News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
Parasitic worms evolved to suppress neurons in skin, study suggests
New research, published in The Journal of Immunology, discovered that a parasitic worm suppresses neurons in the skin to evade detection. The researchers suggest that the worm likely evolved this mechanism to enhance its own survival, and that the discovery of the molecules responsible for the suppression could aid in the development of new painkillers.
Telomere-to-telomere assembly of two Medicago genomes uncovers evolutionary landscape of plant centromeres
In an advance in legume genomics, researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have produced the first gap-free, telomere-to-telomere (T2T) genome assemblies for two model Medicago species.
Sibling cooperation boosts survival in beetle larvae, even without parental care
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have discovered that offspring of burying beetles benefit from having siblings—regardless of whether their parents are present to provide care. This challenges the long-standing paradigm that sibling rivalry over parental resources outweighs any benefits, making siblings a disadvantage for individual offspring.
Big heart, acute senses key to explosive radiation of early fishes, digital reconstruction indicates
An international team led by scientists from the Canadian Museum of Nature and the University of Chicago reconstructed the brain, heart, and fins of an extinct fish called Norselaspis glacialis from a tiny fossil the size of a fingernail and found evidence of change towards a fast-swimming, sensorily attuned lifestyle well before jaws and teeth were invented to better capture food.
Gigantic, meat-eating dinosaurs didn't all have strong bites, analysis shows
A new analysis of the bite strength of 18 species of carnivorous dinosaurs shows that while the Tyrannosaurus rex skull was optimized for quick, strong bites like a crocodile, other giant, predatory dinosaurs that walked on two legs—including spinosaurs and allosaurs—had much weaker bites and instead specialized in slashing and ripping flesh.
Jawless parasite study uncovers how neural crest cells shaped thyroid evolution
The thyroid, a vital endocrine organ in vertebrates, plays a key role in regulating metabolism and supporting growth. The first gland of both the nervous system and endocrine system to mature during an embryo's development, it initially evolved more than 500 million years ago out of a "primitive" precursor organ in chordates known as the endostyle.
Breaking bilateral symmetry: The unusual head of a fish and the puzzle of its genes
Almost all animals have symmetrical bodies. Bilateral symmetry is almost universal in all animals and is only very rarely broken—with exceptions like the five-armed starfish or crab species that have one large and one small claw.
Modern-day potato originated from hybridization event with tomatoes 9 million years ago, study reveals
An international research team has uncovered that natural interbreeding in the wild between tomato plants and potato-like species from South America about 9 million years ago gave rise to the modern-day potato.
Early human ancestors showed extreme size differences between males and females
A newly published study has found that males of some of our earliest known ancestors were significantly larger than females. The pronounced difference in body size present in both Australopithecus afarensis (the East African species that includes the famous fossil "Lucy") and A. africanus (a closely related southern African species) suggests the ancient hominins may have lived in social systems marked by intense competition among males, leading to the substantial size disparity among the sexes.
Record-breaking 'gigantic' deep-sea limpet species named after ONE PIECE character
Researchers from Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) have discovered a deep-sea limpet species 5,922 meters beneath the northwestern Pacific Ocean, marking the deepest known habitat for any true limpet (subclass Patellogastropoda).
300-million-year-old ecosystem in northern Illinois includes three paleoenvironments
More than 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous Period, much of northern Illinois outside Chicago—including what is now the Mazon Creekfossil site—was alive with ancient creatures thriving in lush, tropical swamps, river deltas and shallow seas.
Some families may be 'tossing a weighted coin' when it comes to child sex
The consensus on the likelihood of giving birth to a boy or girl has long been that the odds are roughly equal and that all mothers have the same odds of having either a boy or a girl. This is partially because sperm have a 50–50 chance of carrying either an X or Y chromosome. Yet, many families seem to be prone to having all girls or all boys. New research shows that there might be a reason for this.
Flies like it cool: Study reveals evolutionary shifts in temperature preference among drosophila larvae
New research from Queen Mary University of London reveals how fruit fly larvae have repeatedly evolved their temperature preferences, shedding light on the intricate ways animals adapt to their environments. The study, published in iScience, provides crucial insights into how they cope with a changing climate.
Mammals have evolved into ant eaters 12 times since the dinosaur age, study finds
Mammals have developed some unusual eating habits over the past 100 million years, but a new study has uncovered the surprising lengths to which some have gone to satisfy one of the more peculiar—a taste for ants and termites.
What does it cost an animal to fight? From lost limbs to reduced reproductive success
How do animals decide when to fight and when to walk, fly, slither, or swim away? Most research on animal conflict has focused on the short-term costs of single interactions, but a pair of behavioral ecologists argue that these one-time events might paint an incomplete picture.
How much time did our ancestors spend up trees? Savanna-living chimpanzees might help us find out
It's hard to tell when—and why—our ancestors got down from trees and started walking on two legs. Many early hominins capable of bipedal walking were also well-adapted for climbing, and we lack fossil evidence from a key period when climate change turned forests into open, dry woodland called savanna-mosaic, which might have pushed hominins onto the ground.
Study revises 'living fossil' fish anatomy, reshaping view of vertebrate skull evolution
The coelacanth is known as a "living fossil" because its anatomy has changed little in the last 65 million years. Despite being one of the most studied fish in history, it continues to reveal new information that could transform our understanding of vertebrate evolution. This is revealed in a study published in the journal Science Advances by researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil and the Smithsonian Institution in the United States.
Scientists uncover hidden bone structures in the skin of Australian monitor lizards
Beneath the scales of Australia's iconic monitor lizards (commonly known as goannas), scientists have discovered an unexpected secret: a hidden layer of bony skin structures known as osteoderms. These structures, which have been long overlooked, may hold the key to understanding how these ancient reptiles not only survived but thrived in one of the world's harshest environments.
Feather-like crest on Triassic reptile challenges ideas about reptile evolution
Body coverings such as hair and feathers have played a central role in evolution. They enabled warm-bloodedness by insulating the body, and were used for courtship, display, deterrence of enemies and, in the case of feathers, flight.
Mapping DNA repeats: Newly found genes may explain brain evolution and language disorders
What makes the human brain distinctive? A new study published in Cell identifies two genes linked to human brain features and provides a road map to discover many more. The research could lead to insights into the functioning and evolution of the human brain, as well as the roots of language disorders and autism.
Study reveals genetic drivers of rapid freshwater adaptation in a wild fish
Unraveling the genetic mechanisms behind adaptive evolution stands as a pivotal challenge in molecular biology. While organisms often exhibit rapid phenotypic adjustments to environmental shifts, the underlying genomic processes remain poorly understood.
New study links human ribcage shape to climate
Ötzi the Iceman may have come to an unfortunate end while crossing the Alps more than 5,000 years ago, but thanks to his well-preserved remains, he's still helping us understand our past. A new digital reconstruction of the mummy's ribcage is providing fresh insights into modern human evolution.
Hidden black or white feather layers intensify songbird plumage colors
Many species of songbirds have evolved to have strikingly colorful plumage, aiding them in catching the eye of mates, signaling, and recognizing each other. These eye-catching patterns have long interested scientists, who previously assumed the birds' bright colors arose from only the visible feather layer. However, a new study, published in Science Advances, has shown that these colors are getting a boost in brightness from underlying feather layers, adding more complexity than previously assumed.
Reduction in supply of prey was decisive factor in extinction of saber-toothed tigers, study finds
In two new studies, researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, have shed light on how interactions between predators and prey influenced the extinction of saber-toothed tigers and the demise of the diverse antilocaprid species, which are now reduced to a single species: the American antelope.