https://phys.org/biology-news/ en-us Read the latest science news from Phys.org on biology, evolution, microbiology, biotechnology At first glance, the spotted lanternfly looks like an elegant butterfly, speckled with black spots on white wings with a splash of bright red. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-invasive-lanternflies-devastating-crops.html Ecology Sat, 21 Oct 2023 02:30:02 EDT news617073775 An international team, with participation by the Geochronology and Geology Program of the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), has published a paper in the journal iScience on the first Miocene mammal fossils found in East Africa, specifically, in the Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique), a coastal woodland setting fundamental to comprehending the evolution of the African ecosystems and how these may have had an impact in the evolution and adaptation of the hominin lineage. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-miocene-fossils-coastal-woodlands-southern.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:17:31 EDT news617030250 Urbanization and human activities have transformed a significant proportion of the land on Earth, resulting in the formation of urban environments. These urban environments are man-made habitats that often impose several selective pressures on their inhabitants. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-urbanization-trigger-evolution.html Plants & Animals Evolution Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:00:01 EDT news617009730 Often introduced unintentionally by human activities, invasive alien species can outcompete and overwhelm native flora and fauna, driving species to the brink of extinction and disrupting the balance of ecosystems. Understanding why exactly they establish in new locations and how they got there in the first place is crucial if we are to mitigate their destructive effects. Unfortunately, there isn't enough research on this, and the answers might not always be straightforward. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-soil-sea-freight-dangerous-pests.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:32:03 EDT news617027521 This year is the tenth annual Aussie Backyard Bird Count, which Professor Simon Griffith says highlights the important role citizen science projects play in our understanding of changes taking place in our world. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-chickens-kookaburras-lorikeets-backyard-birds.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:19:03 EDT news617026741 The ability of bisphenols and hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls to activate estrogen receptor α and β subtypes (bsERα and bsERβ) in Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica) was evaluated by both in vitro and computer-based (in silico) experiments. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-endocrine-disruption-environmental-contaminants.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:04:02 EDT news617025841 Cats are hunters by nature, which is why it's not uncommon for an outdoor cat to bring home a "gift," left on their owner's doorstep. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-free-roaming-cats-impact-wildlife-disease.html Ecology Veterinary medicine Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:55:04 EDT news617025301 Recent collaboration between Bangor University and the UK Center for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) has shown that most people want more nature like trees and wildflowers in their towns and cities. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-people-trees-wildflower-meadows-townscapes.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:54:03 EDT news617025241 In an article published in the journal Flora, researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil examine some of the strategies developed over eons of evolution by plants in the Cerrado, Brazil's savanna-like biome, to protect themselves and resprout quickly after fire. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cerrado-combine-strategies-survive.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:49:04 EDT news617024941 With the aid of innovative statistical methods, researchers explore the complex interplay between life cycle, environmental factors and genetic information using wheat as an example. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-insights-crop-climate.html Agriculture Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:37:03 EDT news617024221 Since 1978, China has been building a "Great Green Wall" of trees and shrubs across its arid and semi-arid regions to combat desertification and improve the environment. Known as the Three-North Afforestation Program (TNAP), it is the largest ecological restoration project in the world, covering the northeast, north-central and northwest regions of China. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-china-great-green-wall-boosts.html Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:15:03 EDT news617022901 The Baltic Sea Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) consists of both wild and hatchery-reared fish. As these salmon forage for food, they migrate through various areas of the Baltic Sea and are exposed to a variety of environmental stresses, including exposure to organohalogen compounds (OHCs). https://phys.org/news/2023-10-organohalogen-contamination-impact-health-baltic.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:06:03 EDT news617022362 Warming waters due to climate change, pollution, overfishing and fraud in the seafood supply chain means that knowing where your seafood comes from, and that it has been sourced sustainably and without forced labor, is as important as ever. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-foreshore-sustainable-fishing-tool-tackle.html Biotechnology Agriculture Fri, 20 Oct 2023 12:04:04 EDT news617022241 The Kaokoveld region, covering north-western Namibia and south-western Angola, is one of the remotest areas in southern Africa. Although it's extremely dry, it is a center of species endemism: many species occur only there and nowhere else on earth. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-namibia-angola-remote-ovahimba-mountains.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 11:54:04 EDT news617021641 Why are so few species able to regenerate damaged or missing body parts, even though regeneration might seem an obvious survival advantage? Researchers at the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Multidisciplinary Sciences in Göttingen, Germany, and colleagues have now found a possible explanation in planarian flatworms. Analyzing head regeneration abilities in a large collection of planarian species, they found that these capacities vary greatly and depend on how the different species reproduce. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-worms-regenerate.