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Biology news
Researchers identify role of subgenomes in bamboo evolution
As a major driving force of evolution, polyploidy (genome duplication) is ubiquitous across different evolutionary stages of the flowering plant tree of life. However, the interactions between the ancestral genomes in a polyploid ...
Evolution
49 minutes ago
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Being queen is all in this termite's head, finds gene expression study
In the world of termites studied by Northeastern professor Rebeca Rosengaus, worker termites spend their few short months on Earth cleaning and feeding their enormous long-lived queen mother and tending to her eggs and their ...
Plants & Animals
6 minutes ago
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Tanks of the triassic: New crocodile ancestor identified
Dinosaurs get all the glory. But aetosaurs, a heavily armored cousin of modern crocodiles, ruled the world before dinosaurs did. These tanks of the Triassic came in a variety of shapes and sizes before going extinct around ...
Paleontology & Fossils
17 hours ago
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Climate change alters the hidden microbial food web in peatlands, study shows
The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change.
Ecology
17 hours ago
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Eyes open and toes out of water: How a giant water bug reached the island of Cyprus
The island of Cyprus, although considered a hotspot for biodiversity in the Mediterranean, is more famous for its beautiful sunny coasts than for its insect fauna. Nevertheless, some visitors of its highly populated beaches, ...
Plants & Animals
18 hours ago
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New study uncovers how hydrogen provided energy at life's origin
Hydrogen gas is a clean fuel. It burns with oxygen in the air to provide energy with no CO2. Hydrogen is a key to sustainable energy for the future. Though humans are just now coming to realize the benefits of hydrogen gas ...
Cell & Microbiology
19 hours ago
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Genes identified that allow bacteria to thrive despite toxic heavy metal in soil
Some soil bacteria can acquire sets of genes that enable them to pump the heavy metal nickel out of their systems, a study has found. This enables the bacteria to not only thrive in otherwise toxic soils but help plants grow ...
Cell & Microbiology
19 hours ago
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Scientists discover how the Diadem butterfly mimics the African Queen
Scientists have discovered how female Diadem butterflies have evolved to look like African Queen butterflies to repel predators.
Plants & Animals
19 hours ago
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98
Artificial streams reveal how drought shapes California's alpine ecosystems
A network of artificial streams is teaching scientists how California's mountain waterways—and the ecosystems that depend on them—may be impacted by a warmer, drier climate.
Ecology
19 hours ago
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Global wildlife study during COVID-19 shows rural animals are more sensitive to human activity
One of the largest studies on wildlife activity—involving more than 220 researchers, 163 mammal species and 5,000 camera traps worldwide—reveals that wild animals react differently to humans depending on where the animals ...
Plants & Animals
22 hours ago
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Genetic basis for the evolution of hair discovered in the clawed frog
The development of hair was of central importance for the evolution of mammals and, thus, also of humans. However, the evolutionary origin of the genetic program of hair was previously unknown. An international research team ...
Evolution
21 hours ago
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Researchers develop genomic method of monitoring for pesticide resistance
Farmers rely on pesticides to control agricultural pests. But insects often develop resistance to the toxins in pesticides. University of Maryland researchers have developed and successfully tested a strategy for using genomics ...
Molecular & Computational biology
19 hours ago
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Tropical plants beat drought by interacting with specific microbes, study shows
Plant-soil-microbe interactions play a crucial role in processes that take place in the soil directly around plant roots, or the rhizosphere, and these processes contribute to nutrient cycling and metabolite turnover in the ...
Plants & Animals
21 hours ago
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Engineers manage a first: Measuring pH in cell condensates
Scientists trying to understand the physical and chemical properties that govern biomolecular condensates now have a crucial way to measure pH and other emergent properties of these enigmatic, albeit important, cellular compartments.
Cell & Microbiology
21 hours ago
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Sequencing the blue whale and Etruscan shrew genomes
The blue whale genome was published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, and the Etruscan shrew genome was published in the journal Scientific Data.
Plants & Animals
21 hours ago
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Study shows how surface curvature drives cell migration
The curvature of a surface determines the migration behavior of biological cells. They preferentially move along valleys or grooves while avoiding ridges. These findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National ...
Cell & Microbiology
21 hours ago
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Scientists publish novel research on how individual cells respond to viral infection
A team of scientists from Montana State University recently published unique research examining how individual cells respond to viral infection. The work used state-of-the-art technology to culture cells and track infection ...
Cell & Microbiology
23 hours ago
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New discovery highlights a potential stepping stone toward antibiotic resistance
A new study shows how heteroresistance, a transient resistance common in many bacteria, can act as a precursor to the development of antibiotic resistance. According to researchers at Uppsala University, this is the first ...
Evolution
22 hours ago
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How DHX9 stress granules protect daughter cells from UV-induced RNA damage
During the process of cell division, new daughter cells inherit a mix of genetic material and other molecules from their mother cells. This inheritance includes both beneficial components, which can help them for a robust ...
Cell & Microbiology
23 hours ago
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Illuminating a critical step in initiating DNA replication in eukaryotes
Brandt Eichman and Walter Chazin, professors of biochemistry, have worked together to provide a better understanding of how exactly DNA replication is initiated in eukaryotes. Using Vanderbilt's state-of-the-art instrumentation ...
Cell & Microbiology
23 hours ago
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