Weasels are often difficult to capture on camera, making it hard for conservationists to track their population numbers. This study aimed to determine the best material to use as bait for camera traps when studying the weasels. Researchers found that red meat worked better than other options, especially when supplemented...
Global patterns in seed plant distribution over millions of years
Why do some plants thrive in specific regions but not in others? A study explores the factors shaping plant distributions and how these patterns have changed over millions of years. Analyzing nearly 270,000 seed plant species worldwide, the research highlights the roles of environmental conditions and dispersal barriers in influencing...
Understanding the immune response to a persistent pathogen
Researchers show that the immune system can recognize and control the latent stage of the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, a finding that can inform the study of latency in other infections of the nervous system.
New approach could treat anthrax beyond the ‘point of no return’
Researchers show that a cocktail of growth factors reversed would-be lethal cell damage in mice with anthrax, suggesting that this approach could be adapted for use in patients.
We must not ignore eugenics in our genetics curriculum, says professor
To encourage scientists to speak up when people misuse science to serve political agendas, biology professor Mark Peifer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill argues that eugenics should be included in college genetics curriculums.
Melting ice, more rain drive Southern Ocean cooling
Researchers found increased meltwater and rain explain 60% of a decades-long mismatch between predicted and observed temperatures in the ocean around Antarctica.
A genetic tree as a movie: Moving beyond the still portrait of ancestry
Researchers have created a way to see your family tree as a movie rather than a still portrait by tracing where your ancestors moved across the globe over time. The statistical method can also be used to model disease spread and studying how animals move through geographic regions.
Earliest days of Earth’s formation
New research sheds light on the earliest days of the earth's formation and potentially calls into question some earlier assumptions in planetary science about the early years of rocky planets. Establishing a direct link between the Earth's interior dynamics occurring within the first 100 million years of its history and...
Cleaning microplastics
Proof-of-concept work uses unique, safe particles to remove microplastics in a single cycle.
Cuttlefish ‘mesmerize’ their prey with a moving skin pattern, study finds
While sneaking up on prey, cuttlefish employ a dynamic skin display to avoid detection in last moments of approach, researchers have found.