https://phys.org/biology-news/ en-us Read the latest science news from Phys.org on biology, evolution, microbiology, biotechnology Colors are widely used in communication within and among animal species. For example, peacocks proudly display their vibrant tails, adorned with iridescent eyespots, to attract peahens for courtship. This is a classic example of sexual selection using color signaling. Conspicuous colors are also displayed by toxic animal species, including many venomous snakes and the brilliantly colored poison frogs of Central and South America, as a warning to potential predators. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-vision-animals-million-year-explosion.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 17:07:03 EST news650221621 The radiation levels experienced by the frogs living in Chernobyl have not affected their age or their rate of aging. These two traits do not differ, in fact, between specimens captured in areas with high levels of radiation and those living in control areas without radiation. Nor have differences been found in the levels of corticosterone, a hormone associated with the response to stress, depending on the radiation received by these amphibians. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-chernobyl-frogs-exposed-aging-stress.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 15:35:17 EST news650216113 The densely-populated island of Luzon is home to over half of the Philippines' population, many of whom consume shellfish on a regular basis. An international team of scientists has just confirmed the presence there of two species of Pseudo-nitzschia diatoms capable of producing a dangerous neurotoxin that can cause severe sickness and memory loss. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-amnesia-diatoms-luzon-shellfish-farms.html Ecology Cell & Microbiology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:58:05 EST news650213882 Mirroring the mechanisms that make human faces and bodies—and those of many multicellular organisms—symmetrical, bee colonies build symmetrical nests when they are placed on either side of a double-sided comb. The finding, published in Current Biology, extends examples of symmetry in biology to the behavior of communities and the architectural structures that they build. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-symmetry-biology-bees-mirroring-patterns.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:51:15 EST news650213472 A research team led by Lund University in Sweden has developed an AI tool that traces back the most recent places you have been to. The tool acts like a satellite navigation system, but instead of guiding you to your hotel, it identifies the geographical source of microorganisms. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-gps-microorganisms-forensic.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:43:04 EST news650212982 University of Maryland entomologists have uncovered a unique relationship between two species of fungi known for their ability to invade, parasitize and kill insects efficiently. Instead of violently competing for the spoils of war, the two fungi peacefully cooperate and share their victims. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-insect-fungi-unexpected-harmony-war.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:36:04 EST news650212562 Most research on plant stem cells focuses on the tips of roots and shoots, where growth occurs in height. But biologist Kirsten Ten Tusscher from Utrecht University explains that thickness growth is just as essential. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-uncovers-thickness-growth-mechanisms.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:30:04 EST news650212201 The more a plant species invests in defense, the less potential it has for growth, according to a new study. Research made possible by open science provides new insights into plant adaptation and interspecies variation. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-defense-growth-allocate-resources.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 14:00:01 EST news650190482 Programmed cell death-1, or PD-1, has become a headline-grabbing molecule best known for its role in cancer immunotherapies called checkpoint inhibitors. A study from Georgia Tech and Emory University researchers is offering an improved understanding of why these inhibitors work—and how to make them effectively fight cancer for more patients. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-physical-affects-cancer-treatment-explores.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:27:05 EST news650204821 The ability to genetically engineer plants is largely thanks to a microscopic helper: a bacterium called Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Agrobacterium in the wild causes damaging tumors in flowering plants, including some economically important crops, but its ability to insert its own DNA into host plants is what makes it both a pest to farmers and a powerful tool for biotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-method-biofuel-bioproduct.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:08:05 EST news650203682 The cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove have been placed under quarantine on Wednesday in light of an uninvited and unwelcome visitor: the oriental fruit fly, an invasive pest that attacks over 230 crops including fruits, nuts and vegetables. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-invasive-fruit-fly-species-southern.html Plants & Animals Agriculture Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:30:01 EST news650200922 Genes contain instructions for making proteins, and a central dogma of biology is that this information flows from DNA to RNA to proteins. But only two percent of the human genome actually encodes proteins; the function of the remaining 98% remains largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-rna-crispr-reveals-hundreds-noncoding.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news650193702 Killer whales off Canada's Atlantic coast continue to be contaminated with dangerously high levels of toxic chemicals that put them at elevated risk of severe immune-system and reproductive problems, a recent McGill-led study has found. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-atlantic-killer-whales-dangerously-high.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:54:04 EST news650199242 The brain is a marvel of efficiency, honed by thousands of years of evolution so it can adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Yet, despite decades of research, the mystery of how the brain achieves this has remained elusive. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-brains-fruit-flies-monkeys-scientists.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 09:34:29 EST news650194465 "How is plant growth controlled?" and "What is the basis of variation in stress tolerance in plants?" were among the 125 most challenging scientific questions, according to the journal Science in 2016. