From the smallest microbe to the largest dinosaurs and from the tiniest spore to the biggest giant sequoia, biological research continues to shed new light on the weird and wonderful world of living organisms.| New Atlas
Sequencing mammoth DNA has already helped scientists map out how these Ice Age giants evolved, migrated, and survived. But there's a hidden layer of history still waiting to be decoded – the microbes that lived inside them. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Wooly mammoth, Bacteria, DNA, Archeology| Biology
A chance discovery in a Vermont cheese cave has given scientists a rare glimpse of evolution unfolding in real time – and the unexpected findings have broad implications for protecting human health, enhancing food security and even delivering new flavors to turophiles. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Tufts University, Evolution, Food security, Food technology, Fungus, nature| Biology
In the shadowy underworld of soil, tiny plastic particles are lurking like molecular saboteurs. Researchers have long suspected they're sneaking into our crops, but the trail often goes cold fast. Why? Because tracking these microscopic misfits through plant tissues is akin to chasing ghosts with a magnifying glass. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Food, Microplastic, Plastic, Pollution| Biology
A tiny skull found on a beach in Devon has rewritten the early history of lizards, snakes and the tuatara, the last survivor of an ancient reptile lineage found only in New Zealand today. The new species dates back 242 million years, making it the earliest known lepidosaur. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:University of Bristol, Tuatara, Reptile, Dinosaurs, History, Animal science, Evolution| Biology
We don't fully understand why some people appear more attractive to mosquitoes – largely because it's complicated, a tangled web of physiological factors, geography and species. But a new study has found that for some people, the biting insects are partial to the taste of beer.| New Atlas
A mysterious marine epidemic has erased billions of sea stars from North America’s Pacific coast. After more than a decade of unanswered questions, scientists have traced the disaster to a single bacterial species – an invisible predator reshaping entire shorelines. In its wake, sea stars erupt in lesions, shed their arms and melt away into ghostly remnants of their former selves. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Marine Innovations, Marine Biology, Ecosystem, Bacteria| Biology
Right now, groups of Icelanders are taking to the streets late at night, armed with cardboard boxes and torches, in search of the telltale white bellies of baby Atlantic puffins. Once caught, these birds will spend the next few hours with their captors, before being tossed off clifftops after…| New Atlas
The extraordinary evolution of humans is often exemplified by two defining traits: large brains and highly dexterous hands. Together, they enabled the development of tools, the rise of complex cultures, and the ability to adapt to a wide range of environments. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Evolution, Hand, Brain, University of Reading| New Atlas - New Technology & Science News
In the largest study of its kind, scientists have accurately documented the massive change in animal morphology over the last 1,000 years, with domesticated animals growing larger across the board and their wild relatives becoming smaller. It underlines the true impact of one species in particular…| New Atlas
Wouldn't it be great if the plants in your home could do more than just sit there looking pretty? Researchers at South China Agricultural University in the city of Guangzhou have found a way to upgrade them into soft glowing night lights in a range of hues, with the use of nanoparticles. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Plants, Nanoparticles, Light| Biology
A remarkably intact skeleton of a giant meat-eating crocodile relative has been unearthed in South America, providing scientists with a vivid picture of its physiology and behavior when it roamed the land 70 million years ago, chasing down its prey – which included medium-sized dinosaurs. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Dinosaurs, Reptile, History, Fossils, Paleontology, Animal science| Biology
If you've noticed that you're hearing birdsong longer into your day than you used to, your observation fits with those made by researchers examining millions of hours of tweets and warbles. But just why are our feathered friends holding longer concerts? Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Birds, Light, light-pollution, southern-illinois-university, oklahoma state university| Biology
In a breakthrough study, scientists have transferred a courtship behavior from one species to another, triggering the recipient to perform this completely foreign act as if it was its own. While genes have been swapped between species to influence traits, a totally unknown behavior has never been genetically swapped into a different animal before. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:Nagoya University, Neuroscience, Evolution, Genetic engineering, neurons, Behavior| Biology
We've long known how the nerve endings in our skin detect cold and swiftly relay the information to our brains, but we haven't understood exactly how it works. Scientists have now solved the puzzle, unlocking the mystery of this temperature pathway. Continue Reading Category:Biology, Science Tags:University of Michigan, Neuroscience, Pain, Signal Processing, neurons, Temperature, Chemotherapy| Biology
A groundbreaking study has traced the 66-million-year evolutionary history of primates and overturned conventional thought that our ancestors originally inhabited warm tropical forests. Using advanced statistical and climate-modeling techniques, researchers have discovered that the earliest members…| New Atlas