Biology
Bear necessities: Indian techie builds wildlife alert
After his mother was killed in a bear attack in Kashmir, Indian software engineer Mudasir Ali developed an online early-warning system to help people in the Himalayan region avoid…
Investigation links Australian deforestation to beef farming and major bank loans
ACF's latest report, "Bulldozers and Broken Promises," an investigation into deforestation, has ruffled a few feathers. But someone has to do it. Why? Because deforestation is a h…
New species of sawfly described
Yale College junior Leah Mock did fieldwork in a remote quarry in western Colorado that exposes the 50-million-year-old Green River Formation.
How mitochondria keep protein production moving
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered how a protein called TACO1 helps mitochondria produce proteins when the process encounters difficult sequences. The study, pub…
Hidden ecological risk from overlooked invasive crayfish species
A new study reveals narrow-clawed crayfish, an understudied invasive species in the U.K., to be as aggressive as the well-known signal crayfish.
Successful restoration of fish migration requires more than fish passes
The Netherlands is constructing fish passes to make rivers and streams accessible to fish again. But how effective are these structures? New Ph.D. research by Panos Panagiotopoulo…
Chemicals in sewage-based fertilizer may persist in farmland soil for years
UNSW engineers have identified a number of chemicals that may merit closer scrutiny to ensure water utility companies and regulators can make informed decisions about the manageme…
Climate shapes microbial nitrogen pump in forests, not in farmlands
Microbes build a long-lived nitrogen reservoir in soil from the remains of dead bacteria and fungi, which cling to minerals and resist decay. The microbial nitrogen pump turns nit…
Land plants' closest algal relatives evolved multicellular growth repeatedly, genetic analysis suggests
What did the algae that gave rise to the first land plants look like? A research team led by the University of Göttingen and including the universities of Maastricht and Innsbruck…
Underwater cameras can estimate fish weight in real time without generating full depth maps
Accurate fish-weight estimates can help aquaculture operators manage feeding, monitor growth and plan harvests. However, conventional underwater imaging methods often require subs…
New placenta-on-a-chip model allows engineers to study effects of environmental toxins
Exposure to toxic metals like cadmium has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, preterm birth and low birth weight. Because these effects are diffic…
Antibiotic pollution may be key factor in honeybee colony collapses
High losses of honeybee colonies, which play a crucial role in global food production, have caused concern around the world. Many potential factors for the population declines hav…
Powerhouse Parramatta opens this weekend – and it’s dazzling inside and out
Coups de théâtre abound in the $915m addition to western Sydney’s skyline, which opens on Saturday with five new exhibitions – and a 23-day festivalGet our weekend culture and lif…
Leaf nutrient balance helps explain earlier fall color in US forests
For devout leaf peepers, timing is everything. A new study led by researchers from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment shows that leaf nutrient levels affect the …
Citizen science program helps find exotic ticks
Climate change is affecting not only our weather but also the distribution of parasites and the diseases they can carry. One example is the growing presence of Hyalomma ticks in p…
As Antarctic blue whales advance along the road to recovery, continued oversight is key
Antarctic blue whales appear to be creeping back from the brink of extinction after 50 years of protection. A new study estimates the total population at 4,018, up from 418 after …
How octopuses squeeze through too-small gaps
Octopuses are extraordinarily versatile. From walking across the seabed on their eight arms to jetting through the water, manipulating tools and squeezing through unimaginably tig…
Born to be queen: A look inside fire ant hierarchy
A group of genes may give some fire ants an advantage, increasing their chances of growing larger and potentially becoming queens, according to a new study from the University of …
Avian influenza spread beyond a backyard coop on an Illinois farm, analysis finds
An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that nearly wiped out an Illinois farmer's backyard flock also spread to a domestic cat and wild rats on the farm, an analys…
Newly identified protein mechanism helps explain how cells respond to physical forces
A newly published study is changing our understanding of how the protein talin functions at sites where cells attach to their surroundings. The findings uncover a previously unkno…
New microscopy method reveals tiny cell structures and their molecular surroundings
How do cells respond to drugs? A new microscopy technique could provide more precise answers to this question in the future. Researchers from Bielefeld University and the Universi…
Chilean rodent population collapse reveals how extreme drought can overwhelm wildlife's resilience
Research published in the journal Ecology analyzed 12 years of records from a population of degus in central Chile, revealing that these endemic rodents managed to withstand nearl…
Hooved mammals that migrate may be at greater risk of extinction than those that stay put
Over the past 100,000 years, hooved mammals that migrate have experienced a higher rate of extinction compared to nonmigratory species, according to a study being published Nov. 5…
Blocking specific molecular signal on immune cells may restore ability to fight mutated cells
A previously unrecognized weakness in the immune defenses against certain blood neoplasms could offer a promising target for future treatments. Researchers have discovered that na…