Few pests eat away at farm profitability as much as soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Causing at least $1.5 billion in yield losses annually, it’s soybean’s single biggest threat. Unfortunately, soybean’s most effective tool, genetic resistance, is…
Category: 5. Biology
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Genetic library for soybean cyst nematode could renew resistance, profitability for soybean growers
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Rewilding could fill gap left by Panama's lost giants
Many large herbivores that once roamed modern-day Panama have declined or died out—including the 6-meter-long giant ground sloth and elephant-related creatures called Cuvieronius. New research suggests that introducing large herbivores in…
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Brain structure volume linked to increased social tolerance in macaques
Researchers have found that the size of the amygdala—a region of the brain involved in processing emotions—could be linked to social tolerance in macaque monkeys. Their research, published today in eLife, is described by the editors as…
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Climate shifts could leave many protected floodplains too dry
Floodplains face increasing pressure: currently protected areas will not be sufficient to preserve the species living in them in the future, a review study conducted under the direction of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and…
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70-year field study finds fertilizer imbalance can halve mycorrhizal fungi
Almost all plants live in close symbiosis with so-called mycorrhizal fungi—an important symbiosis for absorbing essential nutrients. In their new study, a team led by ecologist Christina Kaiser from the Center for Microbiology and Environmental…
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The right sounds may turn sleep into a problem-solving tool
When solving a puzzle, the answer could lie in your dreams.
In a study of lucid dreamers, playing soundtracks linked with unsolved puzzles helped the sleepers solve the problems the next day, researchers report February 5 in…
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Left-handed people may have a psychological edge in competition
Left-handers are more competitive than right-handers, according to a new study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The findings may help explain why left-handedness has persisted throughout evolution despite the majority of people being…
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Did plants nearly wipe out all marine life on Earth—twice?
UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Thomas Algeo has been studying the planet’s five major mass extinctions since the Ordovician Period, when global sea levels were much higher than today. In a paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution,…
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Brazilian fossil site yields smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded
A study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology describes the smallest rhynchosaur fossil ever recorded from the Brazilian Triassic, with the reconstructed skull only measuring around 2.5 cm (~1 inch). Additionally, the fossil…
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AI technology detects real-time koala crossing in first for field
A prototype artificial intelligence-powered camera incorporated into an intelligent road sign has successfully detected and recorded a koala crossing a road in real time on the Redlands Coast, marking the first time this technology has been…
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