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UrduHow do you study a group of organisms with over 300,000 species, dispersed across all seven continents, and with up to 50 times as much DNA content as the human genome? This is the question posed to biologists studying the…
Tag: POPULATION BIOLOGY
Southeastern US herbaria digitize three million specimens, now freely available online
A network of over 100 herbaria spread out across the southeastern United States recently completed the herculean task of fully digitizing more than three million specimens collected by botanists and naturalists over a span of 200 years. The project, which…
To save a species, check its ID
New tool differentiates endangered salt marsh harvest mouse from abundant look-alike
Researcher’s work with flies could be birth control boon
New testing technique could quickly find new ways to suppress ovulation with few side effects.
DNA duplication linked to the origin and evolution of pine trees and their relatives
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Plants are DNA hoarders. Adhering to the maxim of never throwing anything out that might be useful later, they often duplicate their entire genome and hang on to the added genetic baggage. All those extra genes are…
New system for tracking macaws emphasizes species’ conservation needs
Researchers with Texas A&M’s Macaw Society used satellite telemetry to track the movements of 10 birds over a period of 8 years.
When corals meet algae: First stages of symbiosis seen for the first time
First observations of coral cells and free-living algae physically interacting provide a deeper understanding of their symbiosis and improve conservation of reefs
Scientists explore seamounts in Phoenix Islands Archipelago, gain insights into deep water diversity
Marine scientists aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor have identified likely new marine species and deep sea organisms on nine seamounts that were explored for the first time in the remote Phoenix Islands Archipelago. In a 34-day expedition that…
2D:4D ratio is not related to sex-determined finger size differences in men and women
The ratios between the lengths of the second and fourth fingers, known as the 2D:4D ratio, are different in males and females, which is often explained by levels of androgens and oestrogens. However, an alternative theory states that men have…
5 million deaths a year caused by global climate related abnormal temps
More than five million deaths a year can be attributed to abnormal hot and cold temperatures
Human-driven habitat change leads to physical, behavioral change in mosquitofish
Bahamian mosquitofish in habitats fragmented by human activity are more willing to explore their environment, more stressed by change and have smaller brain regions associated with fear response than mosquitofish from unaffected habitats. The new study from North Carolina State…
Light pollution has complex effects on animal vision
Changes in the colour and intensity of light pollution over the past few decades result in complex and unpredictable effects on animal vision, new research shows. Insect attraction to light is a well-known phenomenon, but artificial lighting can also have…
To understand ecology, follow the connections
New research from UMass Amherst suggests that demography is the key to managing habitat loss and fragmentation
Seabird colony creates ‘halo’ of depleted fish stocks
A vast seabird colony on Ascension Island creates a “halo” in which fewer fish live, new research shows. Ascension, a UK Overseas Territory, is home to tens of thousands of seabirds – of various species – whose prey incudes flying…
Male dragonflies lose their ‘bling’ in hotter climates
Less pigmentation keeps them cool, but could make it difficult to find a mate
Striking a balance: Trade-offs shape flower diversity
An international research team led by a researcher from the University of Tsukuba proposes that catering to different visitors has influenced flower evolution
Better predicting how plants and animals will weather climate extremes
Leading scientists argue the need to consider biomechanics
In with the old, out with the mew
Update to the check-list of North American birds publishes today in Ornithology
The mysterious Chinese mountain cat probably was not involved in feline domestication
Genomic evidence for the Chinese mountain cat as a wildcat conspecific (Felis silvestris bieti) and its introgression to domestic cats
Addressing inequity in air quality
Air quality varies greatly within regions and cities around the world, and exposure to air pollution can have severe health impacts. In the U.S., people of color are disproportionately exposed to poor air quality. A cover story in Chemical &…
We cannot cheat ageing and death
New study finds fresh evidence for our inevitable death
NIH awards $38 million to improve utility of polygenic risk scores in diverse populations
New consortium will include six study sites and one coordinating center
Sweeping analysis concludes there’s no cheating old age
Researchers compare pace-of-aging across 39 populations of humans and primates
Predicting the spread of invasive carp using river water flows
University of Missouri engineers are partnering with the US Geological Survey to better understand how to stop invasive carp from damaging both the economy and the environment
What factors put Philippine birds at risk of extinction?
