to protect plants from viruses
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Individually tailored RNA or DNA-based molecules are able to reliably fight off viral infections in plants, according to a new study. The researchers were able to fend off a common virus using the new active substances in up to 90 per cent of cases. They also developed a method for finding substances tailored specifically to the virus. The team has now patented the method.
Published Slimming down a colossal fossil whale
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A 30 million year-old fossil whale may not be the heaviest animal of all time after all, according to a new analysis by paleontologists. The new analysis puts Perucetus colossus back in the same weight range as modern whales and smaller than the largest blue whales ever recorded.
Published The Golgi organelle's ribbon structure is not exclusive to vertebrates, contrary to previous consensus
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that the Golgi ribbon, an organelle structure previously thought to be exclusive to vertebrates, is also present in animal taxa, including mollusks, earthworms, and sea urchins. The function of the Golgi ribbon is still enigmatic, but its presence in diverse animal lineages indicates that its function is not vertebrate specific, as previously thought. The team also showed Golgi ribbons form at a specific timepoint during embryogenesis, which suggests that they might play a role in cell differentiation.
Published How first cells could have formed on Earth
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New phospholipid discovery brings researchers closer to understanding how primordial cells emerged during origin of life.
Published New tool helps decipher gene behavior
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have extensively researched the structure and sequence of genetic material and its interactions with proteins in the hope of understanding how our genetics and environment interact in diseases. This research has partly focused on 'epigenetic marks', which are chemical modifications to DNA, RNA, and the associated proteins (known as histones).
Published Avian influenza virus is adapting to spread to marine mammals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Avian influenza virus H5N1 has adapted to spread between birds and marine mammals, finds a new study.
Published Radio waves can tune up bacteria to become life-saving medicines
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have found a new way to alter the DNA of bacterial cells -- a process used to make many vital medicines including insulin -- much more efficiently than standard industry techniques.
Published Climate change shrinking fish
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Fish weight in the western North Pacific Ocean dipped in the 2010s due to warmer water limiting food supplies, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed the individual weight and overall biomass of 13 species of fish. In the 1980s and 2010s, the fish were lighter. They attributed the first period of weight loss to greater numbers of Japanese sardine, which increased competition with other species for food. During the 2010s, while the number of Japanese sardine and chub mackerel moderately increased, the effect of climate change warming the ocean appears to have resulted in more competition for food, as cooler, nutrient-dense water could not easily rise to the surface. These results have implications for fisheries and policymakers trying to manage ocean resources under future climate change scenarios.