To fight infections and heal injuries, immune cells need to enter tissue. They also need to invade tumors to fight them from within. Scientists have now discovered how immune cells protect their sensitive insides as they squeeze between tissue cells. The team lays the foundation for identifying new targets in...
Microbes produce oxygen in the dark
It is common knowledge that there would be no oxygen on Earth were it not for sunlight; the key component in photosynthesis. Now researchers have made the surprising discovery that oxygen is also produced without sunlight, possibly deep below the ocean surface.
California mice eat monarch butterflies
At the largest winter monarch aggregation in central Mexico, scientists have observed that rodents attack monarchs that fall to the ground. Biologists have now discovered that the western harvest mouse also eats grounded monarchs. Documenting this new feeding behavior is a reminder of little we know about the interactions that...
Zoo air contains enough DNA to identify the animals inside
The air in a zoo is full of smells, from the fish used for feed to the manure from the grazing herbivores, but now we know it is also full of DNA from the animals living there. Two research groups have each published an independent proof-of-concept study showing that by...
‘Simple’ bacteria found to organize in elaborate patterns
Researchers have discovered that biofilms, bacterial communities found throughout the living world, are far more advanced than previously believed. Scientists found that biofilm cells are organized in elaborate patterns, a feature that previously only had been associated with higher-level organisms such as plants and animals.
Researchers develop automated method to identify fish calls underwater
Researchers have developed an automated method that can accurately identify calls from a family of fishes.
Division of labor among genetic switches
Two X chromosomes are actually one too many. Female mammalian cells hence switch off one of them – but only when the cells start to specialize into tissues. A research team has now discovered how cells 'count' their chromosomes and at the same time sense which stage of development they...
Modern humans developed a more effective protection against oxidative stress
Very few proteins in the body have a change that makes them unique compared to the corresponding proteins in Neanderthals and apes. Researchers have now studied one such protein, glutathione reductase, which protects against oxidative stress. They show that the risk for inflammatory bowel disease and vascular disease is increased...
New research questions ‘whiff of oxygen’ in Earth’s early history
A reexamination of Earth's famous 'whiff of oxygen' has the potential to rewrite early accounts of the planet's history by finding that atmospheric oxygen actually did not exist prior to the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE).
Toward a more inclusive definition of green infrastructure
A new nationwide analysis of 122 plans from 20 US cities found that many plans fail to explicitly define green infrastructure. When they do, they tend to focus on stormwater management, favoring engineered facilities over parks and larger urban green spaces. The study is the first systematic review of the...