Fossils found on the shoreline of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe represent a completely new dinosaur species. This remarkable find, named Musankwa sanyatiensis, marks only the fourth dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe.
Editing without ‘cutting’: Molecular mechanisms of new gene-editing tool revealed
New research has determined the spatial structure of various processes of a novel gene-editing tool called 'prime editor.' Functional analysis based on these structures also revealed how a 'prime editor' could achieve reverse transcription, synthesizing DNA from RNA, without 'cutting' both strands of the double helix. Clarifying these molecular mechanisms...
Grow the skin you’re in: In vivo generation of chimeric skin grafts
Researchers found that mutated mouse embryos showing an abnormal epidermal differentiation and injected with mouse pluripotent stem cells grew large patches of mature epidermis derived from the donor cells that survived transplantation to adult mice and grew natural-looking fur. Injecting the embryos with human keratinoctyes produced sheets of semi-humanized skin,...
Acute sense of touch helps hummingbirds hover near a flower without bumping into it
Hummingbird flight mechanics have been well studied but far less is known about how their sense of touch helps them sip nectar from a flower without bumping into it. Most of what scientists know about how touch is processed in the brain comes from studies on mammals, but bird brains...
Scent detection dogs discern odour molecules better than previously thought
According to a recent study, dogs trained to detect scent may be able to identify significantly lower concentrations of odour molecules than has previously been documented.
Orchids support seedlings through ‘parental nurture’ via shared underground fungal networks
Orchid plants nurture their seedlings via an underground fungal network, new research has revealed.
Heart healthy behaviors may help reverse rapid cell aging
The benefits gained with higher lifestyle scores may be associated with the positive influence of heart disease risk factors on the aging of the body and its cells, finds a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association
A unified account of Darwinism’s varieties
A new article examines the question of what Darwinism is and how its nonscientific uses relate to the scientific theory of evolution. The authors observe that while some people claim Darwinism's meaning should be limited to scientific content, others call for its abolition altogether. The authors propose a unified account...
New deep learning model is ‘game changer’ for measuring embryo development
A new deep learning model performs a task that biologists have struggled with for centuries -- how to measure the incredibly complex process of embryonic development. Scientists have shown that the AI model, known as Dev-ResNet, can identify what happens and when during embryonic development, from video. While used in...
Intermittent fasting shows promise in improving gut health, weight management
Participants following an intermittent fasting and protein-pacing regimen, which involves evenly spaced protein intake throughout the day, saw better gut health, weight loss and metabolic responses. These benefits were notably greater than those seen with simple calorie restriction. The findings could advance our understanding of the relationship between the gut...