ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Boy or girl? Lemur scents have the answer Posted: 24 Feb 2015 04:27 PM PST Dozens of pregnancy myths claim to predict whether a mom-to-be is carrying a boy or a girl. Some say you can tell by the shape of a woman's bump, or whether she craves salty or sweet. Even ultrasound doesn't always get it right. But for lemurs, the answer is in the mother's scent.

High-energy breakfast with low-energy dinner helps control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes Posted: 24 Feb 2015 03:25 PM PST A small new study shows that, in people with type 2 diabetes, those who consume a high-energy breakfast and a low-energy dinner have better blood sugar control than those who eat a low-energy breakfast and a high-energy dinner.

Tissue engineering: Scientists grow leg muscle from cells in a dish Posted: 24 Feb 2015 03:25 PM PST Scientists have generated mature, functional skeletal muscles in mice using a new approach for tissue engineering. The scientists grew a leg muscle starting from engineered cells cultured in a dish to produce a graft. The subsequent graft was implanted close to a normal, contracting skeletal muscle where the new muscle was nurtured and grown. In time, the method could allow for patient-specific treatments for a large number of muscle disorders.

World's protected natural areas receive eight billion visits a year Posted: 24 Feb 2015 11:29 AM PST Researchers say that the first study to attempt to gauge global visitation figures for protected areas reveals nature-based tourism has an economic value of hundreds of billions of dollars annually, and call for much greater investment in the conservation of protected areas in line with the values they sustain – both economically and ecologically.

Novel pretreatment could cut biofuel costs by 30 percent or more Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:13 AM PST Researchers have invented a novel pretreatment technology that could cut the cost of biofuels production by about 30 percent or more by dramatically reducing the amount of enzymes needed to breakdown the raw materials that form biofuels.

Marine oil supplement has positive effects on post-exercise muscle damage Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST There may be a greater connection between mussels and muscles than previously thought. A new study has found that taking a pre-exercise supplement of the omega-3 PCSO-524, a marine oil lipid derived from the New Zealand green-lipped mussel, has significant positive effects on post-exercise muscle damage.

Climate-change clues from turtles of tropical Wyoming Posted: 24 Feb 2015 10:12 AM PST Tropical turtle fossils discovered in Wyoming reveal that when Earth got warmer, prehistoric turtles headed north. But if today's turtles try the same technique to cope with warming habitats, they might run into trouble.

Intelligent tree inventory detector Posted: 24 Feb 2015 09:09 AM PST Planning and managing vegetation in urban area is complex, yet it can be seamlessly done using computerized tree inventory and Geographic Information System (GIS).

Coral disease linked to a warming Atlantic Posted: 24 Feb 2015 09:09 AM PST Over the last four decades, the iconic elkhorn and staghorn corals that dominated Caribbean reefs for millions of years have all but disappeared. According to a new study, ocean warming has played a significant role in this dramatic decline.

Kenyan fossils show evolution of hippos Posted: 24 Feb 2015 08:34 AM PST A French-Kenyan research team has just described a new fossil ancestor of today's hippo family. This discovery bridges a gap in the fossil record separating these animals from their closest modern-day cousins, the cetaceans. It also shows that some 35 million years ago, the ancestors of hippos were among the first large mammals to colonize the African continent, long before those of any of the large carnivores, giraffes or bovines.

Do genes play a role in peanut allergies? New study suggests yes Posted: 24 Feb 2015 08:29 AM PST Researchers have pinpointed a region in the human genome associated with peanut allergy in U.S. children, offering strong evidence that genes can play a role in the development of food allergies.

Great Barrier Reef corals eat plastic Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:41 AM PST Researchers in Australia have found that corals commonly found on the Great Barrier Reef will eat micro-plastic pollution. Microplastics are tiny fragments of plastic in the environment and are a widespread contaminant in marine ecosystems, particularly in inshore coral reefs.

