Biology
Cells ‘feel’ farther with this trick
Cells ‘feel’ farther with this trick New research reveals that normal cells can sense their environment beyond what they are attached to, similar to cancer cells that have an enhanced sense of distance. A collective of epithelial cells on the surface of tissue can work together to generate higher forces and “feel” through fibrous collagen […]
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Bacteria may be key to the mystery of why you sleep
Bacteria may be key to the mystery of why you sleep Bacteria may play a key role in regulating our sleep patterns, according to new research that suggests a substance found in bacterial cell walls is present in the brains of mice and closely aligned with the sleep cycle. The study proposes a new paradigm […]
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This fish has forehead teeth it uses for mating
This fish has forehead teeth it uses for mating New research has identified forehead teeth on spotted ratfish, a shark-like species native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean, which are used for mating. The discovery challenges the long-standing assumption in evolutionary biology that teeth are strictly oral structures and suggests that teeth could be growing elsewhere […]
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Bumblebee queens take days off
Bumblebee queens take days off Bumblebee queens, responsible for founding their colonies, take regular breaks from reproduction to avoid burning out before their first workers arrive. The pauses in egg-laying appear to be triggered by the developmental stages of the existing brood, with queens resuming reproduction when pupae are present. Researchers monitored over 100 queens […]
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50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology
50 years after ‘Jaws,’ researchers have retired the man-eater myth and revealed more about sharks’ amazing biology 50 years after the release of “Jaws,” researchers have debunked the myth that sharks are mindless killers, revealing their amazing biology and fascinating adaptations. Sharks have an incredible ability to replace their teeth throughout life, with some species […]
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A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names
A bottlenose dolphin? Or Tursiops truncatus? Why biologists give organisms those strange, unpronounceable names The system of scientific naming, known as taxonomy, was developed in the 1700s by Carl Linnaeus to provide precise and consistent names for organisms. The binomial nomenclature system uses a two-word combination, where the first word is the genus (a group […]
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If it looks like a dire wolf, is it a dire wolf? How to define a species is a scientific and philosophical question
If it looks like a dire wolf, is it a dire wolf? How to define a species is a scientific and philosophical question The de-extinction project by Colossal Biosciences that claimed to have “restored” the dire wolf is a complex issue, as it only edited a small number of gray wolf genes and implanted them […]
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E. coli use an ancient war trick to kill viruses
E. coli use an ancient war trick to kill viruses E. coli bacteria have discovered an ancient war trick to kill viruses by hijacking viral enzymes to produce an immune signal molecule that triggers a defense against the virus. The newly discovered “Kongming” defense system allows the bacterium to commit suicide, taking the virus down […]
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Why don’t humans have hair all over their bodies? A biologist explains our lack of fur
Why don’t humans have hair all over their bodies? A biologist explains our lack of fur Humans don’t have hair all over their bodies like other animals because our ancestors evolved to lose fur over time. This change likely occurred around 7 million years ago, when humans and chimpanzees took different evolutionary paths. The main […]
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Female hummingbirds mimic males to avoid harassment
Female hummingbirds mimic males to avoid harassment Tailoring a look to receive or evade certain attention is common among people, and, according to a recent study, it turns out hummingbirds do it, too. It has been known for some time that some, but not all, females in the white-necked jacobin hummingbird take on the bright colors […]
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