Using a new mechanistic model of evolution on Earth, researchers can now better explain why the rainforests of Africa are home to fewer species than the tropical forests of South America and Southeast Asia. The key to high species diversity lies in how dynamically the continents have evolved over time. One might assume that all…

Researchers have discovered how some species of single-celled algae lived through the last mass extinction, a finding that could change how we understand global ocean processes. Coccolithophores, like most algae, are photosynthetic and utilize the sun’s energy to make food. However, the aftermath of the asteroid impact was thought to have blanketed the planet with…

A study has found long-term impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico on bottlenose dolphins’ immune function. Bottlenose dolphins from an area that received prolonged and heavy oiling were temporarily captured, sampled, and released as part of health assessment programs. The animals were compared with dolphins from an…

Researchers have found that nitrogen-fixing legume trees can support themselves and surrounding trees not only with increased access to nitrogen, but with other key nutrients through enhanced mineral weathering. The team, led by the University of Sheffield and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, have published their findings in the journal PNAS which provide new insights…

With water quality guidelines compelling more farmers to act on nitrogen loss, cover crops and split nitrogen applications are becoming more common in the Midwest. But new research shows these conservation practices may not provide environmental benefits across the board. «As researchers, we tend to look at one type of pollution at a time. Ours…

The environment in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of San Francisco is not a refuge from the noise generated by ship traffic, the first underwater marine acoustic study of the region has shown. Vessel and other human sound is not currently regulated in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, but sanctuary officials…

Researchers have gained new insights into the learning ability of tobacco hawkmoths. In two recent publications, they report that learning odors does not only play a role in foraging, but that female moths are also influenced by previously learned odors when choosing a host plant to lay their eggs. In this context, a single deposited…

A peptide nucleic acid-based gene editing technique is an essential part of the gene editing toolkit in addition to CRISPR-Cas systems. Gene editing allows scientists to modify sections of an organism’s DNA and is considered a promising treatment for a number of genetic diseases. There have been numerous advances in the laboratory over the last…

Researchers developed a novel system to analyze ancient plant DNA in the sediment of Tikal’s temple and palace reservoirs to identify more than 30 species of trees, grasses, vines and flowering plants that lived along its banks more than 1,000 years ago. Their findings paint a picture of a lush, wild oasis in the ancient…

Fish that dine on corals may pay it forward with feces. Marine biologists found high concentrations of living symbiotic algae in the feces of coral predators on reefs in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. It’s an unexpected twist on coral reef symbiosis, said Rice University marine biologist Adrienne Correa, whose lab discovered coral predator feces are jam-packed…