Drones flying above the waters of Shetland have captured rare footage of harbor porpoises gathering in unusually large groups and engaging in mating behavior. The footage, gathered between 2019 and 2023, provides one of the most detailed records…
Category: 5. Biology
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Drones capture rare harbor porpoise mating behavior off Shetland
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Whole-genome study of koalas shows genetic diversity alone can misread extinction risk
A new study published in Science is challenging long-held assumptions about how we measure genetic risk in endangered species. Researchers analyzed whole genomes from hundreds of koalas, finding that populations previously considered most at risk…
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This odd little plant could help turbocharge crop yields
An international team of researchers has uncovered a remarkable molecular trick used by a unique group of land plants, one that could eventually be engineered into crops like wheat and rice to dramatically boost how efficiently they convert…
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Koalas Nearly Lost Their Genetic Diversity But Their Comeback Is Rewriting the Story
Koalas’ population comeback may be doing more than boosting numbers—it could also be rebuilding their lost genetic diversity. A new genomic study of koalas across Australia suggests that rapid population recovery may help restore genetic…
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Study reveals a disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration
Accumulation of the protein tau in the brain is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. In a paper publishing March 5 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue, researchers report a previously unknown mechanism…
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Cannabis Extracts Significantly Reduce Myofascial Pain
Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) consists of a myriad of conditions causing jaw pain and dysfunction and the muscles controlling jaw movement. One type of pain is myofascial pain, which is associated with…
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Cannabis Extracts Significantly Reduce Myofascial Pain
Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) consists of a myriad of conditions causing jaw pain and dysfunction and the muscles controlling jaw movement. One type of pain is myofascial pain, which is associated with…
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Wild macaques don't abandon babies. So why did Punch's mother?
Little Punch, a seven-month-old Japanese macaque living in the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, has captured hearts on the internet. Abandoned by his mother in the first few days of his life and raised by the keepers at the zoo, he has had some…
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Paleontologists challenge use of bone growth rings to age crocodiles, dinosaurs
Do the bones of all Nile crocodiles have the same number of growth marks as their age? And can such growth rings be counted to accurately gauge the age of these reptiles? Is this also an accurate method to use when trying to “age” dinosaurs and…
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The Black Death's counterintuitive effect: As human numbers fell, so did plant diversity
Between 1347 and 1353, Europe was gripped by the most catastrophic pandemic in its history: the Black Death. Killing many millions, the plague wiped out between one-third and a half of Europe’s population.
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