Number of fungal species has been greatly overestimated

The good news for the Estonian mycophile is that when it comes to mycorrhizal fungi, which include almost all edible and poisonous mushrooms, the forests of our climate zone are the richest in species. A study led by the researchers of the University of Tartu Natural History Museum discovered that the most species-rich fungal communities...

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Scientists question tropical protected areas' role under climate change

Prothoe franck (marked in pink to allow to its dispersal to be studied), is a forest dependent butterfly that may be at risk from climate change in lowland forest habitats. New research led by University of York scientists highlights how poor connectivity of protected area (PA) networks in Southeast Asia may prevent lowland species...

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Female mice do not avoid mating with unhealthy males

Mating choice is not based solely on odor. Female mice are attracted more strongly to the odour of healthy males than unhealthy males. This had already been shown in an earlier study by researchers from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology at the Vetmeduni Vienna. Now the team of behavioural scientists went one step further --...

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Hidden meaning and 'speed limits' found within genetic code

Case Western Reserve scientists have discovered that speed matters when it comes to how messenger RNA (mRNA) deciphers critical information within the genetic code -- the complex chain of instructions critical to sustaining life. The investigators' findings, which appear in the March 12 journal Cell, give scientists critical new information in determining how best to engage cells to treat illness -- and, ultimately, keep...

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Nature's inbuilt immune defense could protect industrial bacteria from viruses

Findings from a new study that set out to investigate the evolution of immune defences could boost the development of industrial bacteria that are immune to specific viral infections. The study is published today in the journal Current Biology. Bacteria have many industrial uses including the production of cheese and yoghurt, paper making, biogas and the synthetic production of hormones like insulin. Viral infections...

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'Warhead' molecule to hunt down deadly bacteria

Targeting deadly, drug-resistant bacteria poses a serious challenge to researchers looking for antibiotics that can kill pathogens without causing collateral damage in human cells. A team of Boston College chemists details a new approach using a "warhead" molecule to attack bacteria -- and spare healthy human cells -- by targeting a pair of lipids found on the surface of deadly germs, according to a report today in the...

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Why do cells rush to heal a wound? Mysteries of wound healing unlocked

These are leader cells, shown fluorescing green in this photomicrograph, pull follower cells in their wake as they move to cover and heal a wound. Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered what causes and regulates collective cell migration, one of the most universal but least understood biological processes in all...

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Giant sea creature hints at early arthropod evolution

Artist's rendering of Aegirocassis benmoulae. (Screenshot from video available at:    http://youtu.be/vzvCH2td-AM Newly discovered fossils of a giant, extinct sea creature show it had modified legs, gills on its back, and a filter system for feeding -- providing key evidence about the early evolution of arthropods. The...

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Some Genes 'Foreign' in Origin and Not from Our Ancestors

Abstract illustration depicting DNA (stock image). Many animals, including humans, acquired essential 'foreign' genes from microorganisms co-habiting their environment in ancient times, according to research published in the open access journal Genome Biology. The study challenges conventional views that animal evolution relies solely...

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Carnivorous plant packs big wonders into tiny genome

Light micrograph of the bladder of Utricularia gibba, the humped bladderwort plant (color added). Great, wonderful, wacky things can come in small genomic packages. That's one lesson to be learned from the carnivorous bladderwort, a plant whose tiny genome turns out to be a jewel box full of evolutionary treasures. Called Utricularia...

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Retracing the roots of fungal symbioses

Mycorrhizal fungi include some of the most conspicuous forest mushrooms, such as the iconic fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), of the fungi sequenced for this project. With apologies to the poet John Donne, and based on recent work from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI), a DOE Office of Science user facility,...

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Bacteria network for food

Electron micrograph of genetically modified Acinetobacter baylyi and Escherichia coli strains. The bacteria exchange amino acids via nanotubes (i.e. tube-like connections between cells). It is well-known that bacteria can support each others' growth and exchange nutrients. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology...

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Yellow Sugarcane Aphid Detected in Continental Europe

Researchers from the UAB and CREAF and from the University of León have discovered this species in Tarragona and Girona, which probably arrived from Northern Africa. It is also the first time that this species is found in Continental Europe. Aphids are a kind of insects typically living on the aerial part of plants, feeding on the...

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New products from bark to replace fossil compounds: Adhesives and insulating foams from softwood bark tannins

In collaboration with its partners, VTT developed tannin extraction from softwood bark as part of an ERA-NET project. At least 130 kg of crude tannin powder can be produced from one tonne of dry wood bark, still leaving 87% of the original bark mass available for incineration. In Finland, tannin could replace, in particular, fossil-based phenols in adhesives used in the wood products industry. Hundreds of tonnes of tannin...

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Virus-cutting enzyme helps bacteria remember a threat

Microbial memory: CRISPR systems allow bacteria to adapt to new viral threats. Above, Staphylococcus aureus microbes lacking a CRISPR system are killed off by the bacteria-attacking virus ?NM4. This plate approximates the concentration of virus particles used in the recent experiments. Bacteria may not have brains, but they do have...

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Newborn neurons in adult brain may help us adapt to environment

Neurons (stock image). "New neurons may serve as a means to fine-tune the hippocampus to the predicted environment," Opendak says. "In particular, seeking out rewarding experiences or avoiding stressful experiences may help each individual optimize his or her own brain. The discovery that the human brain continues to produce new neurons...

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Breastfeeding, other factors help shape immune system early in life

Henry Ford Hospital researchers say that breastfeeding and other factors influence a baby's immune system development and susceptibility to allergies and asthma by what's in their gut. The striking findings from a series of studies further advance the so-called hygiene hypothesis theory that early childhood exposure to microorganisms affects the immune system's development and onset of allergies, says Christine Cole Johnson,...

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Popular YouTube videos drown viewers with positive portrayals of drunkenness

The 70 most popular videos depicting drunkenness on YouTube account for more than 330 million views, with little portrayal of the negative outcomes of excessive alcohol consumption, according to an analysis led by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health (CRMTH). The popularity of such videos on YouTube could be an opportunity for public health interventions aimed at educating...

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A lower IQ has been linked to greater and riskier drinking among young adult men

Although several studies have shown an association between intelligence and various health-related outcomes, the research on cognitive abilities and alcohol-related problems has been inconsistent. A new study of the association between IQ-test results and drinking, measured as both total intake and pattern of use, has found that a lower IQ is clearly associated with greater and riskier drinking among young adult men, although...

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Caribbean coral findings may influence Barrier Reef studies

Corals may be better equipped to tolerate climate change than previously believed, according to research led by Griffith University's Dr Emma Kennedy. Working with scientists from the University of Exeter in the UK, Dr Kennedy says the findings -- published in the journal Coral Reefs -- relate to an extensive study of Caribbean corals,...

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