The current technique used for counting lion populations for research and conservation efforts doesn’t add up, according to a researcher. He has been investigating new methods of photographing and reviewing data to count lions. But UQ PhD candidate Mr Alexander Braczkowski has been investigating new methods of photographing and reviewing data analytics to count lions.…

Researchers have retrieved Neanderthal nuclear DNA from cave deposits in northern Spain and southern Siberia, yielding new clues to the population history of Neanderthals. With the advent of nuclear DNA analyses of sediments, similar studies at other sites can provide new insights into the deep human past that do not rely on the discovery of…

The findings will be used to help researchers determine how traits, characteristics and color impact behavior. A new UF/IFAS study identified genetic characteristics relevant to the production and behavioral attributes of these two key bee subspecies. For example, researchers found Cape bees to be significantly darker than Africanized bees. This dark coloring could be genetically…

Biologists sized up an unlikely natural phenomenon: when parasitism actually causes the number of hosts to increase, an effect known as a hydra effect. A study of common water fleas and their fungal parasites includes laboratory components and an analysis of 13 fungal epidemics in nature. The scientists use consumer-resource theory to explain why —…

Sunlight in, reflected and emitted energy out. That’s the fundamental energy balance sheet for our planet — and for decades, it has been out of balance. The extra energy manifests as higher temperatures, rising sea levels, floods, droughts, more powerful blizzards and hurricanes, and deadlier extreme events. Not only is the imbalance growing, but there’s…

Scientists have used gene-editing techniques to stop the bird flu virus from spreading in chicken cells grown in the lab. The team prevented the virus from taking hold by deleting a section of chicken DNA inside lab-grown cells. The findings raise the possibility of producing gene-edited chickens that are resistant to the disease. Researchers prevented…

Some of the genetic differences that have arisen between domesticated chickens and their wild ancestors, the red junglefowl, are linked to epigenetic changes, according to a new study. Scientists have discovered a small number of ‘hotspots’ in the DNA that control epigenetic changes at hundreds of other locations throughout the genome. Humans started to domesticate…

Groundwater is the largest source of freshwater, one of the world’s most precious natural resources and vital for crops and drinking water. Researchers have developed the first global computer model of groundwater flow into the world’s oceans. Their analysis shows 20% of the world’s coastal ecosystems — such as estuaries, salt marshes and coral reefs…

In September of 2017, marine biologists were conducting an experiment in Bocas del Toro, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. After sitting on a quiet, warm open ocean, they snorkeled down to find a peculiar layer of murky, foul-smelling water about 10 feet below the surface, with brittle stars and sea urchins, which are usually…

Baloxavir treatment reduced transmission of the flu virus from infected ferrets to healthy ferrets, suggesting that the antiviral drug could contribute to the early control of influenza outbreaks by limiting community-based viral spread. Influenza viruses cause seasonal outbreaks and pose a continuous pandemic threat. Although vaccines are available for influenza control, their efficacy varies each…