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Articles in 'Biology' (Page 2)
New butterfly species identified in Yucatan peninsula
— 24 Nov 2011 18:58About 160,000 species of butterflies and moths are already known, but scientists believe that a similar number still remain undiscovered. Identification and characterisation of these species can be complicated by the fact that each species has an immature caterpillar and a mature butterfly form, as well as the reliance on the physical appearance for classification…
Introducing the monarch butterfly genome
— 23 Nov 2011 19:46The Monarch butterfly is famous for its ability to travel up to 2,000 miles from North America to central Mexico every fall. Now, it's enjoying fame of a different sort. In the 23 November issue of Cell, researchers report the full genomic sequence of this iconic butterfly. The new genome is the first for any butterfly. It is also the first complete genome of any long-distance migrant…
UGA discovery changes how scientists think about plant cell wall formation
— 22 Nov 2011 16:50University of Georgia researchers have discovered that two proteins come together in an unexpected way to make a carbohydrate, a chain of sugar molecules, in plant cell walls. This fundamental discovery changes the way scientists think about how plant cell walls are made and opens a new door to converting plants to biofuels and other carbon-based products…
Predators drive the evolution of poison dart frogs' skin patterns
— 21 Nov 2011 19:31Natural selection has played a role in the development of the many skins patterns of the tiny Ranitomeya imitator poison dart frog, according to a study that will be published in an upcoming edition of American Naturalist by University of Montreal biologist Mathieu Chouteau. The researcher's methodology was rather unusual: on three occasions over three days, at two different sites, Chouteau investigated the number of attacks that had been made on fake frogs, by counting how many times that had been pecked. Those that were attacked the least looked like local frogs, while those that came from another area had obviously been targeted…
A new model for understanding biodiversity
— 21 Nov 2011 19:22Animals like foxes and raccoons are highly adaptable. They move around and eat everything from insects to eggs. They and other 'generalist feeders' like them may also be crucial to sustaining biological diversity, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)…
Snake spills venomous secrets
— 17 Nov 2011 17:49Examining venom from a variety of poisonous snakes, a group of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has discovered why the bite of one small black, yellow and red serpent called the Texas coral snake can be so painful…
Scientists discover gene switch responsible for flight muscle formation
— 17 Nov 2011 17:43Flies are real flight artists, although they only have small wings compared to their body size. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, recently identified the genetic switch that regulates the formation of flight muscles. 'The gene spalt is essential for the generation of the ultrafast super muscles,' emphasises Frank Schnorrer, head of the research group 'Muscle Dynamics.' 'Without spalt, the fly builds only normal leg muscles instead of flight muscles.' The scientists' results have now been published in Nature…
New model more accurately describes migratory animals' extinction risk
— 16 Nov 2011 21:31Predicting the risk of extinction is a complicated task, especially for species that migrate between breeding and wintering sites. Researchers at the University of Georgia and Tulane University have developed a mathematical model that may make such predictions more accurate. Their work appears in the early online edition of the Royal Society journal Biology Letters…
Scientists uncover new DNA role in modifying gene function
— 10 Apr 2011 17:45For years, scientists have thought of DNA as a passive blueprint capable only of producing specific proteins through RNA transcription. Now, research led by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has shown DNA can also act to fine-tune the activity of certain proteins known as nuclear receptors. The study was published today, 10 April, in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology…
Contagious yawning evidence of empathy, not just sleepiness or boredom
— 9 Apr 2011 11:55Contagious yawning is not just a marker of sleepiness or boredom. For chimpanzees, it may actually be a sign of a social connection between individuals. New research at the Yerkes National Primate Research Centre, Emory University, may help scientists understand empathy, the mechanism thought to underlie contagious yawning, in both chimpanzees and humans. The research also may help show how social biases strengthen or weaken empathy…
Normal vision but blind to light
New catfish species named after Frank Gallagher