Proper intake of food is essential for pregnant humpback whales to pull off the extreme physical feat of annual migration between Hawaiʻi and Alaska. Researchers at the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) revealed the energetic cost and vulnerabilities of migratory humpback mothers-to-be in a study published in The Journal of Physiology.

If you looked at two snapshots of the same maple tree taken in July and December, you'd see a dramatic change from summer's full green crown to winter's bare branches. What those two photos don't show you, however, is how the change occurred—gradually or all at once? In truth, deciduous trees tend to hold out for an environmental signal—a change in light or temperature—and then shed all their leaves within just a week or two.

A research team have recently published their article, "Rationally designed pooled CRISPRi-seq uncovers an inhibitor of bacterial peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase" in Cell Reports. In this study, the team created a collection of bacterial mutants to help them understand how a new type of antimicrobial molecule, discovered with their artificial intelligence tools, stops bacteria from growing.

A team of researchers led by Carnegie Science's Will Ludington, Karina Gutiérrez-García, and Kevin Aumiller identified genes that enable a beneficial bacterial species to colonize specific regions of the gastrointestinal tract. Their work, published in Science, could revolutionize our understanding of how the composition of the gut microbiome is determined and open the door to microbiome engineering.

As the problem of antibiotic resistance continues to grow, we need new drugs that the bad bacteria in our bodies don't already know how to avoid. New research by scientists at McGill University represents a major step forward in our ability to develop medicines whose effectiveness will endure in the battle against infections.

An international team of marine biologists, oceanographers and cetacean specialists has found evidence of a male humpback whale traveling a record-breaking distance, likely in order to breed. In their study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the group analyzed pictures from an image database and discovered evidence of the same male in two quite distant regions.

Based on vast experience at sea and in the laboratory over the last 10 years, the latest study by the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research at the University of Porto (CIIMAR-UP), Portugal, in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) in Barcelona, Spain, predicts that Mediterranean corals and the communities that depend on them may be permanently compromised.

Metabolic imaging is a noninvasive method that enables clinicians and scientists to study living cells using laser light, which can help them assess disease progression and treatment responses.

New University of Minnesota research suggests that seeding native plants alongside invasive removal efforts may turn the tide in the battle against buckthorn.

Scientists' findings in mice could translate into a radical, needle-free vaccination approach that would also eliminate reactions including fever, swelling and pain.

How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation. By combining observations of embryonic development, advanced microscopy, and cutting-edge computer modelling, a multi-disciplinary team demonstrates that the crocodile head scales emerge from the mechanics of growing tissues, rather than molecular genetics. The diversity of these head scales observed in different crocodilian species therefore arises from the evolution of mechanical parameters, such as the growth rate and stiffness of the skin. These results shed new light on the physical forces involved in the development and evolution of living forms.

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a powerful new AI tool called "Splam" that can identify where splicing occurs in genes—an advance that could help scientists analyze genetic data with greater accuracy, offering new insights into how genes function and mutations contribute to disease. Their study is published in Genome Biology.

Imagine you're walking across rolling hills that stretch for miles, with warm sunshine and the chirping of birds all around.

Queensland Museum scientists have described a 400-million-year-old fossil, which is possibly the smallest vertebrate fossil animal known from Queensland—Palaeospondylus australis. Details about this ancient fish, found in the Georgina Basin (west of Boulia and close to the Northern Territory border), were recently published in National Science Review.

Have you recently opened YouTube or TikTok and immediately gone looking for cat videos? If your answer is "yes," then you're not alone: the global consumption of cat-related media online is simply massive. In 2015, there were over 2 million cat videos on YouTube alone, with an average of 12,000 views each—a higher average than any other category of YouTube content.

The quantity and complexity of commercial wildlife trade laws has grown globally over the past century. A new study examines wildlife trade laws in 11 countries and finds that a country's Global Biodiversity Index does not correlate with the extent of its legislation that addresses the trade in wildlife. The authors spoke with The Conversation Africa about their South Africa-specific findings.

When it comes to the human body, form and function work together. The shape and structure of our hands enable us to hold and manipulate things. Tiny air sacs in our lungs called alveoli allow for air exchange and help us breathe in and out. And tree-like blood vessels branch throughout our body, delivering oxygen from our head to our toes.

A study by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) offers insights into cell death regulation by viruses like SARS-CoV-2, and how bats and humans respond differently to tricks that such viruses use to manipulate the host's defense.

Researchers find that varying stiffness and speeds at which skin grows lead to ‘mechanical’ formation of inward foldsIt sounds like a conundrum that Rudyard Kipling would have explored in his Just So Stories, but researchers say they have the answer to how crocodiles get the scales on their heads.Many animals, from turtles to birds, have scales – hard plate-like structures that form on the skin. Continue reading...

How can we explain the morphological diversity of living organisms? Although genetics is the answer that typically springs to mind, it is not the only explanation.

Rapid sea ice loss and ocean acidification from climate change are altering the growth and nutritional value of microscopic algae. These algae are an essential food source for fish, krill, and other small organisms that sustain larger animals such as whales, seals and penguins.

An estimated one to three species of insects and other native invertebrates are becoming extinct in Australia every week, according to a new study revealing the immense scale of the nation's biodiversity loss.

Ghost crabs were responsible for the loss of nearly 30% of flatback turtle hatchlings at Thevenard Island, near Onslow on the northwest coast of Australia, according to new research published in Marine Biology from Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions' (DBCA) North West Shelf Flatback Turtle Conservation Program.

About 230 million years ago, almost 80 million years before the first bird appeared, their distantly related cousins, the pterosaurs took to the sky, as the first group of active fliers among the vertebrates. Pterosaurs developed active, flapping flight with the help of a wing membrane, which was mainly spanned by the strongly elongated fourth finger of the hand.

Research has found hedgehogs living in the same, semi-rural area have wide variation in hibernation timing and pattern, with some entering hibernation as much as three months later than others. The researchers say this flexibility could help them adapt to climate change and urbanization.