ScienceDaily: Plants & Animals News

Discovery demystifies origin of life phenomenon Posted: 11 Mar 2015 03:58 PM PDT Biomolecules, if large enough (several nanometers) and with an electrical charge, will seek their own type with which to form large assemblies. This is essentially 'self-recognition' of left-handed and right-handed molecule pairs.

Green solid electrolyte for electrochemical devices Posted: 11 Mar 2015 03:56 PM PDT Researchers have studied the capability of new polymers derived from potato starch as insulators which do not show any remarkable electro activity.

New species of tapaculo in South America Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:05 PM PDT After being misidentified and sitting in a museum drawer for more than seventy years, a group of bird specimens collected in Colombia and Venezuela has been determined to represent a previously unknown species, now dubbed the Perijá Tapaculo (Scytalopus perijanus).

Fossil skull sheds new light on transition from water to land Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:04 PM PDT The first 3-D reconstruction of the skull of a 360-million-year-old near-ancestor of land vertebrates has been created. The 3-D skull, which differs from earlier 2-D reconstructions, suggests such creatures, which lived their lives primarily in shallow water environments, were more like modern crocodiles than previously thought.

Did Neandertals make jewelry 130,000 years go? Eagle claws provide clues Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:04 PM PDT Krapina Neandertals may have manipulated white-tailed eagle talons to make jewelry 130,000 years ago, before the appearance of modern humans in Europe.

Highly evolved bacteria found near hydrothermal vents: Iron-oxidizing bacteria found along Mid-Atlantic Ridge Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:03 PM PDT Bacteria that live on iron were found for the first time at three well-known vent sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. These bacteria likely play an important role in deep-ocean iron cycling, and are dominant members of communities near and adjacent to sulfur-rich hydrothermal vents prevalent along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This group of iron-oxidizing bacteria, Zetaproteobacteria, appears to be restricted to environments where iron is plentiful, suggesting they are highly evolved to utilize iron for energy.

Scientists reconstruct evolutionary history of whale hearing with rare museum collection Posted: 11 Mar 2015 01:03 PM PDT Scientists CT scanned fetal whale specimens from the museum's marine mammal collection to trace the development of fetal ear bones in 56 specimens from 10 different whale families. Their findings confirmed that changes in the development of ear bones in the womb paralleled changes observed throughout whale evolution, providing new insight about how whales made the dramatic evolutionary shift from land to sea and adapted to hearing underwater.

Uncovering the effects of cooking, digestion on gluten and wheat allergens in pasta Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT Researchers trying to understand wheat-related health problems have found new clues to how the grain's proteins, including gluten, change when cooked and digested. They report that boiling pasta releases some of its potential allergens, while other proteins persist throughout cooking and digestion. Their findings lend new insights that could ultimately help Celiac patients and people allergic to wheat.

Graphene: A new tool for fighting cavities and gum disease? Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:47 AM PDT Dental diseases, which are caused by the overgrowth of certain bacteria in the mouth, are among the most common health problems in the world. Now scientists have discovered that a material called graphene oxide is effective at eliminating these bacteria, some of which have developed antibiotic resistance.

Promising 'natural' Alzheimer's treatment moves toward clinical trials Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:46 AM PDT A promising new natural treatment for Alzheimer's disease is moving toward clinical trials. This will be a major step forward as there is nothing on the market that slows the progression of Alzheimer's; natural products chemist has patented a botanical compound, withanamides.

Silk could be new 'green' material for next-generation batteries Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:44 AM PDT Lithium-ion batteries have enabled many of today's electronics, from portable gadgets to electric cars. But much to the frustration of consumers, none of these batteries last long without a recharge. Now scientists report the development of a new, 'green' way to boost the performance of these batteries -- with a material derived from silk.

Swine flu outbreak in India raises concern: New strain of H1N1 may carry dangerous mutations Posted: 11 Mar 2015 09:44 AM PDT Since December, an outbreak of swine flu in India has killed more than 1,200 people, and a new study suggests that the strain has acquired mutations that make it more dangerous than previously circulating strains of H1N1 influenza.

Great conditions: Beneath palm trees, coco de mer performs 'parental care,' modifies habitat Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PDT Tourists are familiar with the Lodoicea maldivica palm, also called coco de mer, mainly because of their bizarrely shaped fruits. Scientists, however, are fascinated by the huge plants – which are abundant on the Seychelles islands of Praslin and Curieuse – for entirely different reasons.

Going beyond the central dogma of molecular biology: Rather than being a one-way street, DNA-directed RNA transcription may have profound adaptability Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PDT The central dogma of molecular biology describes the flow of genetic information. It was first described by Francis Crick in 1956 as one-way traffic: as: "DNA makes RNA and RNA makes protein." A recent paper, however, suggests that rather than being a one-way street, DNA-directed RNA transcription may have profound adaptability. The authors of the paper showed a conceptually novel relationship between the genotype (DNA) and the phenotype (the products of the transcription of DNA).

CT scanning shows why tilting trees produce better biofuel Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:17 AM PDT Medical imaging techniques have been used to explore why making willow trees grow at an angle can vastly improve their biofuel yields. Using micro-CT scans, the team showed that the trees respond to being tilted by producing a sugar-rich, gelatinous fibre, which helps them stay upright.

Asian Monsoon rains drove mammal evolution Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:15 AM PDT New research has shown that the Asian monsoon rains played a key role in the evolution of mammals.

Honey, I shrunk the ants: How environment controls size Posted: 11 Mar 2015 05:12 AM PDT Until now scientists have believed that the variations in traits -- such as our height, skin color, tendency to gain weight or not, intelligence, tendency to develop certain diseases, etc., all of them traits that exist along a continuum -- were a result of both genetic and environmental factors. But they didn't know how exactly these things worked together. By studying ants, researchers have identified a key mechanism by which environmental (or epigenetic) factors influence the expression of all of these traits, along with many more.