Biology
‘Mind-blowing’: dark-sky fans gather on Exmoor to see what light pollution hides
The UK is 14th most light-polluted country, but in south-west England the veil is lifted at the dark skies festival“It’s just mind-blowing,” says the astronomer and teacher Jo Ric…
Why treating soil acidity crop by crop is no longer enough for prairie farmers
To protect their future harvests, Western Canadian farmers need to manage soil acidity across their entire multiyear rotation rather than crop by crop, long-term research from the…
Scientists discovered an unknown baby right whale off Canada. They say it's a cause for joy
It would seem difficult to miss a 15,000-pound (6,804-kilogram) baby, but for months scientists who study rare whales did just that, and now they couldn't be happier.
Steve Jones on dangerous tech innovations – cartoon
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Atlanta's new giant pandas will make their public debut after a 2-year absence
Panda lovers are expected to line up Friday at Zoo Atlanta to see a new pair of giant pandas make their public debut.
Spot a baby bird on the ground? Don't be tempted to bird‑nap it
Spring is the season of blooming flowers and buzzing bees.
The wasps that horrified Darwin reveal evolution's one-way streets
Few insects have a more gruesome lifestyle than Darwin wasps. Rather than simply hunting other animals, these parasitic wasps lay their eggs on or inside living hosts, including c…
AI points researchers toward new disease targets hidden in mitochondria
Artificial intelligence is helping Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists fast-track answers to a long-standing question in human biology: What do hundreds of mystery proteins in …
Want to have a better chat? Scientists say the secret is ‘pink noise’
The most enjoyable conversations strike a balance between exploring a topic and pulling in fresh ideas, study findsAs an early stab at rules for conversation, Cicero did a fine jo…
Fruit fly study offers clues to insect survival in a hotter, drier world
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have identified a specialized lipid barrier in the fruit fly pupa that protects against dehydration in dry and hot environments. Their f…
Noise pollution changes biology or behavior in 80% of animal species studied
We live in a noisy world. Whether it is the roar of traffic, the rumble of ships or the hum of heavy industry, there is often no escaping noise unless you are a hermit on a desert…
'I heard a barnacle'—how paying attention to nature's background noise can reveal animal secrets
During four days on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, I saw an Olympic marmot, a species found nowhere else on Earth; four bumblebee species working the same lavender plant; three w…
Evolutionary history and genetic basis of spruce diversification revealed
The genus Picea (spruce) is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere and is a dominant component of boreal and montane forests. Understanding the evolutionary processes t…
Researchers establish G0 founder population carrying targeted mutations in marine mollusks
Although genome-editing-based breeding has advanced rapidly in aquaculture, progress in marine mollusks has lagged behind. The main challenge is not genome editing itself, but rat…
Technique that spots tRNAs in action could accelerate drug development for inherited diseases
Human cells turn genetic instructions into proteins with great precision. Critical for the translation of this information are transfer RNAs, or tRNAs, small molecules that read t…
New 3D microscope packs many imaging tools into one system
An international team of researchers led by UT Southwestern Medical Center has developed a versatile light-sheet microscope that captures 3D views of biological samples, from acti…
World-first successful wild release of endangered broad-headed snake
The broad-headed snake (Hoplocephalus bungaroides), one of Australia's most endangered snakes, has been given a lifeline, with at least four of six captive-bred juveniles survivin…
Tiny biodegradable particles poke openings in skin to boost topical drug delivery
Skin is remarkably good at keeping things out of the body. Typically, that's a positive. It becomes an issue when medicine needs to get in. Swallow a pill to treat a skin conditio…
Oh boy, all girls again: Research tracks sea turtle sex ratios
Forty young sea turtles recently reached an important milestone at Florida Atlantic University: They were finally big enough to leave the university's marine science laboratory an…
The spring mountain butterfly has been spotted for the first time beneath power lines
The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) for the first time has detected the presence of the spring mountain butterfly (Erebia epistygne), a species under threat of extinction …
Release of largest dataset to date on wildlife in Europe
Every autumn for the last five years, hundreds of volunteers have set out remotely triggered cameras in mountains, forests, farms and beaches in more than 20 countries in Europe. …
Why bandicoots and bilbies evolved such different snouts
Why does a quenda have a short, sturdy snout, while its relative the bilby has such a remarkably long one? New research led by Murdoch University's Harry Butler Institute suggests…
Can AI learn to understand nature? Scientists set out a roadmap for the future of ecology
An international team of scientists has outlined how a new generation of artificial intelligence models could transform our understanding of ecosystems and help predict their resp…
Cancer-linked gene uses 'shortcut' to trigger cell division
Living cells are one of the few materials that can replicate themselves, and this is crucial for tissue development and recovery from injury or illness. But making sure cell divis…