Bacteria show slower evolution when facing two stressors at the same time
Dec 10, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
Bacteria can adapt relatively quickly to altered living conditions, but they are much less efficient in doing so when they are facing two stressors at the same time. New research has shown that predator st... Read more
Experimental hybridization created new sex chromosome in swordtail fish
Dec 06, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
Fishes, unlike mammals that use the standard XX, XY chromosomal mechanism, have a wide variety of sex determination systems. Why this is the case, is currently unknown.
The better understa... Read more
A rich ecosystem of microorganisms found in old painting
Dec 06, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
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Plant cells know where is up and down thanks to their mother cell
Dec 04, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
For plants, it is important to know where is up and where is down, so that roots can grow down into the soil, and the rest of the plant can grow up to the light. Which each cell division as the plant grows... Read more
Kids in rural regions spend less time outdoors
Dec 03, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
A troubling trend is revealed by a new study, showing that even kids from rural areas now spend more time in front of screens and less time outside.
The study investigated children from rura... Read more
This is the most “influential” film ever, according to science
Nov 30, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
An original study investigated over 47,000 films listed on the internet movie database IMDb to understand which one is the most influential film of all times. The top criterion was the number of times one ... Read more
Why does the manta ray have horns?
Nov 30, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
The manta ray has two fleshy horns on its head which earned it the name of “devil ray”. The question is how did these horns appear in the evolution of the species?
To investigate... Read more
Environmental cleaning pays off: no more flounders with liver cancer in Boston Harbor
Nov 28, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
Long-term environmental cleanup efforts of Boston Harbor, once one of the most polluted harbors in America, has led to the disappearance of liver cancer in flounders.
Back in 1985, 75% of... Read more
Newly discovered wasp turns a social spider into a wandering zombie
Nov 28, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
A new species of parasitic wasp has been discovered in Ecuador that uses a social spider for the development of its larvae. in a rather extreme way, never observed before.
A female wasp l... Read more
Giraffes prefer the company of friends
Nov 26, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
The social behavior of giraffes is complex and, in some aspects, similar to ours. According to a new study, giraffes prefer the company of their friends, a preferred individual from the group, when searchi... Read more
Medieval teeth reveal how oral bacteria changed
Nov 26, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
A new study analyzed medieval human remains from Denmark to uncover how bacteria living in the human mouth changed over time.
The dental plaque found on the teeth suggest that oral microbio... Read more
Frogs reproduce younger to escape virus
Nov 20, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
Ranaviruses affect frogs (Rana temporaria) but no information is available about how they affect population demographic structure. Now, a group of researchers showed that frogs are breeding at a younger ag... Read more
Salmon are shrinking and mature faster
Nov 14, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
By studying scales, collected over a 40 years period, biologists have found that male salmon are becoming smaller. It appeared that the reduced body size has a genetic basis, such that the genotype for lar... Read more
New emotional intelligence test can predict employee’s abilities
Nov 13, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
Researchers developed an emotional intelligence test claimed to accurately predict the abilities of an employee for social interactions and leadership capabilities. Emotional intelligence is one’s ab... Read more
The secrets behind better workplace meetings, according to science
Nov 09, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
Meetings are frequent in work organizations, whether we like it or not. However, not all of them are useful and valuable. A group of scientists analyzed almost 200 studies about workplace meetings and came... Read more
Why early humans had skeletal abnormalities
Nov 08, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
The anatomy of ancient skeletons suggests that early humans had an unusually high number of birth defects affecting the skeleton. A recent study supports the idea that this is because of frequent inbreedin... Read more
Ancient ceremonial complexes discovered in Atacama Desert
Nov 07, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
The world’s driest desert, Atacama, offered archeologists a nice surprise in the form of two ancient ceremonial complexes one kilometer (0.62 miles) apart. The oldest of them is believed to be 5000 y... Read more
Immune system linked to postpartum depression
Nov 07, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
A new study showed that signs of inflammation are found in brain areas responsible for mood regulation in an animal model of postpartum depression. This suggests a link between the immune system, the brain... Read more
New cell structure discovered
Nov 06, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
Cell biologists have discovered a new cell structure that plays a role in cell division. It is a protein complex that interacts with surrounding proteins to keep the cells in place when they divide. Other ... Read more
Richer people do less to fight climate change
Nov 05, 2018 Alexandru Ciobanu
A citizen science experiment that quantified how much people do to act against climate changes gave an interesting result: it appears that wealthier people are willing to do less than others.
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