Extreme events wipe out entire forests, dramatically eliminating complex ecosystems as well as local communities. Researchers have become quite familiar with such attention-grabbing events over the years. They know less, however, about the more common moderate-severity disturbances, such as relatively small fires, ice storms, and outbreaks of pests or pathogens.
Researchers discover key to molecular mystery of how plants respond to changing conditions
A team of researchers recently published a pioneering study that answers a central question in biology: how do organisms rally a wide range of cellular processes when they encounter a change -- either internally or in the external environment -- to thrive in good times or survive the bad times?...
How a city is organized can create less-biased citizens
A new study presents data and a mathematical model to explain why there is more unconscious, or implicit, racial bias in some cities than others. The study, which brings together the math of cities with the psychology of how individuals develop unconscious racial biases, suggests that a city's level of...
Mystery of novel clove-like off-flavor in orange juice solved
A research team has solved the mystery of a novel clove-like off-flavor in orange juice, the cause of which was previously unknown. The study proves for the first time that the undesirable flavor note is due to the odorant 5-vinylguaiacol. As the results of the study show, the substance is...
Thailand’s Iron Age Log Coffin culture
A mortuary practice known as Log Coffin culture characterizes the Iron Age of highland Pang Mapha in northwestern Thailand. Between 2,300 and 1,000 years ago, individuals were buried in large wooden coffins on stilts, mostly found in caves and rock shelters.
Flu virus variants resistant to new antiviral drug candidate lose pathogenicity
Influenza A viruses with induced resistance to a new candidate antiviral drug were found to be impaired in cell culture and weakened in animals, according to a new study.
A new origin story for deadly Seattle fault
The Seattle fault zone is a network of shallow faults slicing through the lowlands of Puget Sound, threatening to create damaging earthquakes for the more than four million people who live there. A new origin story, proposed in a new study, could explain the fault system's earliest history and help...
How T cells combat tuberculosis
Scientists have uncovered important clues to how human T cells combat Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB.
Extra fingers and hearts: Pinpointing changes to our genetic instructions that disrupt development
Scientists can now predict which single-letter changes to the DNA within our genomes will alter genetic instructions and disrupt development, leading to changes such as the growth of extra digits and hearts. Such knowledge opens the door to predictions of which enhancer variants underlie disease in order to harness the...
New species of Jurassic pterosaur discovered on the Isle of Skye
A new species of pterosaur from specimens found on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, has been announced.