Molecular image of key enzyme in photosynthesis obtained
Feb 15, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
With the aid of the recently developed direct electron counting camera, researchers have succeeded in obtaining a molecular blueprint of a protein complex called NADH dehydrogenase-like complex from cyanob... Read more
Asymmetrical pollen grains are preferred by nature
Feb 12, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
Plants favor the production of uneven, asymmetrical patterns on the surface of pollen grains over more symmetrical patterns, a new study shows.
It seems that pollen evolve into asymmetrical... Read more
Sea snakes do not drink seawater
Feb 11, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
In contrast to what biologists had always assumed, sea water snakes do not drink seawater, and need freshwater in order not to dehydrate.
Now it turns out that sea snakes can drink freshwat... Read more
Hidden history of bacteria evolution revealed
Feb 08, 2019 Alexandru Ciobanu
Since bacteria is not well represented in fossil records it is difficult for science to understand how different groups evolved. Now, researchers have devised a new approach to pinpoint evolutionary milest... Read more
We are eating large animals to extinction
Feb 07, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
Scientists report that 143 species of large animals are decreasing in number, and 171 are under threat of extinction.
The major cause of the decline of large animals appears consumption b... Read more
Leprosy brought to Ireland by Vikings, according to new evidence
Feb 01, 2019 Alexandru Ciobanu
Little is known about leprosy in medieval Ireland, therefore a team of scientists studied the skeletons of five ancient humans with leprosy, from cemeteries around Dublin, to understand more.
... Read more
On the ecology of anemones and fish
Jan 29, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
While it was known that smaller fish hide between anemones, marine biologists have found that bigger fish do the same thing, but only as juveniles.
Fish do this to avoid predation. In return for providing protection, the anemones get acce... Read more
Fish science explained: meet ten of the weirdest fishes
Jan 27, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
Most people know fish from the dinner table, or from their aquarium. Not many people know that fish form an extremely diverse group of animals and have evolved into many species that are as different from ... Read more
Seeing the world through a bird’s eye
Jan 23, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
While the human eye use the primary colors red, green and blue for color vision, birds use in addition a fourth color, invisible to the human eye : ultraviolet.
With the aid of a special ... Read more
Corals attract symbiotic algae with fluorescent green light
Jan 23, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
Reef-building corals can only live in nutrition-poor waters because they have a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae, a group of algae).
It now appears that corals a... Read more
New snake species discovered ….. in the stomach of another snake
Jan 21, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
A snake that had been found in the stomach of a Central American coral snake Southern Mexico in 1976 turns out to be a new species. Researchers have baptized it Cenaspis aenigma (something like « mys... Read more
Why biodiversity is economically important for the production of fruit
Jan 18, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
Orchards surrounded by agricultural land are visited by a few bee species, and this leads to relatively poor pollination and production, a new study shows.
In contrast, natural habitats i... Read more
Parasitic mite of honeybees does not feed on blood, but on the fat body
Jan 16, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
The honeybee parasitic mite Varroa destructor does not feed on blood, as previously thought, but consumes an organ called the fat body.
This organ not only serves many of the same vital f... Read more
Climate change sparks deadly war between two bird species
Jan 14, 2019 Kshitij Jadhav
As the European winters are getting warmer, the pied flycatchers flying from Africa to Netherlands for breeding, are finding that the resident great tits are already claiming all the nesting sites of the s... Read more
Werewolves respond to moonlight and Who else? Oysters it seems
Jan 09, 2019 Kshitij Jadhav
In addition to having a circadian clock and a tidal clock, oysters also have a lunar clock which influences the opening and shutting of the shells. Researchers tracked the behavior of 12 Pacific oysters su... Read more
Why some snakes are deadlier than others
Jan 08, 2019 Erwin van den Burg
Scientists have found out why some snakes have highly poisonous venom, whereas others do not, and why there are such huge differences in the quantities of venom stored in the venom glands.
Following analyses of over 100 snake species, it ... Read more
New type of carbohydrate discovered in cereals
Jan 08, 2019 Alexandru Ciobanu
A new kind of complex carbohydrate has been discovered in barley, the first discovery of this type in the last 30 years.
The compound is a polysaccharide containing a mix of glucose and xylo... Read more
Loneliness associated with attraction to social media
Jan 07, 2019 Alexandru Ciobanu
While everyone is nowadays on social media, one cannot overlook the lack of personal interactions when browsing online. According to a recent scientific study, the desire for using social media is associat... Read more
Sound and touch senses overlap in brain of rodents
Jan 04, 2019 Alexandru Ciobanu
We have the tendency to imagine the auditory and tactile sensation as distinct senses, but according to a recent study, there is an overlap in the brain between the two.
The study analyzed s... Read more
How memory of flowering plants works
Dec 21, 2018 Erwin van den Burg
Plants can sense and remember changes in their environment through the formation and segregation of a protein complex.
Now, scientists have discovered that one protein in this complex, a ... Read more