Massive amounts of Saharan dust fertilize the Amazon rainforest Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST Every year, millions of tons of nutrient-rich Saharan dust cross the Atlantic Ocean, bringing vital phosphorus and other fertilizers to depleted Amazon soils. For the first time, scientists have an accurate estimate of how much phosphorus makes this trans-Atlantic journey.

International team of scientists launches fossil database Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST Have you ever wondered exactly when a certain group of plants or animals first evolved? A new resource for scientists is designed to help answer just those kinds of questions. The Fossil Calibration Database, a free, open-access resource that stores carefully vetted fossil data, is the result of years of work from a worldwide team of scientists.

New acoustic insulation material that incorporates fibers from orange tree pruning Posted: 24 Feb 2015 07:26 AM PST Scientists are using the fibers from orange tree pruning as an acoustic insulator. Researchers have developed boards that, compared with the conventional gypsum boards, provide a 150% improvement in the acoustic insulation.

Mapping lizard venom makes it possible to develop new drugs Posted: 24 Feb 2015 06:18 AM PST Lizards and other reptiles are not normally considered venomous, but a number of lizard species actually do produce and use venom. The most classic venomous lizard is no doubt the gila monster -- a heavy-bodied lizard. As the first in the world, a group of researchers has made a comprehensive description of the proteins in the venom which can prove to be relevant in connection with developing new types of drugs.

Peanut consumption in infancy prevents peanut allergy, study finds Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:38 AM PST Introduction of peanut products into the diets of infants at high risk of developing peanut allergy was safe and led to an 81 percent reduction in the subsequent development of the allergy, a clinical trial has found. "Food allergies are a growing concern, not just in the United States but around the world," said an expert. "For a study to show a benefit of this magnitude in the prevention of peanut allergy is without precedent. The results have the potential to transform how we approach food allergy prevention."

Agriculture expansion in Tanzania may greatly increase human plague risk Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:37 AM PST The push to boost food production in East Africa that is accelerating the conversion of natural lands into croplands may be significantly increasing the risk of plague according to a new study.

Ocean acidification slows algae growth in the southern ocean Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:37 AM PST Scientists demonstrate for the first time that ocean acidification could have negative impacts on diatoms in the Southern Ocean. In laboratory tests they were able to observe that under changing light conditions, diatoms grow more slowly in acidic water.

Possible drug target to combat sleeping sickness discovered Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:33 AM PST A possible way to keep the parasite that transmits sleeping sickness from reproducing has been discovered by researchers, promising to reduce the health dangers to its human hosts.

Small loop in human prion protein prevents chronic wasting disease Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:33 AM PST Chronic wasting disease (CWD) affects North American elk and deer, but has not been observed in humans. Using a mouse model that expresses an altered form of the normal human prion protein, researchers have determined why the human proteins aren’t corrupted when exposed to the elk prions. Their study identifies a small loop in the human prion protein that confers resistance to chronic wasting disease.

Renewable energy obtained from wastewater Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:31 AM PST Researchers have devised an efficient way to obtain electrical energy and hydrogen by using a wastewater treatment process. The proposed system uses bacteria which consumes the organic material and produces electricity which allows producing hydrogen, the energetic vector of the future. The results point to further developments of this technology at industrial scale.

Storks could become poisoned by pesticides during their migration to Africa Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:31 AM PST Not all storks migrate to Africa. Many stay for the winter in the Iberian Peninsula, where landfills have become a permanent source of food. Scientists have analyzed the presence of pollutants and pesticides (some prohibited in Spain) in the blood of nestlings from three colonies, two of which are close to landfill sites. The results reveal that the main source of contamination can be due to the use of insecticides still used in African countries where the birds migrate to, who transfer their contaminated load onto their offspring through their eggs.

Asian tree rings explain historical plague outbreaks in Europe Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:31 AM PST Climate-driven plague outbreaks in Asia were repeatedly transmitted over several centuries into southern European harbors, an international team of researchers has found. This finding contrasts the general belief that the second plague pandemic "Black Death" was a singular introduction of Yersinia pestis from Asia to Europe in 1347 AD.

