Researchers have found toxins in the venom of asp caterpillars are completely different to anything they have seen before in insects. Toxins in the caterpillar venom punch holes in cells the same way as toxins produced by disease-causing bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. Venoms are rich sources of...
Next-generation flow battery design sets records
A new flow battery design achieves long life and capacity for grid energy storage from renewable fuels.
Evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale
Researchers have finally settled a decades-long dispute about the evolutionary origins of the pygmy right whale.
Breathing poison: Microbial life on nitric oxide respiration
Nitric oxide (NO) is a central molecule in the global cycling of nitrogen, and also toxic. Little is known about if and how microbes can use NO as a substrate for growth. Scientists have now managed to grow a microbial community dominated by two, so-far unknown species on NO for...
Record-breaking heat in the summer of 2022 caused more than 61,000 deaths in Europe
The summer of 2022 was the hottest summer ever recorded in Europe and was characterized by an intense series of record-breaking heat waves, droughts and forest fires. A study now estimates 61,672 heat-attributable deaths between 30 May and 4 September 2022. The research team obtained temperature and mortality data for...
Study shows same-sex sexual behavior is widespread and heritable in macaque monkeys
Observations of a wild colony of macaques over three years show same-sex sexual behavior among males is widespread and may be beneficial.
More menu choices: Migrant orangutans learn a lot about food by watching the locals
Migrant male orangutans on Borneo and Sumatra learn about unfamiliar foods in their new home range by 'peering' at experienced locals: intensely observing them at close range. This is what an international research team found out in a long-term study with 152 male animals observed over a period of 30...
Bees make decisions better and faster than we do, for the things that matter to them
Research reveals how millions of years of evolution has engineered honey bees to make fast decisions and reduce risk.
Roots are capable of measuring heat on their own
Plant roots have their own thermometer to measure the temperature of the soil around them and they adjust their growth accordingly. Through extensive experiments, a team was able to demonstrate that roots have their own temperature sensing and response system. In a new study, the scientists also provide a new...
Doom-and-gloom climate news may scare but also encourage audiences
Researchers investigated how seeing frightening news about climate change day after day may shape the way people feel about the phenomenon and how willing they are to take action to address it.