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-reveal-strigolactone-perception-mechanism.html Molecular & Computational biology Agriculture Thu, 07 Nov 2024 09:30:38 EST news650194234 Teams of mountaineering mice are helping advance understanding into how evolutionary adaptation to localized conditions can enable a single species to thrive across diverse environments. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-mountaineering-mice-evolutionary.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 07 Nov 2024 09:21:03 EST news650193661 By studying changes in gene expression, researchers learn how cells function at a molecular level, which could help them understand the development of certain diseases. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-causal-theory-effect-relationships-genes.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 09:20:38 EST news650193632 What gives an Australian finch its brilliantly colored red, yellow or orange bill? A major new study has uncovered the genetic switches controlling these distinctive colors, revealing a key piece in the puzzle of how animals develop their coloration. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-genetic-red-yellow-orange-bills.html Plants & Animals Evolution Thu, 07 Nov 2024 08:45:04 EST news650191501 Why is human culture—the shared body of knowledge passed down across generations—so much more powerful than animal cultures? https://phys.org/news/2024-11-evolutionary-anthropologist-hypothesis-humans-dominating.html Evolution Ecology Thu, 07 Nov 2024 05:00:01 EST news650107581 Research led by the University of New Hampshire sheds light on how coyotes, North America's most successful predators, are responding to various environmental pressures, including human development, hunting and competition with larger carnivores. Surprisingly, the study's findings suggest that human hunting practices may actually contribute to increasing the number of coyotes. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-coyotes-human-predator-pressures-large.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 16:30:04 EST news650133001 A team of microbiologists and virologists at Wuhan University, working with colleagues from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of Washington and Humabs BioMed SA, has found that it is possible to use coronavirus DNA to create receptors that can be added to the membranes of human or animal cell membranes for research efforts. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-artificial-receptors-coronavirus-dna-avenues.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 16:00:24 EST news650131220 Chromosphaera perkinsii is a single-celled species discovered in 2017 in marine sediments around Hawaii. The first signs of its presence on Earth have been dated at over a billion years, well before the appearance of the first animals. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-ancient-unicellular-embryonic-prior-animals.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:00:01 EST news650127378 Sleep is one of the most mysterious, yet ubiquitous components of our biology. It has been described in all major groups of animals, including worms, jellyfish, insects or cephalopods, and in all vertebrates, from fish to humans. Common characteristics of sleep include reduced movement, decreased muscle tone, and an increased need for sleep after periods of deprivation, for example after a night out. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-australian-dragon-reveals-link-motor.html Plants & Animals Evolution Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:56:37 EST news650127388 Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and the world's fastest supercomputers, a research team led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has developed an innovative computing framework to speed up the design of new proteins. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-ai-framework-incorporates-experimental-text.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:56:13 EST news650127365 Biologists at Washington University in St. Louis have discovered the origin of a curious duplication that gives plants multiple ways to override instructions that are coded into their DNA. This research could help scientists exploit a plant's existing systems to favor traits that make it more resilient to environmental changes, like heat or drought stress. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-biologists-evolved-multiple-ways-override.html Evolution Agriculture Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:00:01 EST news650107578 In a study of salmon samples from Seattle, Washington, grocery stores and sushi restaurants, DNA analysis revealed that 18% were mislabeled. Tracie Delgado and colleagues at Seattle Pacific University, WA, U.S., present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on November 6, 2024. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-grocery-reliable-sushi-restaurants-salmon.html Ecology Agriculture Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:00:01 EST news650105034 Wastewater treatment fails to kill several human pathogens when they hide out on microplastics in the water, reports a study led by Ingun Lund Witsø of the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, published November 6, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-pathogens-microplastics-survive-wastewater-treatment.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 14:00:01 EST news650105086 Between 1.8 billion and 800 million years ago, earthly life was in the doldrums. During this period, called the "boring billion," the complexity of life remained minimal, dominated by single-celled organisms with only sporadic ventures into multicellular forms. This era set the stage for the later emergence of complex multicellular life, marking a key chapter in evolutionary history. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-high-complexity-explores-energy-multicellular.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 13:11:23 EST news650121078 Albatrosses are exceptionally mobile and use the wind to travel hundreds of thousands of miles to feed on squid, fish, or other animals found near the water surface in the open ocean. In fact, some larger species of albatrosses are so reliant on the wind that they struggle to even take off when the conditions are calm. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-reveals-stormy-conditions-affect-albatrosses.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:21:03 EST news650118061 At less than 3mm long, you may not think Dunatothrips aneurae seem like much. And—as I have shown in a new study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology—you'd be absolutely right. That's because these may be the world's laziest insects. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-tiny-insects-world-laziest-bugs.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:51:16 EST news650116272