New, useful feature of Moringa seeds revealed Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:29 AM PST Previous studies have shown that the extracts from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree can be used for water purification. In a new study, researchers show that the Moringa seeds can also be used for separation of different materials. Separation processes are very important in mining industries and the new knowledge could contribute to reduce the needs for expensive synthetic chemicals. Moringa trees are known as 'miracle' trees because of their many uses as food and as a source of oil.

New cicada species discovered in Switzerland and Italy Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:29 AM PST They belong to the best-known, biggest and loudest group of insects -- and yet they still manage to surprise: Researchers have discovered a new singing cicada species in Italy and southern Switzerland. The insect with a wingspan of four centimeters and a high pitch song has been named "Italian Mountain Cicada" (Cicadetta sibillae). It is one of only ten singing cicada species in Switzerland.

Eye development: Morphogenesis through flowing tissue Posted: 24 Feb 2015 05:29 AM PST In an in vivo analysis of eye development, researchers have gained fundamental new insight into the development of coloboma of the eye, prompting them to revise the classical view of the development of this sensory organ in vertebrates. The team used in vivo 4D microscopy to demonstrate that directed tissue flow transforms the optic vesicle into the optic cup during eye development. This is not only critical for understanding the cause of coloboma ("cat eye syndrome"), but also means that eye development in vertebrates, including humans, is fundamentally different than has been taught for more than 70 years.

Small predator diversity an important part of a healthy ecosystem Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:45 PM PST Biodiversity, including small predators such as dragonflies and other aquatic bugs that attack and consume parasites, may improve the health of amphibians, according to a team of researchers. Amphibians have experienced marked declines in the wild around the world in recent decades, the team added.

Sea urchins, sand dollars thrived with time Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:44 PM PST New work on echinoids -- marine animals like sea urchins and sand dollars -- gives scientists a reason to rethink a classical pattern of evolution. Fossil-based studies have traditionally indicated that groups of organisms diversify fastest early in their evolutionary history, followed by a steady decline through time. But the new work on Echinoidea shows that rates of evolution were actually lowest at the group's onset and increased through episodic bursts associated with changes in feeding strategies.

Bacteria in marine sponges harvest phosphorus for reef community Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:44 PM PST Significant accumulations of polyphosphate granules have been found in three common sponge species of the Caribbean coral reef, indicating that microorganisms that live on marine sponges are pulling phosphorus out of the water to feed themselves and survive in a deep-water environment where very few nutrients are available. This finding has important implications for understanding how phosphorus is sequestered and recycled in a reef environment.

Parasitism runs deep in malaria's family tree Posted: 23 Feb 2015 01:42 PM PST The ancestors of a large family of parasites--including those that cause malaria--were equipped to become parasites much earlier in their lineage than previously assumed, according to new research. The work traces the emergence of parasitism among apicomplexans--complex, single cell parasites that possess highly specialized tools to invade host cells and tissues.

Motor proteins prefer slow, steady movement Posted: 23 Feb 2015 12:48 PM PST A new theoretical approach clarifies interactions between motor proteins and yields the discovery that both weak and strong forces influence how they keep a cell's transport system robust. The study suggests that the collective behavior of motor proteins like kinesins keeps cellular transport systems robust by favoring slow and steady over maximum movement.

Hidden in plain sight: Amazonian bird chick mimics toxic caterpillar to avoid being eaten Posted: 23 Feb 2015 12:48 PM PST A unique nesting strategy has been observed in a species of tropical bird. By simulating the appearance of a hairy aposematic caterpillar, cinereous mourner chicks in Peru employ Batesian mimcry to avoid nest predation.

Building tailor-made DNA nanotubes step by step Posted: 23 Feb 2015 12:48 PM PST Researchers have developed a new, low-cost method to build DNA nanotubes block by block -- a breakthrough that could help pave the way for scaffolds made from DNA strands to be used in applications such as optical and electronic devices or smart drug-delivery systems.