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 11:27:04 EDT news617020021 One third of the global terrestrial carbon stock is stored in grasslands. A new global study implies that this stock may decrease as plant biodiversity is reduced, especially in warm and arid areas. The reason is that a species-poor vegetation seems to decompose faster in the soil. The study was led by Marie Spohn from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-loss-biodiversity-soil-carbon-sequestration.html Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 11:25:03 EDT news617019901 The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), a serious respiratory infection, to form snake-like cords was first noted nearly 80 years ago. In a study published October 20 in the journal Cell, investigators report the biophysical mechanisms by which these cords form and demonstrate how several generations of dividing bacteria hang together to create these structures that enable resistance to antibiotics. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-cord-like-aggregates-bacteria-tuberculosis-infections.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news617009720 The diverse characteristics of the human body's various cells are reflected in their gene expression patterns. The regulation of such gene expression is based on transcription factors that bind to specific sequences in the genome. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-representation-transcription-factor-binding-sequences.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:32:01 EDT news617016719 A team of marine biologists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Alaska Fishery Science Center has solved the mystery of why approximately 10 billion snow crabs vanished from the Bering Sea back in 2018/2019—the water there was too warm for them. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-billion-crabs-starved-death-bering.html Plants & Animals Ecology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 10:16:05 EDT news617015762 Scientists have discovered flagella in an unexpected place: hot spring-dwelling bacteria from the phylum Chloroflexota. Research shows that flagella were lost in other forms of Chloroflexota that adapted to marine environments hundreds of millions of years ago. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-marine-bacteria-ditched-flagella-traits.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:45:48 EDT news617013944 Tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) is one of the organophosphorus flame retardants that has been detected in the environment, and in the eggs, feathers, and liver of birds. Early developmental avian embryos are known to be sensitive to chemical exposure, but knowledge regarding the effects of TCIPP on avian embryonic development is limited. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-results-organophosphorus-flame-retardants-malformations.html Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:32:04 EDT news617013122 In a Finnish study, significant differences in the gene activity of the fetal intestine, brain and placenta were identified, depending on the microbes in the mother's body and the compounds produced by them. The findings indicate that maternal microbes are important to her offspring's development and health. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-maternal-microbiota-affect-fetal.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:32:02 EDT news617013119 Researchers from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a combinatorial optimization approach to construct and spatially control a cytochrome P450-cytochrome P450 reductase (CYP-CPR) network in an engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain to boost quillaic acid production. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-optimizing-cytochrome-p450-network-high-level.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Fri, 20 Oct 2023 09:18:43 EDT news617012321 For hundreds of years, business owners engaged in New Jersey's commercial fisheries industry have weathered adversity, from coastal storms to species shifts. Recognizing this resilience, and acknowledging the challenges posed by global climate change, Rutgers scientists have come to their assistance. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-qa-scientist-fish-harvesters-strategies.html Ecology Agriculture Thu, 19 Oct 2023 17:39:04 EDT news616955941 Golden retrievers are one of the most popular breeds of dogs. But research shows they have up to a 65% chance of dying from cancer. In a new study, University of California, Davis, researchers set out to find if certain genetic factors could help their survival rate. But instead of searching for genes associated with a cancer diagnosis in the breed, they instead chose to look for genes associated with longer life. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-golden-longer-gene-longevity.html Molecular & Computational biology Veterinary medicine Thu, 19 Oct 2023 17:06:04 EDT news616953962 As rising global temperatures push Arctic icecaps into retreat, large and small sea creatures and the commercial fishing boats that follow them are also migrating northward. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-arctic-pose-threat-pacific-whales.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:55:52 EDT news616953350 A new study used a novel technique to assess types of habitat provided by oyster reefs across 12 tributaries in the Chesapeake Bay. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-underwater-cameras-large-scale-oyster-reef.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:55:09 EDT news616953306 Cooperation between species to help each other's survival is known as mutualism. It is seen among many types of organisms, such as plants and fungi that exchange nutrients with one another, plants that provide bees with nectar in exchange for pollination, and sea anemones that provide protection for clown-fish in exchange for excreted nutrients. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-mutualism-invasive-species.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:54:53 EDT news616953291 Scientists and natural resource managers from Canadian First Nations, governments, academic institutions, and conservation organizations published the first results of a unique salmon population monitoring tool in Frontiers in Marine Science. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-nations-led-ai-technology-salmon-recovery.html Plants & Animals Ecology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:41:03 EDT news616952461 Controlling the process of destabilization is important when manipulating the unfolding and refolding of proteins in vitro (outside their native environment). To this end, urea and alcohol are used as cosolvents, substances added in small amounts along with water, to destabilize and denature proteins. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-modulation-protein-stability-approach-cosolvent.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 19 Oct 2023 16:37:03 EDT news616952222