How Animals and Nature React to an Eclipse
Of all of the animals worth observing during a total solar eclipse, some of the most intriguing are humans. They stop what they’re doing; they stare skyward; they lower their voices to a hush. Some may gather their young close. Some may even shed tears. If you’ve ever witnessed a solar eclipse yourself, none of this comes as a surprise; indeed, you’ve surely exhibited some of these behaviors too. Other species of animals display other kinds of behavioral changes, as the weather and lighting and nature itself seem to turn on their axes. So what should you expect to experience on April 8, as a total eclipse...
Source: TIME: Science - March 25, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Jeffrey Kluger Tags: Uncategorized Eclipse Source Type: news
‘After you!’ A female bird’s flutter conveys a polite message to her mate
A wave goodbye. A bow. A thumbs-up. Human culture is full of gestures that can convey more than words ever could. Now, scientists have observed a pair of chivalrous birds joining the conversation.
Video taken in Nagano, Japan, shows two Japanese tits (
Parus minor
) as they return to their nest inside a birdhouse with food for their young. The female lands on a nearby branch and flutters her wings toward her mate, who enters the house first; she follows shortly afterward.
Observations of eight pairs of birds returning to the nest more than 300 times revealed that the females were the dominant fluttere...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 25, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Scientists Close in on Elusive Goal of Adapting Nanopore Technology for Protein Sequencing
Technology could enable medical laboratories to deploy inexpensive protein sequencing with a handheld device at point of care and remote locations Clinical laboratories engaged in protein testing will be interested in several recent studies that suggest scientists may be close to adapting nanopore-sensing technology for use in protein identification and sequencing. The new proteomics techniques […]
The post Scientists Close in on Elusive Goal of Adapting Nanopore Technology for Protein Sequencing appeared first on Dark Daily. (Source: Dark Daily)
Source: Dark Daily - March 25, 2024 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Jillia Schlingman Tags: International Laboratory News Laboratory Instruments & Laboratory Equipment Laboratory Testing Molecular Diagnostics, Genetic Testing, Whole Gene Sequencing Aleksei Aksimentiev PhD American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology amino Source Type: news
UK genetics project looks for lost apple varieties to protect fruit in climate crisis
Heritage orchard at RHS Rosemoor to be sampled this spring as part of search for previously unrecorded ‘survivor’ cultivarsGardeners are searching for lost apple varieties by sequencing the genetics of trees in ancient orchards, in the hope they hold traits that can help the fruit survive climate breakdown.Heritage apple trees at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden Rosemoor will be sampled this spring with the aim of finding species of apple enjoyed by people hundreds of years ago.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 23, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Helena Horton Environment reporter Tags: Genetics Fruit Devon Environment Biology Science UK news Climate crisis Source Type: news
What ’s Next for the Coronavirus?
Scientists studying the virus ’s continuing evolution, and the body’s immune responses, hope to head off a resurgence and to better understand long Covid. (Source: NYT Health)
Source: NYT Health - March 23, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Apoorva Mandavilli Tags: your-feed-science Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Disease Rates Vaccination and Immunization Immune System Hospitals Evolution (Biology) Coronavirus Omicron Variant Chronic Condition (Health) Influenza Sewers and Sewage Source Type: news
‘This person saved her’: the cancer patients in need of a stem cell donor match
Four in 10 UK patients do not find a match and those from non-white backgrounds find it more difficultPete McCleave first heard about stem cells during his sciences degree in the 1990s. “I knew about them, I just didn’t know what they could be used for,” he says. “It all sounded very pie in the sky.” It wasn’t until two decades later when McCleave was diagnosed with myeloma blood cancer that he came across stem cells again. This time, he needed them to save his life.“I was told that really the only chance I have, the best chance I have in seeing beyond the seven years I was given [to live] was finding a stem ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 22, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Mabel Banfield-Nwachi Tags: Cancer Health Stem cells Biology Science Society UK news Source Type: news
Scientists name newly discovered ancient amphibian species after Kermit the Frog
Kermitops gratusare thought to be among first true amphibians and a key step in transition of life from water to landAfter achieving worldwide fame through numerous hit films and TV shows, leading to a star on Hollywood ’s Walk of Fame, Kermit the Frog has another accolade: a 270m-year-old fossil named after him.Scientists have discovered a species of an ancient amphibian ancestor, which they have namedKermitops gratus because of its resemblance to the bright green star of The Muppet Show.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 21, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Nadeem Badshah Tags: Palaeontology Fossils Animals Science The Muppets US news World news Biology Source Type: news
Final NIH budget for 2024 is essentially flat
Congress has given the National Institutes of Health (NIH) a 0.6% increase, to $47.1 billion, in a final 2024 spending bill that lawmakers are expected to approve in time to avert a partial government shutdown this weekend. And several policy directives opposed by researchers have been stripped from the legislation.