The lush forests and more than 7,000 islands of the Philippines hold a rich diversity of life, with 258 bird species who live nowhere but the Philippine archipelago. A new study from University of Utah researchers suggests that, due to…
Liver cancer call for help
Indigenous communities missing care — expert
Hippos and anthrax
Studying hippo movement provides insights into anthrax outbreaks in Tanzania
Pollutant concentration increases in the franciscana dolphin
One of the smallest and most threatened dolphin species worldwide
An unusual symbiosis of a ciliate, green alga, and purple bacterium
Dr Sebastian Hess and his team at the University of Cologne’s Institute of Zoology have studied a very rare and puzzling tripartite symbiosis. This consortium consists of a ciliate as host and two types of endosymbionts: a green alga and…
URI researchers: New survey method proves Rhode Island’s rarest frog may not be so rare
KINGSTON, R.I. – June 14, 2021 – The rarest frog in Rhode Island may not be as rare as scientists once thought after a study by University of Rhode Island researchers using a seldom-used methodology turned up many more of…
Early migrations of Siberians to America tracked using bacterial population structures
Early migrations of humans to the Americas from Siberia around 12,000 years ago have been traced using the bacteria they carried by an international team including scientists at the University of Warwick
Experiments simulate possible impact of climate change on crabs
Fewer Atlantic mangrove fiddler crab embryos survived in a warmer, more acid environment mimicking conditions forecast for the end of this century; the researchers warn of a potential cascade effect
Butterflies and moths have difficulty adjusting to a rapidly changing climate
Climate change exerts great pressure for change on species and biodiversity. A recent study conducted by the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Environment Institute indicates that the few moth and butterfly species (Lepidoptera) capable of adjusting to a changing…
Sleep Number presents new data from its 360® Smart Beds at SLEEP 2021 Annual Meeting
Real-world data from Sleep Number® smart bed sleepers shows a potential model for predicting and tracking COVID-19 infection using sleep and biometric measures. Analysis of 18.2 million 360 smart bed sleep sessions finds heart rate variability differs with age, gender…
Experiments show natural selection opposes sexual selection
Natural selection can reverse evolution that occurs through sexual selection and this can lead to better females, new research shows. The study – led by the University of Exeter and Okayama University – examined broad-horned flour beetles, whose males have…
Preventing plant disease pandemics
During the COVID-19 pandemic, food systems faced disruptions from staff shortages and supply chain issues. Now, a Virginia Tech researcher is assisting with efforts to help plants themselves from facing their own pandemic. Just like human diseases, plant diseases don’t…
Paleontologists for the first time discover the pierced skull of a Pleistocene cave bear
Russian paleontologists discovered the skull of a Pleistocene small cave bear with artificial damage in the Imanay Cave (Bashkiria, Russia).
Popularity runs in families
Cloned fruit flies star in ‘Truman Show’ study of how genes play role in social networks
This forest has stayed wild for 5,000 years — we can tell because of the soil
We sometimes think of the Amazon rainforest as unaltered by humans, a peek into the planet’s past. In recent years, scientists have learned that many parts of the Amazon aren’t untouched at all–they’ve been cultivated by Indigenous peoples for thousands…
10,000-year-old DNA pens the first tales of the earliest domesticated goats
New research has revealed the genetic makeup of the earliest goat herds. The findings, assimilated from DNA taken from the remains of 32 goats that died some 10,000 years ago in the Zagros mountains, provide clues to how early agricultural…
Beneficial arthropods find winter sanctuary in uncultivated field edges, study finds
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Many species of ground-dwelling beetles, ladybugs, hoverflies, damsel bugs, spiders and parasitic wasps kill and eat pest species that routinely plague farmers, including aphids and corn rootworm larvae and adults. But the beneficial arthropods that live in…
Study confirms invasive lionfish now threaten species along Brazilian coast
Researchers say management of the predatory fish is critical to protecting Brazil’s coral reefs and marine biodiversity
North Atlantic right whales have gotten smaller since the 1980s
Whales are largely protected from direct catch, but many populations’ numbers still remain far below what they once were. A study published in the journal Current Biology on June 3 suggests that, in addition to smaller population sizes, those whales…
Life stage differences shield ecological communities from collapse
A new study by ecologist André de Roos* shows that differences between juveniles and adults of the same species are crucial for the stability of complex ecological communities. The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , represents a major…
New technology ‘listens’ for endangered right whales
One of the world’s most endangered whale species could have added protection from threats posed by human marine activity, through technology developed by the University of East Anglia (UEA). In partnership with the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and…
Researchers figured out how the ancestors of modern horses migrated
Molecular biologists studied the DNA of ones that migrated from North America to Eurasia and back
Biologists find invasive snails using new DNA-detection technique
Invasive species, beware: Your days of hiding may be ending. Biologists led by the University of Iowa discovered the presence of the invasive New Zealand mud snail by detecting their DNA in waters they were inhabiting incognito. The researchers employed…
Lundquist investigators in global study expanding genomic research of different ancestries
Paper in Nature Genetics: Genome-wide meta-analysis shows that research into different ancestries leads to better results and better care
Antarctic hotspot: Fin whales favour the waters around Elephant Island
Sound recordings show: the baleen whales use the island’s krill-rich waters virtually year-round, which is why it needs to be protected
Partners in crime: Agricultural pest that relies on bacteria to overcome plant defenses
Scientists confirm that certain insect larvae host bacteria that help shut down plant defense mechanisms