Neurobiology: How mice see the world
(Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit ä t M ü nchen) Researchers based in Munich and Tuebingen have developed an open-source camera system that images natural habitats as they appear to rodents. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 2, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Same dance, different species: How natural selection drives common behavior of lizards
(University of New South Wales) A surprising study by UNSW on the behaviour of unrelated lizards in very different parts of the world has demonstrated how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills. The study in Ecology Letters documents how the Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean, and the Draco lizard species in Southeast Asia, have solved the challenge of communicating with one another to defend territories and attract mates. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
New ternary hydrides of lanthanum and yttrium join the ranks of high-temperature superconductors
(Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech)) Welcome a new member in the family of superconducting polyhydrides: A team led by Skoltech professor Artem R. Oganov studied the structure and properties of ternary hydrides of lanthanum and yttrium and showed that alloying is an effective strategy for stabilizing otherwise unstable phases YH10 and LaH6, expected to be high-temperature superconductors. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
From meadow to plate: The cultured meat that replaces animals with grass
(University of Bath) An affordable lab system that uses grass blades to turn cells into cultured meat, by creating a scaffold that animal stem cells can attach to and grow on, has been developed at the University of Bath in the UK. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
G-quadruplex-forming DNA molecules enhance enzymatic activity of myoglobin
(Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology) A collaboration led by Distinguished Professor Dr. Kazunori Ikebukuro from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan, discovered that G-quadruplex (G4)-forming DNA binds myoglobin through a parallel-type G4 structure. Through the G4 binding, the enzymatic activity of myoglobin increases over 300-fold compared to that of myoglobin alone (Figure). This finding indicates that DNA may work as a carrier of genetic information in living organisms and act as a regulator of unknown biological phenomena. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Catalyzing the conversion of biomass to biofuel
(Technical University of Munich (TUM)) Zeolites are extremely porous materials: Ten grams can have an internal surface area the size of a soccer field. Their cavities make them useful in catalyzing chemical reactions and thus saving energy. An international research team has now made new findings regarding the role of water molecules in these processes. One important application is the conversion of biomass into biofuel. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Astonishing altitude changes in marathon flights of migratory birds
(Lund University) Extreme differences in flight altitude between day and night may have been an undetected pattern amongst migratory birds -- until now. The observation was made by researchers at Lund University in Sweden in a study of great snipes, where they also measured a new altitude record for migratory birds, irrespective of the species, reaching 8,700 meters. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Unlocking the power of the microbiome
(ETH Zurich) Not only animals and humans host a complex community of microorganisms -- plants do this as well. Researchers at ETH Zurich have recently published two new studies that shed light on fundamental aspects of these close -- and often overlooked -- relationships. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Better predicting how plants and animals will weather climate extremes
(University of California - Riverside) A team of scientists has devised a more accurate way to predict the effects of climate change on plants and animals -- and whether some will survive at all. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Detroit startup developing eco-friendly marine coating for ships and boats
(Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) Repela Tech LLC, a Detroit-based sustainability tech startup from Wayne State University, was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II grant totaling $993,788 for research and development on a patent-pending (WSU Tech ID 20-1601), first-of-a-kind, safe antifouling marine coating. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Scientists resurrect 'forgotten' genus of algae living in marine animals
(Penn State) resurrected the genus Philozoon by using modern technologies to thoroughly characterize two of the species of algae that biologist Patrick Geddes had investigated in the mid-to-late 19th century, along with six new related ones. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
The rise and fall of elephants
(Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung) Earth-historical events such as ice ages or the shifting of continental plates are mainly responsible for the evolutionary success of proboscideans, but also for their decline. This is the main conclusion of a study published this week in Nature Ecology& Evolution by an international research team from Spain, Finland, Great Britain, Germany and Argentina with the participation of the Museum f ü r Naturkunde Berlin. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
In a supramolecular realm: Advances in intracellular spaces with de novo designed peptide
(Tokyo Institute of Technology) Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have set out to harness the potential of self-assembling peptides (SAPs) in intracellular spaces. They present a de novo designed peptide, Y15, which displays a strong tendency to assemble in cellular environments. The addition of Y15-tagged bioactive proteins can functionalize these assemblies, enhancing their utility and relevance by leaps and bounds. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Cleaner air has boosted US corn and soybean yields, Stanford-led research shows
(Stanford University) The analysis estimates pollution reductions between 1999 and 2019 contributed to about 20 percent of the increase in corn and soybean yield gains during that period - an amount worth about $5 billion per year. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
Three grants for biofuels research
(University of California - Davis) UC Davis researchers are taking part in three clean energy grants totaling almost $4.5 million recently announced by the U.S. Department of Energy. The grants are among 15 funded by the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) with the goal of making production of biofuels more efficient. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - July 1, 2021 Category: Biology Source Type: news