The tiny, $300 million bump is only one-third of the $920 million increase requested by President Joe Biden, who has promised to sign the $1.2 trillion package covering six federal agencies, and it comes after years of generous increases for NIH. But it was no surprise: Once the president and Congress agr...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 21, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
RNA deserves its own massive counterpart to the human genome project, researchers argue
This report is very much modeled on the
NASEM report
that initiated the Human Genome Project,
”
completed in 2003,
says Cheung, who wasn’t involved in the new report’s drafting. But as the report notes,
“The RNome is much more complex
”
than a genome.
For one thing, frequent modifications to RNA mean there will be no fixed, reference sequence like the one researchers produced for the human genome. For a given RNA molecule, researchers will have to document
“not only the sequence, but also the type and location of the modifica...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 21, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
I discovered why seemingly healthy amphibians were being wiped out
The mass deaths were puzzling scientists around the world – there were no signs of viruses or parasites. Then we looked closely at their skinIt was while we were sitting and talking in a hotel bar at the first global congress of herpetology that the world ’s amphibian experts realised there was a problem: frogs, toads, salamanders and newts were disappearing in their thousands around the world and nobody understood why.Not a single talk at the 1989 congress at the University of Kent had discussed the strange disappearance of the world ’s amphibians. But scientist after scientist had the same story: from Central Ameri...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 21, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Andrew Cunningham Tags: Amphibians Animals Endangered species Australia news UK news Conservation Environment World news Wildlife Zoos Zoology Biology Science Source Type: news
The Scientist’s Journal Club: Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Scientists discuss their latest findings on cell secretory states, synapse formation, and neurodegenerative disease. (Source: The Scientist)
Source: The Scientist - March 20, 2024 Category: Science Tags: The Scientist University Sponsored Webinars Source Type: news
Scientists find skull of enormous ancient dolphin in Amazon
Fossil of giant river dolphin found in Peru, whose closest living relation is in South Asia, gives clues to future extinction threatsScientists have discovered the fossilised skull of a giant river dolphin, from a species thought to have fled the ocean and sought refuge in Peru ’s Amazonian rivers 16m years ago. The extinct species would have measured up to 3.5 metres long, making it the largest river dolphin ever found.The discovery of this new species,Pebanista yacuruna, highlights the looming risks to the world ’s remaining river dolphins, all of which face similar extinction threats in the next 20 to 40 years, acco...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 20, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Sophie Kevany Tags: Fossils Extinct wildlife Environment Dolphins Palaeontology Biology Cetaceans Science Evolution Rivers Amazon rainforest Peru Americas World news Marine life Source Type: news
Column: Two Rutgers professors are accused of poisoning the debate over COVID's origins. Here's why
The former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has been the target of noxious attacks over COVID-19’s origins. In a Dec. 2 tweet, Richard H. Ebright, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Rutgers University, stated that Anthony Fauci,…#anthonyfauci #richardhebright #rutgersuniversity #fauci #cambodian #polpot #ebright #brycenickels #angelarasmussen #michaelworobey (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - March 20, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Possible TikTok ban has U.S. science communicators on edge
For biologist Brooke Fitzwater, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, the social media platform TikTok has become a key tool for
sharing her knowledge of marine biology
with some 250,000 followers. Her short, humorous videos on everything from whale sharks to zombie worms have attracted up to 2.1 million views. “TikTok has been an unparalleled way for me to communicate science to the public,” Fitzwater says.
Last week, however, Fitzwater and many other science communicators who rely on TikTok got some worrying news: The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to approve legislation...
Source: ScienceNOW - March 19, 2024 Category: Science Source Type: news
Ozempic Gets the Oprah Treatment in a New TV Special
Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound are already extremely popular: by 2030, about 10% of the U.S. population will be on one of these drugs and the category’s sales will surpass $100 billion, according to some projections. On March 18, they got another major cultural boost from Oprah Winfrey, who shared her own experience with—and support for—these medications in an ABC special called “Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution.”
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
During the special, Winfrey talked about how using one of these weight-loss drugs (she did not say w...
Source: TIME: Health - March 19, 2024 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jamie Ducharme Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
