Phys.org Biology

• Watching how accessory proteins regulate filament growth in real time

  Using optical tweezers, researchers at National Taiwan University have observed individual binding events in real time, offering new insights into the molecular regulation of homologous recombination.

• Study charts path for low-emission corn farming across the globe

  A new international study led by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences offers farmers and policymakers a clear roadmap for growing one of the world's most vital crops in a way that is both productive and better for the planet.

• AI assessment indicates stress levels in farmed Amazonian fish

  In Brazil, a group led by researchers from São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Jaboticabal, in collaboration with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to assess the stress levels of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), the most widely produced native fish in Brazil. The study is published in the journal Aquaculture.

• Cooperation and competition: How fetal and maternal cells evolved to work together

  The maternal–fetal interface is the meeting point for maternal and fetal cells during pregnancy. It's long been understood as an area of conflict, where the placenta—a fetal organ—invades the mother to access nutrients.

• Videos show how high-speed tongues of salamanders and chameleons are helping unlock engineering breakthroughs

  The tongues of chameleons and salamanders might not seem like the inspiration for tomorrow's engineering breakthroughs, but inside the Deban Laboratory at the University of South Florida, biology and engineering are colliding to reveal how nature's designs could one day help solve challenges on Earth and beyond.

• Reproductive flexibility in sharks and rays complicates conservation predictions

  Sharks, skates and rays adapt their growth and reproduction to changing food availability, a new study reveals.

• Robot matches humans in scouting for vineyard diseases

  The latest version of an autonomous robot that can scout for grape diseases in vineyards in near-real time, with an accuracy that matches highly trained human scouts, will one day help track crop-killing pathogens with minimal labor.

• Offspring of parasite-exposed crustaceans face increased mortality despite mothers faring well

  When University of Michigan researchers were looking at the effects of a parasite on a tiny freshwater crustacean, they found something unexpected.

• How climatic factors impact wood formation at the cellular level in the Hengduan Mountains

  Researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences investigated the influence of climatic factors on the anatomical traits of wood in coniferous tree species in the Hengduan Mountains. They emphasized the susceptibility of subalpine conifers to changing climate patterns and pointed to the necessity for species-specific conservation strategies.

• Advanced underwater technology reveals a new species of deep-sea snailfish

  MBARI's advanced underwater technology is revealing the remarkable species that thrive in the deep sea. In 2019, MBARI researchers encountered an unfamiliar pink snailfish swimming just above the seafloor. New research from MBARI collaborators has confirmed this individual represents a species previously unknown to science: the bumpy snailfish (Careproctus colliculi).

• Scientists uncover a clean, natural process that nourishes rivers, supports fish and honors innovation

  In northern California, salmon are more than just fish—they're a cornerstone of tribal traditions, a driver of tourism and a sign of healthy rivers. So it may not come as a surprise that NAU and University of California Berkeley scientists working along the region's Eel River have discovered a micro-scale nutrient factory that keeps rivers healthy and allows salmon to thrive.

• Stem cell–based embryo models reveal pathway to understanding fertility

  Caltech researchers have developed a powerful new method for creating embryo-like structures from stem cells that could transform how we study fertility.

• The world's most famous greater gliders are parents again

  On National Threatened Species Day (7 September), some news we can all celebrate—the world's most famous endangered greater gliders are parents again, with a new joey seen for the first time just three days ago.

• Plants that dominate at home often thrive as invasive species abroad, study suggests

  The spread of species beyond their native habitat is a human-made environmental change on a global scale. Among vascular plants, over 16,000 species have now permanently settled in foreign countries. The majority of these "naturalizations" has taken place since the 1950s and predominantly in regions with considerable human influence.

• Suite of models shows some positive effects of climate-smart ag practices

  A study using multiple agronomic models to examine two long-term agricultural research stations in North America shows that so-called climate-smart agricultural practices—like no-till treatments, cover-crop utilization and residue retention—can help promote carbon sequestration in soil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Extending the existing theory on host–microbiome evolution

  The microbiome comprises a multitude of bacteria, viruses and fungi that exist in and on a multicellular organism. The interactions of body cells and the microbiome form a structural and often functional unit, the so-called metaorganism. These interactions significantly influence the biology of both the host and the associated microbes.

• Cities need trees, but sometimes they have to be cut down. Here's why, and how to do it properly

  Like all living things, trees have a limited life cycle, with phases of youth, maturity, and old age. In their prime, trees provide shade, coolness and environmental quality—as well as an undeniable aesthetic value—to urban spaces. However, as they get older they get weaker, and this affects their stability. Old age brings internal rot, hollow trunks, fungal and bacterial infections, and an increased risk of breakage or falling.

• Genetic fingerprint approach enhances detection of gene-edited organisms

  Researchers from the Belgian Federal Institute Sciensano, as part of the DARWIN project, have developed a proof-of-concept for next generation detection methods of genome-edited organisms.

• Ocean warming puts vital marine microbe Prochlorococcus at risk

  Among the tiniest living things in the ocean are a group of single-celled microbes called Prochlorococcus. They are cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, and they supply nutrients for animals all the way up the food chain. Over 75% of surface waters teem with Prochlorococcus, but as ocean temperatures rise, researchers fear that the water might be getting too warm to support the population.

• Baby turtles vanish into the Indian Ocean for years: Now a model shows where they might go

  All sea turtle species are threatened worldwide. They migrate long distances in the oceans—often thousands of kilometers—and so fall under multiple countries' laws and conservation targets. They also have a complex life cycle with changes in habitats and diet at different life stages. These things make it difficult to protect them from threats like illegal harvesting, fisheries bycatch, coastal development, diseases and pollution.

• New tech to combat toxic algal blooms and fish death events

  Amid toxic algal blooms in South Australia and mass fish deaths across the country, a new piece of technology designed by one of Perth's leading marine scientists may hold a solution.

• Making younger trees age faster could create more homes for wildlife—and it can be done without chainsaws

  For wildlife, not all trees are equal. Large old trees have many horizontal and dead limbs for perching, and many fissures or hollows for sheltering. By contrast, younger trees have far fewer such features or lack them entirely. More than 300 species of Australian mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians rely on habitat structures in older trees.

• Sharks now roam the open ocean. But for 200 million years, they only lived near the sea floor

  When you picture a shark, you probably think of a large, powerful predator cruising the open ocean.

• Seaweed snare: Sargassum stops sea turtle hatchlings in their tracks

  Every year, sea turtles hatch on Florida's beaches and make their way from the sand to the ocean—a critical journey that determines their chances of survival. As these hatchlings navigate obstacles such as artificial lights, beach debris and predators like birds and crabs, a new hazard looms. Sargassum seaweed washing up on Florida's shores in record amounts is more than just a nuisance for beachgoers—it's becoming a serious threat to vulnerable sea turtle hatchlings.

• Multiple new species of 'living fossil' fish found hiding in plain sight after more than 150 years

  The modern coelacanth is a famous "living fossil," long thought to have died out, but first fished out of deep waters in the Indian Ocean in 1938. Since then, dozens of examples have been found, but their fossil history is patchy.