Biology
Can cats really thrive on vegan diets? Professor Andrew Knight responds to critics
In response to a recent article on vegan diets for cats, Phys.org received numerous messages from concerned readers. People raised a lot of concerns, mainly arguing that cats are …
Aleppo pine at risk: Climate impacts arrive decades earlier than projected
In 2020, our research published in New Phytologist showed how the height growth of Aleppo pine populations responded to climate gradients across the Mediterranean, and how these p…
New research finds frequent disease outbreaks in B.C. salmon farms, endangering wild salmon
A new study with unprecedented access to Atlantic salmon farms in British Columbia raises urgent questions about the federal government's approach to regulating salmon farms and h…
Jean Phillips-Martinsson obituary
Founder of an international organisation to encourage research into the rare genetic disorder Prader-Willi syndromeIn 1984 Jean Phillips-Martinsson, a British woman living in Swed…
Botanists comb Gabon's rich rainforests with nature on the line
Each year, Gabon's lush rainforests yield the discovery of previously unknown plant species to botanists like Archange Boupoya—who believes that this exceptional yet largely myste…
What is 'human composting'—and how does it work?
What should happen to your body after you die? It's hardly a topic you'd bring up over dinner, but it's a decision that will eventually need to be made, either by you or by those …
Hidden chromosome structures reveal greater complexity in how roundworms organize DNA
Almost every cell in our body contains around two meters (6.6 feet) of DNA, packed into a tiny nucleus. Yet for the cell to function, this enormous amount of genetic material must…
The power of poop: Why conservationists love animal scat
I never thought my shoelaces would get stolen.
Two distinct sleep stages emerge in jumping spider, including a REM-like state
Humans and other vertebrates go through various stages of sleep, including REM (rapid eye movement) sleep characterized by rapid eye movements and muscle twitches. Can a similar s…
Protecting isn't enough—creating integrated conservation landscapes is key
New Monash University research has revealed how countries could strengthen their conservation networks by looking beyond the boundaries of national parks and protected areas—and f…
How shoes change our bones—and what that tells us about the evolution of walking
We tend to think of our bones as solid, unchanging support structures inside our bodies, but a recent study from the University of Chicago shows just how much they can change depe…
Did you solve it? A magical melody from the Mozart of math
The solution to today’s puzzlesEarlier today, I set a puzzle by UCLA professor Terry Tao, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s top mathematicians.Here it is again with sol…
Lizard tail preserved in amber sheds light on a 100-million-year-old defense mechanism
A lizard making a dramatic escape, leaving its tail wriggling behind as it darts to safety, is an image familiar to many. Tail-shedding is one of the most widespread defenses agai…
Japan's largest marine DNA study detects 126 fish species farther north than previously recorded
As climate change reshapes habitats both on land and at sea, you might go to the beach one day, only to find yourself in a place that looks nothing like you remember, around sea c…
Armored amphibian lived entirely at sea 237 million years ago, fossils suggest
Scientists report fossil evidence of the first fully marine amphibian in a study from the University of California, Davis; Peking University; and the Geological Museum of Guizhou.…
Protein fibers, a hallmark of Alzheimer's, spotted making genetic deliveries to sperm cells
Unexpectedly, a kind of protein that is usually linked with diseases in the brain may play a vital role in semen, helping shepherd genetic material into sperm cells, scientists at…
Plants may switch between reproductive strategies more easily than thought
When it comes to reproduction, plants have options. Some can fertilize themselves, while others rely on pollen from genetically different plants. Many populations even contain a m…
RNA archiving method reveals what a cell did days ago
Information on what a cell did a few hours or days ago is generally unavailable to researchers, who can only measure the cell's current status. This is a problem if the aim is to …
Thermal priming enhances heat tolerance and yield in tomatoes after recurrent heat stress
High temperatures can significantly impair the growth and yield of crops, including tomatoes. A new study by an international research team led by Dr. Justyna Olas, of the Leibniz…
Barley seed could carry fungicide-resistant disease into next crop, researchers find
Barley seed could be carrying more than the potential for a new crop, with emerging research from the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) finding that fungicide-resistant ne…
People may have preexisting immunity to bird flu
How immune are people to bird flu viruses? To find out, Canadian virologists analyzed blood samples that 24 health care workers at Université de Montréal's teaching hospital, the …
Researchers improve RNA extraction from precision-cut lung slices
Precision-cut lung slices allow researchers to study living human lung tissue outside the body, preserving the different cell types and structures that make up the organ. But a ma…
‘Maxxing’ is Dictionary.com’s word of the year: ‘It’s cooler than saying you’re doing more’
As all facets of our lives are optimized, the suffix has become inescapable - and experts predict it’s around to stayMaxxing is not a new concept. Dungeons and Dragons players hav…
Sunlight at night: US startup’s demonstration of lighting Earth from space draws critcism
Company imitates reflection of sun from mirrors, prompting pushback from some scientists, environmentalists and California localsLocals in a rural area of California were recently…