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Categories: Offbeat: Plants and Animals, Paleontology: Dinosaurs
Published Plastic-free vegan leather that dyes itself grown from bacteria
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have genetically engineered bacteria to grow animal- and plastic-free leather that dyes itself.
Published We've had bird evolution all wrong
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Genomic anamolies dating back to the time of the dinosaurs misled scientists about the evolutionary history of birds.
Published Genomic research may help explain cancer resistance in Tasmanian devils
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Through DNA sequencing of Tasmanian devils and their tumors, researchers have tracked the genomic interactions between the animals and the cancer.
Published Rock-wallaby bite size ‘packs a punch’
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australian rock-wallabies are 'little Napoleons' when it comes to compensating for small size, packing much more punch into their bite than larger relatives. Researchers made the discovery while investigating how two dwarf species of rock-wallaby are able to feed themselves on the same kinds of foods as their much larger cousins.
Published Scientists extract genetic secrets from 4,000-year-old teeth to illuminate the impact of changing human diets over the centuries
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have recovered remarkably preserved microbiomes from two teeth dating back 4,000 years, found in an Irish limestone cave. Genetic analyses of these microbiomes reveal major changes in the oral microenvironment from the Bronze Age to today. The teeth both belonged to the same male individual and also provided a snapshot of his oral health.
Published Secrets of the naked mole-rat: new study reveals how their unique metabolism protects them from heart attacks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source This unusual, subterranean mammal with extreme longevity shows genetic adaptations to low oxygen environments which could offer opportunities for advancing other areas of physiological and medical research in humans, including the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
Published Milk on ice: Antarctic time capsule of whole milk powder sheds light on the enduring qualities--and evolution--of dairy products past and present
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a remarkable discovery, whole milk powder manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 and transported to Antarctica with explorers seeking the South Pole was unveiled after more than a century. The find has allowed dairy researchers to answer the question: Is the milk we enjoy today different from the milk consumed in previous generations? Now, a new comparative study has peered back in time to demonstrate that -- despite advancements in selective breeding and changes to farm practices -- milk of the past and milk today share more similarities than differences and are still crucial building blocks of human nutrition.
Published Researchers show that introduced tardigrade proteins can slow metabolism in human cells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Tardigrade proteins are potential candidates in technologies centered on slowing the aging process and in long-term storage of human cells.
Published Two coral snakes recorded battling for prey in a scientific first
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Two red-tailed coral snakes have been observed competing over a caecilian in the first documented wild case of kleptoparasitism within the family Elapidae.
Published Bees use antennae to decode hive mates' dances in the dark
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered how honeybees can decipher dances by their hive mates that relay directions to food.
Published Wild bird gestures 'after you'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A small-bird species, the Japanese tit (Parus minor), uses wing movements as a gesture to convey the message 'after you,' according to new research. When a mating pair arrives at their nest box with food, they will wait outside on perches. One will then often flutter its wings toward the other, apparently indicating for the latter to enter first. The researchers say that this discovery challenges the previous belief that gestural communication is prominent only in humans and great apes, significantly advancing our understanding of visual communication in birds.
Published Research uncovers a rare resin fossil find: A spider that aspires to be an ant
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Spiders that disguise themselves as ants live in many locations around the globe but until now most had been able to avoid detection from fossil researchers as well as predators.
Published Signs of life would be detectable in single ice grain emitted from extraterrestrial moons
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Could life be found in frozen sea spray from moons orbiting Saturn or Jupiter? New research finds that life can be detected in a single ice grain containing one bacterial cell or portions of a cell. The results suggest that if life similar to that on Earth exists on these planetary bodies, that this life should be detectable by instruments launching in the fall.
Published Tudor era horse cemetery in Westminster revealed as likely resting place for elite imported animals
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Archaeological analysis of a near unique animal cemetery discovered in London nearly 30 years ago has revealed there was an international horse trading network, orchestrated by the elites of late medieval and Tudor England, which brought superior physical specimens to the UK for jousting and for use as status symbols.
Published Researchers name prehistoric amphibian ancestor discovered in Smithsonian collection after Kermit the Frog
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have uncovered the fossilized skull of a 270-million-year-old ancient amphibian ancestor in the collection of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. The team of researchers described the fossil as a new species of proto-amphibian, which they named Kermitops gratus in honor of the iconic Muppet, Kermit the Frog.
Published Heat to blame for space pebble demise
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The dust of comets fills the space between the planets, collectively called the zodiacal cloud. Still, severe breakdown has reduced that dust in size so much that it now scatters sunlight efficiently, causing the faint glow in the night sky known as the 'zodiacal light.' It was long thought that high-speed collisions pulverized the comet ejecta, but now a team of researchers reports that heat is to blame.
Published Decoding the plant world's complex biochemical communication networks
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team has begun translating the complex molecular language of petunias. Their grammar and vocabulary are well hidden, however, within the countless proteins and other compounds that fill floral cells. Being rooted to the ground, plants can't run away from insects, pathogens or other threats to their survival. But plant scientists have long known that they do send warnings to each other via scent chemicals called volatile organic compounds.
Published Deep Earth electrical grid mystery solved
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source To 'breathe' in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons, produced during the 'burning' of nutrients, to electric hairs called nanowires projecting from their surface.
Published Across oceans and millennia: decoding the origin and history of the bottle gourd
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have uncovered intriguing details about the origins and spread of the bottle gourd, one of the oldest domesticated crops. Their work unveils the genetic diversification and population history of this hard-shelled plant that was used to make bottles, instruments, and containers for over 10,000 years by ancient civilizations.
Published In flies, a single brain cell can drive multiple movements of the body
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Motor neurons are the cells the brain uses to command muscles to act. Scientists typically thought of them as simple connections, much like the cables that link computers with their accessories. Now, in fly studies, researchers have discovered that single motor neurons can each direct an insect's body to move in far more complex ways than previously thought.