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Biology news
Evidence of a cat recognizing and mimicking human behavior
A small team of researchers with Eötvös Loránd University's Department of Ethology in Budapest has observed an instance of a house cat recognizing and then mimicking human behavior. The group has written a paper describing ...
Human biology registers two seasons, not four, study suggests
As kids, we learn there are four seasons, but researchers at the Stanford School of Medicine have found evidence to suggest that the human body doesn't see it this way.
Plants & Animals
12 hours ago
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585
Cheating birds mimic host nestlings to deceive foster parents
The common cuckoo is known for its deceitful nesting behavior—by laying eggs in the nests of other bird species, it fools host parents into rearing cuckoo chicks alongside their own. While common cuckoos mimic their host's ...
Plants & Animals
14 hours ago
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23
Crickets were the first to chirp 300 million years ago
An international team, led by Dr. Sabrina Simon (Wageningen University & Research) and Dr. Hojun Song (Texas A&M), succeeded in tracing the evolution of acoustic communication in the insect family of crickets and grasshoppers ...
Evolution
14 hours ago
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136
Songbirds sing, like humans flock, for opioid reward
What do songbirds and humans have in common? We crave social interaction, and the chemical rewards that flood our brain when we get it.
Plants & Animals
14 hours ago
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16
Scientists take a step toward understanding 'jumping genes' effect on the genome
Using state-of-the-art statistical methods, a team of researchers said they may have taken a leap closer to understanding a class of jumping genes, sequences that move to different locations in the human genome, which is ...
Cell & Microbiology
14 hours ago
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23
Double detection of cell changes could diagnose disease earlier
Chemical probes that detect changes in two factors related to inflammation within cells could lead to earlier disease detection.
Cell & Microbiology
14 hours ago
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12
Woodpeckers' drumming: Conserved meaning despite different structure over the years
Animal acoustic signals are amazingly diverse. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University of Saint-Etienne, together with French, American and Dutch collaborators, explored the function and diversification ...
Plants & Animals
17 hours ago
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56
Signs of Asian giant hornet nest found in Washington state
Agricultural officials in Washington state said Friday they are trying to find and destroy a nest of Asian giant hornets believed to be near a small town amid concerns the hornets could kill honey bees crucial for pollinating ...
Ecology
10 hours ago
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19
Bright light bars big-eyed birds from human-altered landscapes
New research shows the glaring light in human-altered landscapes, such as livestock pastures and crop fields, can act as a barrier to big-eyed birds, potentially contributing to their decline.
Ecology
20 hours ago
1
53
Evolution on the smallest of scales smooths out the patchwork patterns of where plants and animals live
The Douglas fir is a tall iconic pine tree in Western North America forming a forest that winds unbroken from the Western spine of British Columbia all the way to the Mexican cordillera. The environmental conditions of Canada ...
Evolution
12 hours ago
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3
A factor limiting recovery from bleaching in corals
Increases in seawater temperature can cause coral bleaching through the loss of symbiotic algae. Corals can recover from bleaching by recruiting algae into host cells from the residual symbiont population or from the external ...
Plants & Animals
13 hours ago
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6
Australia is full of lizards, so I went bush to find out why
Though it may not be as famous a stereotype as shrimps on the barbie, deadly snakes or Vegemite, Australia is renowned in certain scientific circles for being the "land of the lizards."
Plants & Animals
15 hours ago
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7
Solving global challenges using insect research
IRD researchers and their partners have published a special issue in the Current Opinion in Insect Science journal. Using an interdisciplinary approach and based on examples from international research, they explain how insects ...
Plants & Animals
12 hours ago
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4
Key control mechanism allows cells to form tissues and anatomical structures in the developing embryo
Under a microscope, the first few hours of every multicellular organism's life seem incongruously chaotic. After fertilization, a once tranquil single-celled egg divides again and again, quickly becoming a visually tumultuous ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 01, 2020
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95
Amazon study shows big conservation gains possible for imperilled freshwater ecosystems
A new study by an international team of environmental scientists in the Brazilian Amazon shows that redesigned conservation projects could deliver big gains for critical freshwater ecosystems—raising hopes for the futures ...
Ecology
Oct 01, 2020
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28
Venom glands similar to those of snakes are found for first time in amphibians
A group led by researchers at Butantan Institute in Brazil and supported by FAPESP has described for the first time the presence of venom glands in the mouth of an amphibian. The legless animal is a caecilian and lives underground. ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 01, 2020
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2781
Mud-slurping chinless ancestors had all the moves
A team of researchers, led by the University of Bristol, has revealed our most ancient ancestors were ecologically diverse, despite lacking jaws and paired fins.
Plants & Animals
Oct 01, 2020
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179
Scientists repeat century-old study to reveal evidence of evolutionary rescue in the wild
A tiny flatworm found commonly on the coasts of western Europe and North America is living proof that species may be able to evolve and adapt to rapid climate change.
Evolution
Oct 01, 2020
1
31
Pattern in whale songs predicts migration
Through the use of two advanced audio recording technologies, a collaboration of Monterey Bay researchers has found that blue whales switch from nighttime to daytime singing when they are starting to migrate.
Plants & Animals
Oct 01, 2020
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94