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Categories: Biology: Botany, Ecology: Animals

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Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Molecular Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

Toxic algae blooms: Study assesses potential health hazards to humans      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Water samples from 20 sites were tested using a panel of immortalized human cell lines corresponding to the liver, kidney and brain to measure cytotoxicity. Results show that each control toxin induced a consistent pattern of cytotoxicity in the panel of human cell lines assayed. Known toxins were seen only during blooms. Because cell toxicity was seen in the absence of blooms, it suggests that there might be either emergent toxins or a combination of toxins present at those times. Findings suggest that other toxins with the potential to be harmful to human health may be present in the lagoon.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
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Red deer populations in Europe: More influenced by humans than by wolves and other predators      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study shows that human hunting and land use have a decisive influence on red deer density in Europe. Red deer density is only reduced when wolves, lynx and bears co-occur at the same site.

Biology: Botany Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Iron influences plant immunity and may promote resiliency against climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers discovered that plants manage iron deficiency without helping 'bad' bacteria thrive by eliminating the molecular signal for iron deficiency, and that the iron deficiency signaling pathway and the plant immune system are deeply intertwined. Their findings provide a new target for boosting plant resilience in the face of climate change, and offer new insight into plant and animal microbiomes.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: General Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Trees Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
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Scientists name the most common tropical tree species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have found almost identical patterns of tree diversity across the world's tropical forests. The study of over one million trees across 1,568 locations found that just 2.2% of tree species make up 50% of the total number of trees in tropical forests across Africa, the Amazon, and Southeast Asia. Each continent consists of the same proportion of a few common species and many rare species.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: General
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Largest diversity study of 'magic mushrooms' investigates the evolution of psychoactive psilocybin production      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The genomic analysis of 52 Psilocybe specimens includes 39 species that have never been sequenced. Psilocybe arose much earlier than previously thought -- about 65 million years ago -- and the authors found that psilocybin was first synthesized in mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe. Their analysis revealed two distinct gene orders within the gene cluster that produces psilocybin. The two gene patterns correspond to an ancient split in the genus, suggesting two independent acquisitions of psilocybin in its evolutionary history. The study is the first to reveal such a strong evolutionary pattern within the gene sequences underpinning the psychoactive proteins synthesis.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species
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Plant warfare: The crucial function of Nrc proteins in tomato defense mechanisms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research delves into the intricate defense mechanisms of tomatoes against the notorious bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst). It's a classic tale of nature's arms race: as pathogens evolve to outsmart plant defenses, plants counter with more sophisticated immune responses.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Cell Biology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Animals
Published

Large-scale mapping of pig genes could pave the way for new human medicines      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have carried out complex genetic analyses of hundreds of pigs and humans to identify differences and similarities. This new knowledge can be used to ensure healthier pigs for farmers and can help the pharmaceutical industry breed better laboratory pigs for testing new medicines.

Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General
Published

Nine new snail species discovered in Papua New Guinea, a biodiversity hot spot at risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study describes nine new species of carnivorous land snails, all of which are so small they could fit together on a U.S. nickel. They present a rare opportunity to study a group that in many other places is disappearing fast. Worldwide, mollusks account for more than 50% of all recorded extinctions since the year 1500, and many of these were land snails from Pacific islands.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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How did the bushpig cross the strait? A great puzzle in African mammal biogeography solved by genomics      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Africa has a huge diversity of large mammals, but their evolutionary relationships and movement across the continent over time often remain a mystery. A new scientific study sheds light on longstanding questions about the interplay between evolution and geography in one of these mammals, namely the iconic African bushpig, and helps settle a major question regarding prehistoric human activities shaping biodiversity patterns in Africa.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species
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Some mosquitoes like it hot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Certain populations of mosquitoes are more heat tolerant and better equipped to survive heat waves than others, according to new research.

Ecology: Animals Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
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Use of habitat for agricultural purposes puts primate infants at risk      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Frequent visits to oil palm plantations are leading to a sharp increase in mortality rates among infant southern pig-tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) in the wild, according to a new study. In addition to increased risk from predators and human encounters, exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals in this environment may negatively affect infant development.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Captive-bred birds able to improve their flight and migration performance      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Two types of experiences affect the behavioral skills of animals: the animal's environment during its early development and acquired experience. Researchers followed Egyptian vultures during migration, a critical and challenging period for them, and investigated how their flying skills developed by examining their performance using high resolution tracking.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: General Environmental: Water
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Feathers from deceased birds help scientists understand new threat to avian populations      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Animal ecologists developed an analytical approach to better understand one of the latest threats to feathered creatures: the rise of wind and solar energy facilities.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
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Protected areas for elephants work best if they are connected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The largest analysis yet of African savannah elephant populations shows that conservationists have successfully protected elephants in southern Africa for the last 25 years. However, the pattern varies regionally, with some elephant populations soaring and others still facing large declines. The key to long-term stability appears to be connecting large core areas with neighboring buffer zones, as opposed to well-protected but isolated protected areas known as 'fortress conservation.'

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Developmental Biology: General Ecology: Animals Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
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Advancing the generation of in-vivo chimeric lungs in mice using rat-derived stem cells      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Creating a functional lung using interspecies chimeric animals is an attractive albeit challenging option for lung transplantation, requiring more research on the viable conditions needed for organ generation. A new study uses reverse-blastocyst complementation and tetraploid-based organ complementation methods to first determine these conditions in lung-deficient mice and then to generate rat-derived lungs in these mice. It provides useful insights on the intrinsic species-specific barriers and factors associated with lung development in interspecies chimeric animals.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

The snail or the egg?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Animals reproduce in one of two distinct ways: egg-laying or live birth. By studying an evolutionarily recent transition from egg-laying to live-bearing in a marine snail, collaborative research has shed new light on the genetic changes that allow organisms to make the switch.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Botany Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geochemistry
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Scientists engineer plant microbiome to protect crops against disease      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have engineered the microbiome of plants for the first time, boosting the prevalence of 'good' bacteria that protect the plant from disease. The findings could substantially reduce the need for environmentally destructive pesticides.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Molecular Ecology: Animals Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Scientists solve mystery of how predatory bacteria recognizes prey      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A decades-old mystery of how natural antimicrobial predatory bacteria are able to recognize and kill other bacteria may have been solved, according to new research.