Southern right whales come to Australian shores to breed and calve during the cooler months but their whereabouts during the summer has remained a long-standing mystery, until now.

Researchers have spent 30 years searching the rugged Kimberley region of Western Australia for orchids, with their work finally culminating in a paper published in Telopea.

In an Australian first, scientists from Edith Cowan University (ECU) have determined how long it takes for seagrass to recover after grazing by swans.

Key studies in the last decade have shown that the gut microbiome, the collection of hundreds of bacterial species that live in the human digestive system, influences neural development, response to cancer immunotherapies, and other aspects of health. But these communities are complex and without systematic ways to study the constituents, the exact cells and molecules linked with certain diseases remain a mystery.

During heavy rains, Hawaii's streams, rivers, and nearshore waters change on microscopic levels. Bacteria in these aquatic systems increase, and some of these bacteria can be harmful to human health. They can cause problems like gastroenteritis—also known as the stomach flu—as well as skin and respiratory diseases.

A team of researchers led by Anca Dorhoi at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI) and Emmanuel Saliba at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), has elucidated age-dependent variations in cellular immunity in Rousettus aegyptiacus, known as the Egyptian fruit bat, a natural reservoir for filoviruses such as Marburg Virus.

The drummers puff out their chests, let out a guttural yell, then step up to their kits and furiously pound out their signature beat so that everyone within earshot can tell who is playing.

In a first, scientists have captured on video all the steps a virus follows as it enters and infects a living cell in real time and in three dimensions.

Alpine ecosystems are under intense pressure from pest species, but University of Otago research has highlighted how the mountains themselves can be used to help eradicate them.

Some species of tardigrades, or water bears as the tiny aquatic creatures are also known, can survive in different environments often hostile or even fatal to most forms of life. For the first time, researchers describe a new mechanism that explains how some tardigrades can endure extreme dehydration without dying. They explored proteins that form a gel during cellular dehydration. This gel stiffens to support and protect the cells from mechanical stress that would otherwise kill them. These proteins have also been shown to work in insect cells and even show limited functionality in human cultured cells.

A study published in the journal PLOS ONE could one day help health workers determine whether bacteria of the species Streptococcus pneumoniae, which cause meningitis—an inflammation of the membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord—are resistant to antibiotics.

Old-growth forests and managed forests with old-growth characteristics can provide relief from climate change for some bird species, research by the Oregon State University College of Forestry suggests.

The Gunflint Formation, which straddles Lake Superior's northwestern shore, contains a treasure trove of geological clues about the evolution of life. After a recent geological reassessment of this area, a research team has unearthed new types of microfossils dating 1.9 billion years. The landmark discovery will help scientists pinpoint the timing and factors that ushered in the evolution of prokaryotes to eukaryotes.

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a previously unknown bacteria-killing toxin that could pave the way for a new generation of antibiotics.

Honeybees rely heavily on flower patterns—not just colors—when searching for food, new research shows.

Children aged 5-11 will no longer be offered Covid jabs, except those in clinical risk groups, UKHSA confirmsThe decision to reduce the number of children who are offered Covid jabs has prompted outcry from parent groups and academics.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said children who had not turned five by the end of last month would not be offered a vaccination, in line with advice published by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in February 2022. UKHSA said the offer of Covid jabs to healthy five to 11-year-olds was always meant to be temporary. Continue reading...

For four decades, Specificity Protein 1 (Sp1) has been cast solely as a transcription factor, a type of protein that binds DNA and turns genes on. But a Donnelly Center study has now revealed that Sp1 plays another unexpected role in gene regulation by influencing the stability of genes' RNA messages.

The little things living in a calf's nose could be key to combating bovine respiratory disease, the single most costly illness affecting the beef industry.

Edible seaweeds and algae—or sea vegetables—are a group of aquatic plants that are found in the ocean. Kelp, dulse, wakame and sea grapes are all types of seaweeds that are used in seaweed-based dishes.

Advances in studying ancient DNA from prehistoric remains provides us with new insight into the life of our African ancestors and the emergence of the modern human.

Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) identified the first monocot plant viral resistance gene encoding a nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat immune receptor (NLR) protein from a wild grass Brachypodium to improve the cereal crops (wheat and barley) resistance to Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV). Results were published in New Phytologist.

Heterophylly, the plasticity of leaf form in response to environmental conditions, occurs in aquatic and amphibious plants where it modulates leaf form, gas exchange and photosynthesis, providing a good model for plant acclimation to environment.

Submerged aquatic plants are key component in shallow aquatic ecosystems, as they provide multiple functions and services and maintain the clear-state of shallow water bodies. However, their abundance has declined globally due to anthropogenic activities.

Australian jackfruit is a tropical treasure: a fruit rich in vitamins, minerals and many phytochemicals that are known to have positive health benefits, and it is incredibly versatile in its culinary uses.

Primates spent more time resting and alone, performed more sexual and dominance behaviors and ate less when zoos and safari parks were closed to the public during the first COVID-19 lockdown, a study suggests.