Marsh plants can play a major role in mitigating coastal damage as sea levels rise and storm surges increase. A new study provides greater detail about how these protective benefits work under real-world conditions shaped by waves and currents.
How herbivore activity around water affects plant communities
Plants need water to grow. So if there's water, shouldn't there be more plants? New research shows it's a lot more complicated than that.
Climate change and human pressure mean migration may be ‘no longer worth it’
Researchers have found that the benefits of migration have been eroded by the effects of climate change and human pressure.
So-called junk DNA plays critical role in mammalian development
Despite the prevalent view that some 98% of our genome is junk DNA, new research shows that one piece of junk DNA -- the promoter of a virus-based transposon -- plays a critical role in cell proliferation and timing of embryo implantation in mice. The group found virus-based promoters linked...
Ecology of fishing jaguars: Rare social interactions
Scientists have gained new insights into the diet, population density and social interactions of a group of Brazilian jaguars.
Delicious discoveries: Scientists just described a new onion species from the Himalaya
While the onion, garlic, scallion, shallot and chives have been on our plates for centuries, becoming staple foods around the world, their group, the genus Allium, seems to be a long way from running out of surprises. Recently, a group of researchers from India described a new onion species from...
Artificial chromosomes study sheds light on gene therapies
A research team led by Dr Karen Wing Yee YUEN, Associate Professor from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), revealed the mechanism of artificial chromosome (AC) formation in the embryos of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans, a 1-mm long, transparent nematode.
Behavior resembling human ADHD seen in dogs
A study involving some 11,000 dogs demonstrated that the gender, age and breed of the dog, as well as any behavioral problems and certain environmental factors, are connected to hyperactive and impulsive behavior and inattention (ADHD).
Plankton head polewards
Ocean warming caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions will prompt many species of marine plankton to seek out new habitats, in some cases as a matter of survival. Researchers expect many organisms to head to the poles and form new communities -- with unforeseeable consequences for marine food webs.
Plant-eating lizards on the cusp of tooth evolution
Researchers found that complex teeth, a hallmark of mammals, also evolved several times in reptiles, prompting the evolutionary success of plant-eating lizards. However, contrary to mammals their tooth evolution was not unidirectional.