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Size matters: How the size of a male’s weapons affects its anti-predator tactics
When males have to fight for reproductive rights, having larger weapons such as horns gives them an edge. However, this can also limit their mobility, making them more vulnerable to predators. In a recent study, scientists demonstrated that males of a species adopt different anti-predator tactics — tonic immobility or escape — based on the…
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Light shed on the atomic resolution structure of phage DNA tube
Given that phages are able to destroy bacteria, they are of particular interest to science. Basic researchers are especially interested in the tube used by phages to implant their DNA into bacteria. They have now revealed the 3D structure of this crucial phage component in atomic resolution. With growing antibiotic resistance, phages have increasingly become…
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Mapping how sea-level rise adaptation strategies impact economies and floodwaters
By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise by almost seven feet in the Bay Area. New research shows how traditional approaches to combating sea-level rise can create a domino effect of environmental and economic impacts for nearby communities. Communities trying to fight sea-level rise could inadvertently make flooding worse for their neighbors, according to…
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Bats in Tel Aviv enjoy the rich variety and abundance of food the city has to offer
Researchers have found that when fruit bats forage in the city (Tel Aviv), they are much more exploratory and enjoy the diversity of urban life, visiting a variety of fruit trees every night and tasting as wide a variety of foods as possible. In contrast, rural bats living in Beit Guvrin focus on only one…
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CRISPRing the microbiome is just around the corner
CRISPR is widely used to target specific cell types, but only one at a time. Researchers have now developed methods to edit genes in multiple organisms within a diverse community of microbes simultaneously, a first step toward editing microbiomes such as those in the gut or on plants. One method assesses which microbes are editable;…
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Ancient gut microbiomes may offer clues to modern diseases
Scientists have found dramatic differences between gut microbiomes from ancient North American peoples and modern microbiomes, offering new evidence on how these microbes may evolve with different diets. The scientists analyzed microbial DNA found in indigenous human paleofeces (desiccated excrement) from unusually dry caves in Utah and northern Mexico with extremely high levels of genomic…
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Post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains accurately determined by means of non-destructive techniques
A new study has determined the post-mortem interval of human skeletal remains using real samples, which has been made possible by the combination of two non-destructive analytical tools: Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics. This opens up new avenues for dating in the field of forensic medicine and anthropology. In the field of forensic analysis there is…
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Gene-edited livestock ‘surrogate sires’ successfully made fertile
For the first time, scientists have created pigs, goats and cattle that can serve as viable ‘surrogate sires,’ male animals that produce sperm carrying only the genetic traits of donor animals. The advance could speed the spread of desirable characteristics in livestock and improve food production for a growing global population. The advance, published in…
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Hidden diversity of coral more important for conservation than previously thought
Researchers say that our framework for classifying coral species needs to be expanded to capture ecological diversity and protect reef environments after discovering surprising differences between cryptic coral species. «We know we are greatly underestimating the true number of coral species because of this hidden diversity,» says lead author and Academy Curator Pim Bongaerts. «In…
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Researchers see need for warnings about long-range wildfire smoke
The team believes that evacuation efforts and media coverage of local wildfires may have helped protect residents from adverse health effects of smoke exposure as well as direct impacts of the fires. Researchers at Colorado State University, curious about the health effects from smoke from large wildfires across the Western United States, analyzed six years…