Biology

Microbiologists Discover

Microbiologists Discover Bacterium that Eats Manganese A team of microbiologists at Caltech has discovered a species of bacterium that feeds on manganese, one of the most abundant elements on Earth. This SEM image shows manganese oxide nodules generated by Candidatus Manganitrophus noduliformans. The nodules are generally about 0.1 to 0.5 …

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New Cryptic Species

Two New Cryptic Species of Australian Sugar Gliders Discovered A research team led by Charles Darwin University biologists has identified and raised two additional species within what is currently designated as the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps). The recognition of distinct species is of particular importance given the current climate of …

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Glass Sponge Discovered

A research team led by University of Alberta marine biologists has discovered a new species of sea sponge living off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Desmacella hyaline. Image credit: Sally Leys. Glass sponges (class Hexactinellida) are cup-shaped marine animals, ranging from 10 to 30 cm (3.9-11.8 inches) in height, …

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Deep Sea Fish Species

Biologists Identify 16 Deep-Sea Fish Species with Ultra-Black Camouflage In a paper published today in the journal Current Biology, a team of marine biologists from the United States and the United Kingdom investigated the distribution and production of ultra-black camouflage in deep-sea fish. They found that at least 16 deep-sea …

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Heaviest Soaring Bird

In a new study, a team of researchers from the United Kingdom, Germany and Argentina deployed high-tech flight-recorders on the world’s heaviest extant soaring bird, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), to assess the extent to which this species can operate without resorting to powered flight. Their data revealed the lowest …

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A Species of Chameleons

  An international team of herpetologists from Germany and Madagascar has discovered and described three new species of chameleons from the Calumma nasutum species group. Calumma emelinae. Image credit: Prötzel et al, doi: 10.26049/VZ70-1-2020-3. “Madagascar is a paradise for nature lovers, since most of the land vertebrate species are only …

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Complex Beluga Whales

Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) have social systems to rival our own, according to new research led by marine biologists from the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University. O’Corry-Crowe et al analyzed the relationship between group behaviors, group type, group dynamics, and kinship of beluga whales in 10 locations …

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Sodium Circadian Clock

Sodium Regulates Circadian Clock in Mice, New Study Shows A new study published this week in the journal Nature shows that injecting mice with a salt solution (hypertonic saline) leads to the activation of neurons associated with the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain’s master circadian clock. The suprachiasmatic nucleus of a …

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Unprecedented Detail

Researchers Capture Human Dental Enamel in Unprecedented Detail A research team led by Northwestern University scientists has uncovered the structural makeup of human dental enamel at unprecedented atomic resolution, revealing lattice patterns and unexpected irregularities. Enamel is made up of tightly bunched, oblong crystals that are about 1,000 times smaller …

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Caecilian Amphibians

Researchers Find Snake-Like Venom Glands in Caecilian Amphibians A team of scientists from Brazil and the United States has found the specialized oral glands in the jaws of the ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus), a snake-shaped amphibian related to frogs and salamanders. The ringed caecilian (Siphonops annulatus). Image credit: Carlos Jared. …

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