ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Hydrogel baits offer novel way to manage invasive ants Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:20 PM PST Water-storing crystals known as hydrogels can effectively deliver pesticide bait to invasive Argentine ants, quickly decimating a colony, a study finds. "When you drop hydrogels on the ground next to a colony, the ants really go crazy. It's like a big party," the lead author said. "This has great potential for managing invasive ants in other agricultural systems and natural environments. You could treat a whole vineyard using hydrogels."

Feasibility of tracking parrots with GPS telemetry confirmed Posted: 18 Feb 2015 01:58 PM PST Yes, it is possible to study parrots with GPS trackers -- you just have to make them beak-proof. Researchers sealed GPS devices in tough polymer before attaching them to captured Keas (Nestor notabilis) using backpack harnesses. They successfully tracked 10 birds for a week and identified where and when they foraged, roosted, and interacted with tourists.

Switchgrass removes PCBs from soils, engineers find Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST A type of grass that was once a staple of the American prairie can remove soil laden with PCBs, toxic chemicals once used for cooling and other industrial purposes, a study has found.

When estimating fish populations, seeing is believing Posted: 18 Feb 2015 11:14 AM PST By adding video cameras to fish traps, scientists get more precise abundance estimates for several important species of reef fish, including red snapper and gag grouper. In a new release, a scientist and a fisherman share very different perspectives on why this is important.

Learning from extinction: New insights on controlling cancer Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:37 AM PST A researcher brings a paleontological view of species extinction to bear on the challenges involved in driving populations of cancer cells to annihilation -- or at least improving patient prognosis through disease-limiting efforts.

Mutant bacteria that keep on growing Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:34 AM PST The typical Escherichia coli, the laboratory rat of microbiology, is a tiny 1-2 thousandths of a millimeter long. Now, by blocking cell division, researchers have grown E. coli that stretch three quarters of a millimeter. That's up to 750 times their normal length. The research has potential applications in nanoscale industry, and may lead to a better understanding of how pathogens work.

3-D engineered bone marrow makes functioning platelets Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:31 AM PST An international research team has reported development of the first three-dimensional tissue system that reproduces the complex structure and physiology of human bone marrow and successfully generates functional human platelets. Using a biomaterial matrix of porous silk, the new system is capable of producing platelets for future clinical use and also provides a laboratory tissue system to advance study of blood platelet diseases.

Tropical fire ants traveled the world on 16th century ships Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:29 AM PST Thanks to a bit of genetic sleuthing, researchers now know the invasion history of the tropical fire ant (Solenopsis geminata), the first ant species known to travel the globe by sea.

In a warmer world, ticks that spread disease are arriving earlier, expanding their ranges Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:29 AM PST In the northeastern United States, warmer spring temperatures are leading to shifts in the emergence of the blacklegged ticks that carry Lyme disease and other tick-borne pathogens. At the same time, milder weather is allowing ticks to spread into new geographic regions.

Rust preserves fossils from early Earth Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:28 AM PST Since life originated on Earth between 3.8 and 3.9 Ga ago, microorganisms have significantly shaped and influenced the chemistry of Earth's surface and subsurface environments. Reconstructing the evolution of early microbial life depends mainly on finding organic and mineral remnants of microbial activity preserved in the rock record. Even when microfossils are found, there are often controversies about their biological origin, since parameters that lead to a good preservation of microfossils are not well constrained.

The perils of powdered caffeine and alcohol Posted: 18 Feb 2015 09:21 AM PST Alcohol and caffeine have joined the ranks of milk, juice and other substances that now come in powdered form. Of the two, caffeine is more concerning, says one physician.

White sharks grow more slowly, mature much later than previously thought Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:19 AM PST A new study on white sharks in the western North Atlantic indicates they grow more slowly and mature much later than previously thought. The findings present the first reliable growth curve for this species in the western North Atlantic. The results: males are sexually mature around age 26 and females around age 33, much later than currently accepted estimates of 4-10 years for males and 7-13 years for females.

From the scent of geranium to cough medicine Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:18 AM PST Terpenes and their derivatives exert important biological and pharmaceutical functions. Starting out from a few basic building blocks nature elegantly builds up complex structures. Chemically particularly challenging are bridged ring systems such as eucalyptol. Chemists have now developed a catalyst that initiates the formation of such compounds. A special feature of the catalyst: it self-assembles from smaller units.

Size matters in the battle to adapt to diverse environments, avoid extinction Posted: 18 Feb 2015 07:16 AM PST By examining research on global patterns of amphibian diversification over hundreds of millions of years, researchers have discovered that 'sexually dimorphic' species -- those in which males and females differ in size, for example -- are at lower risk of extinction and better able to adapt to diverse environments.

Global warming to increase ocean upwelling, but fisheries impact uncertain Posted: 18 Feb 2015 06:30 AM PST A new report suggests that global warming may increase upwelling in several ocean current systems around the world by the end of this century, especially at high latitudes, and will cause major changes in marine biodiversity.

Scientists turn the tables on drug-resistant bacteria by infecting them with bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) Posted: 18 Feb 2015 06:21 AM PST Can a bacterial virus found in Jerusalem sewage prevent infections after root canal procedures? Medical researchers propose a way to turn the tables on harmful bacteria that infect humans, by infecting them with tiny viruses called bacteriophages. In a strange twist, one such virus, cultivated from Jerusalem sewage, may help prevent infections following dental procedures.

New species, the Ruby Seadragon, discovered Posted: 18 Feb 2015 06:21 AM PST While researching the two known species of seadragons as part of an effort to understand and protect the exotic and delicate fish, scientists made a startling discovery: A third species of seadragon.

In the city, rabbits build more densely Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:32 AM PST European wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) not only achieve high population densities in the city, their burrows are also built more densely and on a smaller external scale. As researchers report, small burrow structures with fewer entrances and exits predominate in Frankfurt's inner city. These structures are inhabited by few animals - often only pairs or single wild rabbits. In contrast to this, the structural systems in the rural environs of Frankfurt are substantially larger and are also inhabited by larger social rabbit groups.

Sardines move north due to ocean warming Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:32 AM PST Sardines, anchovies and mackerels play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, as well as having a high commercial value. However, the warming of waters makes them vanish from their usual seas and migrate north, as confirmed by a pioneering study analysing 57,000 fish censuses from 40 years. The researchers warn that coastal towns dependent on these fishery resources must adapt their economies.

Scientists announce anti-HIV agent so powerful it can work in a vaccine Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:30 AM PST In a remarkable new advance against the virus that causes AIDS, scientists have announced the creation of a novel drug candidate that is so potent and universally effective, it might work as part of an unconventional vaccine.

Dolphins set up home in the Mediterranean after the last Ice Age Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:30 AM PST The bottlenose dolphin colonized the Mediterranean only after the last Ice Age - about 18,000 years ago – according to new research.

Mulling the marijuana munchies: How the brain flips the hunger switch Posted: 18 Feb 2015 04:27 AM PST The 'munchies,' or that uncontrollable urge to eat after using marijuana, appear to be driven by neurons in the brain that are normally involved in suppressing appetite, according to a new study.

Bee disease reduced by nature's 'medicine cabinet' Posted: 17 Feb 2015 05:29 PM PST Nicotine isn't healthy for people, but such naturally occurring chemicals found in flowers of tobacco and other plants could be just the right prescription for ailing bees, according to a new study.