The electrical energy generated by thunderstorms can make our hair stand up,…
Category: 5. Biology
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Forget flatfooted lumbering T. rex. New research shows it walked on tiptoes
Powerful, fierce and the king of the Cretaceous world, Tyrannosaurus rex was the ultimate apex predator. But it was also surprisingly dainty on its feet, according to new research. Findings published in the journal Royal Society Open Science show…
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How a one‑eyed creature gave rise to our modern eyes
There is a tiny cyclops among your oldest ancestors, and humans share these remarkable ancestral roots with all other vertebrates. Researchers from Lund University and University of Sussex have found that all vertebrates evolved from a distant…
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Land plants began reshaping Earth 455 million years ago, scientists discover
Pinpointing when early land plants colonized terrestrial environments and began influencing Earth’s systems is a core question in the evolution of the Earth system. A research team led by Prof. Zhao Mingyu at the Institute of Geology and…
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Climate change could threaten monarch mass migration
Climate change may threaten North America’s iconic mass monarch butterfly migration.
Every fall, millions of monarchs (Danaus plexippus) travel thousands of kilometers over North America as they leave their breeding grounds in…
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Viruses reveal shared way to kill bacteria by jamming small transporter MurJ
Biochemists at Caltech have identified how viruses have converged on a method for killing bacteria. The researchers have homed in on an underexplored small transporter called MurJ that is a vital part of the pathway bacteria use to build their…
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Superbugs Have a Hidden Weak Spot and Viruses Just Revealed It
Antibiotic resistance is rising fast, killing tens of thousands each year in the U.S. alone—and scientists are racing to find new ways to stop deadly bacteria. Now, researchers have uncovered how tiny viruses that infect bacteria, called…
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Researchers create DNA detection tool to stop spread of invasive Asian swamp eels, bullseye snakeheads
In the canals, marshes, and swamps of the Florida Everglades, invasive fish are silently slipping into new waterways. Among them are the Asian swamp eel and the bullseye snakehead, two air-breathing predators that live in the region and pose…
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Unexpected behavior observed during interactions between immune cells and dying cells
Over the years, cell biology has built a detailed picture of how cells compartmentalize their internal functions. Central to this organization is the nucleus, which houses the genetic material and is separated from the cytoplasm by…
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Mother's breasts may protect a newborn from the cold—a new perspective on breast evolution
Humans differ from other primates due to their relatively large, permanent breasts, and their development has so far not been conclusively explained. According to a study conducted at the University of Oulu, Finland, the surface temperature of…
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