Biology
Toothless 'hell chicken' dinosaur may have had a taste for fruit
While many dinosaurs were fearsome predators with razor-sharp teeth, others were peaceful herbivores munching on plants. We can now add a new species to the list of plant-eaters, …
Local DNA motion inside the cell stays nearly constant throughout interphase
Human genomic DNA is wrapped around core histone proteins to form nucleosomes, the fundamental units of chromatin. During interphase, the period between cell divisions, DNA is rep…
How drought shapes the impact of Xylella fastidiosa on almond trees
Xylella fastidiosa is a pathogen that poses a serious threat to agri-food systems. An insect-borne bacterium that eventually causes trees to dry out and die, it was first detected…
Ocean discovery: Pacific bluefin tuna confirmed in Victorian waters
A discovery has led to the first confirmed records of recreational catches of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) in Victorian waters.
Ivy bees fight back against honeybees that drive other pollinators off flowers
Honeybees are outcompeting wild pollinators in the U.K., and new research has found evidence of their aggressive behavior, recording for the first time the extent to which they re…
The stubby legs of ancient sled dogs helped people traverse the Arctic for the past 9,000 years
For centuries, dogs have helped people travel across the Arctic, hauling supplies, equipment and other goods through snowy landscapes where other domesticated animals struggled to…
Sustained pressure halts cancer cell migration and triggers death in 3D lab models
The growth and death of cancer cells in the lab are studied primarily in two-dimensional cell cultures. In a study published in the journal Developmental Cell on Oct. 14, research…
Not all early birds evolved toward better flight, Jurassic fossil suggests
For early birds, evolution wasn't always about becoming better flyers. This conclusion is supported by the recent discovery of a remarkably well-preserved, 150-million-year-old bi…
Modeling study shows early tetrapods had surprisingly little ability to move their necks
A new model using sturgeon as a material analog has made it possible to estimate how the backbones of some of the first animals on land could and could not move. These results dis…
Little fish, big deal—Record haul of baby sturgeons offers hope for the future
Just a few centimeters long, slimy and covered in razor-sharp spines, baby sturgeons look like creatures from one of the Alien movies. But for the people who pull them from the ri…
How shark ecotourism sparks long-term conservation
People who join shark ecotourism tours are more likely to take action to protect sharks, including donating to related causes, signing petitions or speaking up online, new researc…
DNA analysis uncovers first known genetic connection between rare New Caledonian plant and parasitic plant
A new genetic analysis tool developed by UF assistant professor of biology Liming Cai, Ph.D., has led to the discovery of the first known interaction between Amborella, a rare New…
Your dog may link sounds with shapes, just like you do
Sounds have shapes. That might sound strange since sound waves are invisible, but a famous psychological experiment in the 1920s showed that our brains naturally link spoken sound…
Chemists develop blueprint for designing powerful fluorescent materials for better disease detection
The team, led by professors Simon Lewis and Tony James and Dr. Dan Pantos in the university's Department of Chemistry, has transformed azulene, a naturally occurring blue compound…
Introduced species aren't good or bad—they are labeled according to human interests
In George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novella "Animal Farm," pigs coach the other revolutionary farm animals in their new creed of Animalism using the memorable maxim: four legs goo…
Ancient climate shifts may explain why today's flowering plants are so diverse
The two warmest time periods on Earth in the past 140 million years drove both mass extinctions and explosions in plant diversity, according to researchers in Australia and Austri…
Wild bobwhite quail spotted after habitat restoration project
Multiple coveys of wild bobwhite quail were recently sighted at the University of Tennessee's Ames AgResearch and Education Center, marking an encouraging milestone in an ongoing …
Simple cleaning steps could curb deadly fungal disease risks for Australia's wild reptiles
With spring underway and the weather warming, reptiles are on the move in suburbs, parks and scrubland across Australia. Snake catchers and wildlife caregivers are responding to c…
Scientists discover 'D-rex', a giant fungus from Chinese forests whose unique lineage dates back 65 million years
Deep in the forests of Yunnan, China, scientists have discovered a "fungal giant" that challenges our understanding of how large fungi can become. The newly described species, Dia…
Isle of Wight fossil Europe's first known long-clawed megaraptoran dinosaur
A new species of dinosaur—a long-clawed predator the size of a large tiger—has been discovered by a UCL-led team from a fossil found on the Isle of Wight. The dinosaur, described …
Stop making sense: focus on sounds to help learn a language, study suggests
Research shows that the best linguists process unfamiliar foreign speech sounds more like non-speech soundsIf you want to get really good at French, Arabic or Hungarian, don’t sta…
Hawaiian coral tests reveal heat tolerance varies by species and location
As ocean temperatures rise, corals' ability to withstand and adapt to heat stress is critical for the future of coral reefs. Many reef-building corals already live near their uppe…
Drier Texas rivers support simpler food webs and higher animal productivity, study finds
Global warming is often treated as synonymous with climate change, but rising temperatures are only one consequence of the human-driven phenomenon. Changes in rainfall patterns ar…
DNA 'flight recorder' traces embryonic development cell by cell
For decades, scientists have been able to look at individual moments in the development of an embryo: a snapshot of a developing brain, a picture of how the heart takes shape or a…