A look inside the brains of extraordinarily sharp elderly people reveals clues about their unusual abilities. Deep in these exceptional brains were signs of what some scientists believe to be newborn nerve cells, born well into old…
Category: 5. Biology
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Scientists Use Light To Evolve Proteins That Switch Like Tiny Computers
Scientists used light to evolve proteins that can switch, sense, and even “compute” inside living cells. Evolution is one of biology’s most powerful design tools. It works by producing many variations of DNA, RNA, and proteins within cells…
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Satellite images uncover new threat to emperor penguins during their annual molt
The tall black-and-white residents of Antarctica, who waddle around its icy landscape, are in peril thanks to the rapidly warming global climate. Emperor penguins go through an annual transformation called catastrophic molting, during which they…
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Meet 'Tous'—an entirely new genus of mammal
Mammals are not especially diverse. Roughly 6,800 mammal species are known to exist, compared with about 8,800 species of amphibian, 11,000 species of bird and 12,500 of reptile. Yet when most people picture biodiversity, they often think of…
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Are Killer Whales Also Cannibals?
How do you explain a 1.5-foot-tall severed black fin with jagged bite marks on its surface?
The fin is from a killer whale, and the tooth marks are also from a killer whale, which begs the question of whether killer whales are cannibals. A
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Scientists Examine How Cannabis Essential Oils Might Repel Mosquitos
An international research team conducted a study on the mosquito’s sensory coding and observed akey biological mechanism that can lead to more targeted and effective mosquito repellent products. In a study…
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Researchers thought inbred koalas were at risk of extinction—what they discovered upends genetic conventions
If you follow media coverage of koalas, you could be forgiven for feeling confused. Recent stories describe a “koala paradox”: endangered in the north of Australia, abundant in the south; genetically diverse in some regions, genetically depleted…
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Artificial feeding platform transforms study of ticks and their diseases
The world’s first lab-based tick feeding system for bush ticks, developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne, has transformed the study of ticks and how they transmit disease. The novel, host-free technology reduces the need for animal…
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The 'Great Texas Freeze' killed thousands of purple martins: Biologists worry recovery could take decades
Thousands of birds, including beloved purple martins, died in “The Great Texas Freeze” of 2021. A study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution led by biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, reveals not only the extent of the…
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Scientists Discover Hundreds of Energy Enzymes Sitting Directly on Human DNA
Scientists discovered hundreds of energy-making enzymes secretly working on human DNA—revealing a hidden “mini-metabolism” inside the nucleus that may shape how cancers survive and respond to treatment. Scientists have discovered that more…
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