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Categories: Chemistry: Biochemistry, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Florida fossil porcupine solves a prickly dilemma 10-million years in the making
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An exceptionally rare fossilized porcupine skeleton discovered in Florida has allowed researchers to trace the evolutionary history for one of North America's rarest mammals.
Published Echidnapus identified from an 'Age of Monotremes'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australian researchers have found evidence of the oldest known platypus and a new species, dubbed 'echidnapus', which has a platypus-like anatomy alongside features that more closely resemble an echidna.
Published Entomologist sheds light on 250-year-old mystery of the German cockroach
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Entomologists have solved the 250-year-old origin puzzle of the most prevalent indoor urban pest insect on the planet: the German cockroach. The team's research findings, representing the genomic analyses of over 280 specimens from 17 countries and six continents, show that this species evolved some 2,100 years ago from an outdoor-living species in Asia.
Published 'Invisible tweezers' use robotics and acoustic energy to achieve what human hands cannot
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Undergoing surgery is seldom a pleasant experience, and it can sometimes be highly invasive. Surgical procedures have evolved steadily over the centuries, growing with the knowledge of anatomy and biology. Innovative methods have also been bolstered with new tools, and a growth in the use of robotics since the 1980s has moved health care forward significantly.
Published Controlling water, transforming greenhouse gases
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have outlined a way to manipulate water molecules to make CO2R more efficient, with the ultimate goal of creating a clean energy loop. Through their new method, the team was able to perform CO2R with nearly 100% efficiency under mildly acidic conditions, using either gold or zinc as catalysts.
Published Observing mammalian cells with superfast soft X-rays
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have developed a new technique to view living mammalian cells. The team used a powerful laser, called a soft X-ray free electron laser, to emit ultrafast pulses of illumination at the speed of femtoseconds, or quadrillionths of a second. With this they could capture images of carbon-based structures in living cells for the first time, before the soft X-ray radiation damaged them.
Published Caterpillars can detect their predators by the static electricity they emit
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Caterpillars respond defensively to electric fields similar to those emitted by their natural predators, scientists have found.
Published Key role of plant-bacteria communication for the assembly of a healthy plant microbiome supporting sustainable plant nutrition
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In an interdisciplinary study, researchers discovered that symbiotic bacteria communicate with legume plants through specific molecules and that this communication influences which bacteria grow near the plant roots. The findings provide insights into how plants and soil bacteria form beneficial partnerships for nutrient uptake and resilience. These results are a step towards understanding how communication between plants and soil bacteria can lead to specific beneficial associations providing plants with nutrients.
Published Psychedelic drug-induced hyperconnectivity in the brain helps clarify altered subjective experiences
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study shows that the use of psilocybin, a compound found in the widely known 'magic mushrooms,' initiates a pattern of hyperconnectivity in the brain linked to the ego-modifying effects and feelings of oceanic boundlessness. The findings help explain the so-called mystical experiences people report during the use of psychedelics and are pertinent to the psychotherapeutic applications of psychedelic drugs to treat psychiatric disorders such as depression.
Published Charting a pathway to next-gen biofuels
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source From soil to sequestration, researchers have modeled what a supply chain for second-generation biofuels might look like in the midwestern United States.
Published Team enhances stereotactic neurosurgery precision using MRI-guided multi-stage robotic positioner
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A research team developed an interactive multi-stage robotic positioner specifically designed for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided stereotactic neurosurgery.
Published Bigger is better: Male proboscis monkeys' enhanced noses evolved to attract mates
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source When it comes to the animal kingdom, bigger is better. Well, at least for proboscis monkeys, famously known for their long, large and droopy noses. Researchers have provided a world-first explanation for why male proboscis monkeys have larger and 'enhanced' nasal structures.
Published Producing novel liquid crystals by stacking antiaromatic units
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source In a recent study, researchers developed modified norcorrole molecules whose side chains favored the formation of columnar -stacking structures. Using these compounds, they produced liquid crystals with high electrical conductivity and thermotropic properties. Their findings open up new design avenues for materials useful in electronics, sensing, optics, and biomedicine.
Published Foraging ants navigate more efficiently when given energy-drink-like doses of caffeine
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Ants who receive a caffeine-laced sugary reward become more efficient at navigating back to the reward's location compared to ants that only receive sugar. Caffeinated ants move toward the reward via a more direct path but do not increase their speed, suggesting that caffeine improved their ability to learn. The study was conducted on Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), a globally invasive species, and the researchers say that incorporating caffeine into ant baits could aid efforts to control the ants by improving bait uptake.
Published Sexual parasitism helped anglerfish invade the deep sea during a time of global warming
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Members of the vertebrate group including anglerfishes are unique in possessing a characteristic known as sexual parasitism, in which males temporarily attach or permanently fuse with females to mate. Now, researchers show that sexual parasitism arose during a time of major global warming and rapid transition for anglerfishes from the ocean floor to the deep, open sea.
Published Wearable devices get signal boost from innovative material
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source An international team have developed a new material that moves like skin while preserving signal strength in electronics. The technology could enable the development of next-generation wearable devices with continuous, consistent wireless and battery-free functionality.
Published Wearable ultrasound patch enables continuous, non-invasive monitoring of cerebral blood flow
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have developed a wearable ultrasound patch that can offer continuous, non-invasive monitoring of blood flow in the brain. The soft and stretchy patch can be comfortably worn on the temple to provide three-dimensional data on cerebral blood flow--a first in wearable technology.
Published Scientists learn how to control muscles with light
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers developed a way to help people with amputation or paralysis regain limb control. Their optogenetic technique could offer more precise control over muscle contraction, along with a dramatic decrease in muscle fatigue.
Published Australian study proves 'humans are planet's most frightening predator'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study demonstrates that kangaroos, wallabies and other Australian marsupials fear humans far more than any other predator.
Published Researchers design new metal-free porous framework materials
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers have used computational design methods to develop non-metal organic porous framework materials, with potential applications in areas such as catalysis, water capture or hydrogen storage.