Scientists have uncovered a set of neurons in fruit flies that shut down in cold temperatures and slow reproduction, a system conserved in many insects, including mosquitoes, which could provide a target for pest control. Their study, published Feb. 16 in the journal Current Biology, takes a step toward understanding how a fly’s brain contributes…

During the Middle Jurassic Period, the Isle of Skye in Scotland was home to a thriving community of dinosaurs that stomped across the ancient coastline, according to a new study. The Middle Jurassic Period is a time of major evolutionary diversification in many dinosaur groups, but dinosaur fossils from this time period are generally rare.…

In the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa, conditions can be difficult for crops. Plants need to have short growing seasons, survive on poor soils and tolerate environmental stresses. Enter, the millets. Enter, the millets. Close to 97% of millets grown worldwide are produced in developing countries. Millets are a diverse group of cereal crops.…

By 2080, around 70 percent of the world’s oceans could be suffocating from a lack of oxygen as a result of climate change, potentially impacting marine ecosystems worldwide, according to a new study. The new models find mid-ocean depths that support many fisheries worldwide are already losing oxygen at unnatural rates and passed a critical…

An unprecedented drought experiment at Biosphere 2 highlights nature’s surprising resilience. Their findings, published this week in the journal Science, revealed a roughly 70% drop in the rainforest’s carbon storage — speaking to concerns surrounding forests’ ability to capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as climate change progresses. However, an intricate web of…

You might not think an animal made out of stone would have much to worry about in the way of predators, and that’s largely what scientists had thought about coral. Although corallivores like parrotfish and pufferfish are well known to biologists, their impact on coral growth and survival was believed to be small compared to…

Site-directed mutagenesis facilitates the experimental validation of gene function and can speed up plant breeding by producing new biodiversity or by reproducing previously known gene variants in other than their original genetic backgrounds. However, its application is challenging in wheat owing to high genomic redundancy and highly genotype-dependent DNA transfer methods. For exemplification of this…

Research has revealed that strange behavior of the magnetic field in the South Atlantic region existed as far back as eight to 11 million years ago, suggesting that today’s South Atlantic Anomaly is a recurring feature and unlikely to represent an impending reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field. The South Atlantic Anomaly is an area…

Researchers have discovered that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans that are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli. The results open the way for research conducted on behavioral traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle. UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his…

A large gathering of fish tempts harbour porpoises to search for food around oil and gas platforms, even though the noise from these industrial plants normally to scare the whales away. Decommissioned platforms may therefore serve as artificial reefs in the North Sea. Harbour porpoises are one of the smallest of all whales and the…