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New light shed on behavior of giant carnivorous dinosaur Spinosaurus
New research has reignited the debate around the behavior of the giant dinosaur Spinosaurus. Since its discovery in 1915, the biology and behaviour of the enormous Spinosaurus has puzzled palaeontologists worldwide. It was recently argued that the dinosaur was largely an aquatic predator, using its large tail to swim and actively pursue fish in the…
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Puerto Rico is prone to more flooding than the island is prepared to handle
Puerto Rico is not ready for another hurricane season, let alone the effects of climate change, according to a new study that shows the island’s outstanding capacity to produce record-breaking floods and trigger a large number of landslides. The latest research, appearing in the journal Hydrology, builds on three prior studies led by hydrologist Carlos…
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Elephant seals map sense tells them when to head home
Each year, pregnant female elephant seals take an approximately 240-day trek over 10,000 kilometers across the Eastern North Pacific Ocean before returning to their breeding beaches to give birth within five days of their arrival. Now, a study finds that this impressive navigation ability depends on an internal map sense, which functions much like a…
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Improved estimates of Brazilian Amazon gains and losses
A new study generated improved annual maps of tropical forest cover in the Brazilian Amazon in 2000-2017 and provided better characterization on the spatio-temporal dynamics of forest area, loss and gain in this region. The Amazon basin has the largest tropical forests in the world. Rapid changes in land use, climate and other human activities…
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Swine coronavirus replicates in human cells
A strain of coronavirus that has devastated the pork industry has the potential to infect humans as well, according to new research. The coronavirus strain, known as swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), emerged from bats and has infected swine herds throughout China since it was first discovered in 2016. Outbreaks of such an illness…
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Scientists find high concentrations of toxic phenyltin compounds in local Chinese white dolphins
A research team confirmed the occurrence of biomagnification of toxic substance TPT compounds along the marine food chain resulted in very high concentrations of TPT in two top predators, the Chinese white dolphin and the finless porpoises. This is the first study in the world to confirm the trophic magnification of TPT in food webs…
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Biologists pinpoint key factor in immune system response to viral infection
Researchers studying how small worms defend themselves against pathogens have discovered a gene that acts as a first-line response against infection. They identified ‘ZIP-1’ as a centralized hub for immune response, a finding could have implications for understanding human immunity against viruses. University of California San Diego researchers studying how small worms defend themselves against…
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Social status, not size, determines reproductive success for female mountain gorillas
Dominance rank among female mountain gorillas is not related to body size but does increase their reproductive output according to new research. Mountain gorillas are the largest living primate and display extreme size differences between the sexes, with males weighing around 200kg — twice as much as females. Body size is an important factor determining…
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Cellular rejuvenation therapy safely reverses signs of aging in mice
Age may be just a number, but it’s a number that often carries unwanted side effects, from brittle bones and weaker muscles to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Now, scientists have shown that they can safely and effectively reverse the aging process in middle-aged and elderly mice by partially resetting their cells to…
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Important step towards fasting-based therapies
Voluntary fasting, for example interval fasting, is beneficial to health for many people, depending on their individual condition. For example, controlled periods of starvation can prevent and improve diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Researchers have now found that the immune system plays an important role in ensuring the positive effects of fasting on our…