Just north of the great Serengeti wildebeest migration, a smaller migration across the Mara ecosystem is collapsing. New maps published in the Atlas of Ungulate Migration reveal the dramatic impact of fencing on the long-distance movements of one of Africa's most iconic migratory wildlife species—white-bearded wildebeest.

Weed control is essential in apple orchards because weeds compete with trees for nutrients, water and sunlight, which can reduce fruit yields. However, physically removing weeds is not only labor-intensive, but it also can damage soil structure and tree roots. Using chemical sprays to kill weeds can lead to other problems, such as pollution, herbicide resistance and excess chemical residues on apples.

Scientists have uncovered how changing ocean currents in South Georgia's fjords could affect the survival of young mackerel icefish. The species is a key component of the island's rich marine ecosystem and is an important prey species for seals and penguins.

Glycine is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces nerve activity, helping to regulate pain signals, motor control and sensory processing. Glycine transporter 2 (GlyT2) is a key regulator of glycinergic neurotransmission because it removes glycine from the synaptic clefts. When GlyT2 is inhibited, glycine reuptake is reduced, allowing synaptic glycine levels to rise and enhancing inhibitory signaling.

Cholera is a deadly bacterial disease that kills about 95,000 people every year. Vibrio cholerae bacteria infect cells in the small intestine, which the bacteria can do in part due to their flagella—powerful tail-like structures that the pathogen uses to move around.

New research conducted by paleontologists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin reveals a burst in jaw variety in the earliest amniotes—which includes the ancestors of all reptiles, birds and mammals. The international team led by former MfN doctoral student Dr. Jasper Ponstein analyzed more than 200 fossilized jaws from periods when tetrapods first adapted to life on land.

The human P2X4 receptor plays an important role in chronic pain, inflammation and some types of cancer. Researchers at the University of Bonn and the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) have now discovered a mechanism that can inhibit this receptor. Their results were recently published in the journal Nature Communications and open up a pathway for the development of new drugs.

An international research team led by Aalborg University with contributions from the University of Vienna has systematically mapped the microbiome of an entire country for the first time. In the study "Microflora Danica," published in the journal Nature, over 10,000 environmental samples from across Denmark were analyzed—on average at intervals of only around 4 square kilometers.

Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, together with its Australian National Soil Information System (ANSIS) partners, has launched a new online tool that makes soil data and information easier to access and interpret—helping farmers, land managers and policy makers better manage soil health and sustainability.

In Botswana, coexisting with the country's 130,000 elephants can be a daily negotiation. For rural families, tending a crop means hoping these "gentle giants" don't wander through and cause damage while searching for food or water.

Some of the ocean's most important habitats aren't included in protected areas.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have discovered the adaptive significance of the remarkable waste-management behavior in the social spider mite Stigmaeopsis longus, a tiny herbivorous arthropod that lives in cooperative groups. These mites protect their eggs from the adverse effects of fecal accumulation by defecating in designated areas near the nest entrance.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have identified a brain-like cluster of neurons in sea urchin larvae, traditionally considered lacking a brain, that regulates light-responsive behavior. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

There are many ways for an eagle to suffer a human-caused death. Electrocution, lead poisoning, vehicle collisions, or being shot, to name a few. Some of these deaths are "offset" through a provision within the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1962 (BGEPA) that requires eagles to be replaced when they are removed from the population by certain human actions.

Previous research set off alarm bells by showing that mountain lion populations across California are more different genetically than normal for a wide-roaming predator. New findings published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment have provided an explanation.

All cells need to sense and respond to their environment, to know when to activate genes, build proteins, and carry out their basic functions. One of the most well-studied cellular responses is how they react during times of stress, such as when the temperature gets too high or there aren't enough nutrients around to sustain activity. When this happens, cells gather strands of RNA and proteins into stress granules, dense clumps of material generally known as biomolecular condensates.

Is it better to have children early or later in life, and does parenthood accelerate aging? Researchers at University College Dublin and the University of Bristol have tackled these questions by studying an exceptional population of long-lived Greater horseshoe bats.

The flu illness is triggered by influenza viruses, which enter the body through droplets and then infect cells. Researchers from Switzerland and Japan have now investigated the flu virus in minute detail.

A new tool developed by Helmholtz Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research and the University of Bonn makes spatial proteomics and lipidomics easier to use—no coding required. C-COMPASS allows scientists to profile where proteins and lipids are located within cells and to track how these patterns change in response to disease or other factors. By removing the need for programming skills, the software makes spatial omics accessible to a wider group of researchers.

Scientists have found that human hair growth does not grow by being pushed out of the root; it's actually pulled upward by a force associated with a hidden network of moving cells. The findings challenge decades of textbook biology and could reshape how researchers think about hair loss and regeneration.

Experiments reveal that pond frogs can eat highly venomous hornets without suffering noticeable damage, even after repeated stings. Most frogs successfully consumed hornets, including the notorious Asian giant hornet. This unusual resilience suggests that frogs may have evolved mechanisms to block the effects of venom. Their resistance could help scientists uncover new insights into pain and toxin tolerance.

The choreographed movements that cells perform to form complex biological shapes, like our hands, have fascinated scientists for centuries. Now, researchers at EMBL Barcelona have launched LimbNET, an open-access online platform that allows scientists to directly choreograph this dance by computationally simulating how genes guide these intricate growth processes.

A recently published article in the journal BioScience has revealed a surprising opportunity for conserving threatened species: sports teams and their branding.

Scientists have captured a never-before-seen, high-resolution look at influenza’s stealthy invasion of human cells, revealing that the cells aren’t just helpless victims. Using a groundbreaking imaging technique, researchers discovered that our cells actually reach out and “grab” the virus as it searches for the perfect entry point, surfing along the membrane.

Science editor Ian Sample sits down with co-host Madeleine Finlay and science correspondent Hannah Devlin to hear about three eye-catching stories from the week, including a study showing that the brain has five ‘eras’, with adult mode not starting until our early 30s. Also on the agenda is new research showing the shingles vaccine not only protects against dementia but could actually slow its progress, and a paper exploring how ants sacrifice themselves when they become infected with pathogens to protect their healthy relativesClips: BBCBrain has five ‘eras’, scientists say – with adult mode not starting until early 30s Continue reading...