Tag: "creature" at biology news

Corals -- More complex than you?

...he human complement of 20-23,000." Why a simple creature should have such a huge genetic repertoire is a mystery, but scientists are excited by it because corals are near the root of the family tree of all living animals and can throw new light on the origin of such complex features as the nervous and immu...

From the deep -- Researchers find new species of sea anemone

...that calls a dead whale home is what sets this new creature apart. Since the scientists who initially found these animals weren't sea anemone specialists, they sent the 10 specimens they collected to Meg Daly, an assistant professor of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University . Da...

Is there a pilot in the insect?

...urrent Biology, February 8, 2007. How does a tiny creature like a fly or a bee, with a brain the size of a pinhead, manage to make such a magnificent job of controlling its flight, and avoid crashing to the ground? Today it is known that the sensory motor prowess of these flying miniatures depends on the ner...

Bats prey on nocturnally migrating songbirds

... without predation risk for passerines. A unique creature is indeed capable of exploiting the formidable food source represented by the billions of high-flying, Eurasian songbirds which engage twice a year into long-distance, north-south or south-north nocturnal movements. The danger seems especially acute ...

Study of planarians offers insight into germ cell development

...Newmark studies, Schmidtea mediterranea, is a tiny creature with a lot of interesting traits. Cut it in two (lengthwise or crosswise) and each piece will regenerate a new planarian, complete with brains, guts and ?in most cases ?gonads. Even when the planarian’s brain is severed from its body, it can regenera...

Human preference for other species could determine whether they survive

...d by factors as subtle as small color highlights a creature displays. In the case of penguins, mostly black-and-white flightless birds that live predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere, those most popular with humans appear to be the ones that display markings of warm colors such as red, orange or intense y...

Sea urchin genome suprisingly similar to man and may hold key to cures

...dystrophy. "Another surprise is that this spiny creature with no eyes, nose or hears has genes involved in ...human development," she added. Using a "simple" creature like the sea urchin embryo to uncover the molecular basis underlying development offers several expe...

Giant insects might reign if only there was more oxygen in the air

...t fell into a bucket of water in his lab. When the creature was discovered the next day, lab workers thought it had drowned. But when they removed its apparently lifeless little body from the water, they were surprised to see it crawl away. Tracheae grow disproportionately This experiment was designed...

Researchers give name to ancient mystery creature

...," Scott said. The first dental specimens of the creature were unearthed by University of Alberta paleontolo...n Valley and on the banks of the Blindman. But the creature mystified the researchers, who could not positively identify it, and exactly where it fits into the ...

How many genes does it take to learn? Lessons from sea slugs

...ing that the neural processes in even a simple sea creature are far from sluggish. At any given time within just a single brain cell of sea slug known as Aplysia, more than 10,000 genes are active, according to scientists writing in Friday's (Dec. 29, 2006) edition of the journal Cell. The findings suggest...

Fire ants: Their true story told by the scientist who loves them

... both the social biology and ecology of a despised creature and the hows and whys of scientific research. Along the way, he offers rare glimpses into the sometimes maddening lab-and-field lives of "myrmecologists" ?scientists who specialize in the study of ants. Why fire ants? "It's a no-brainer," he said. "...

Bacteria can help predict ocean change

Every creature has its place and role in the oceans ?even the smallest microbe, according to a new study that may lead to more accurate models of ocean change. Scientists have long endorsed the concept of a unique biological niche for most animals and plants ?a s...

When the going gets tough, slime molds start synthesizing

..., they collectively form a multicellular slug-like creature that locomotes en masse to a warm spot. There, in response to the DIF-1 signal, slugs literally stand up and their cells metamorphose into either a column of stalk cells or next-generation spore cells, which perch atop the column waiting for food sup...

Illegal trade is propelling rare turtle toward extinction, new report

...name is Chelodina mccordi, is a small, odd-looking creature prized by collectors, with a long neck that extends far from its body and resembles a snake. The turtle is found only in the wetlands of the island of Roti was first described as a new species in 1994. The report found that poachers are sidestepp...

FSU biologist says new dinosaur is oldest cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex

...nd seen in the tyrannosaur's predatory family. The creature has been named "Guanlong wucaii" and translated loosely from Chinese, that's "crowned dragon five colors." An internationally known expert on the development and evolution of the vertebrate musculoskeletal system, Erickson helped confirm the tyranno...

Ancient DNA provides clues to the evolution of social behavior

... of the earth long ago. Yet the hearty gopher-like creature has not only managed to survive for thousands of years in the harsh climate of the Argentine highlands, it has evolved a complex social structure that's unique among the more than 50 closely related tuco-tuco species. Stanford University biologist E...

Gene needed for butterfly transformation also key for insects like grasshoppers

It is a marvel of nature that a creature such as a caterpillar changes into something quite different, a butterfly. Contrast that with a grasshopper, which looks largely the same from the time it hatches through its adult stage. New University of Washington research shows that a regulator...

Fossil find: 'Godzilla' crocodile had head of a dinosaur, fins like a fish

...archers have discovered evidence of an ancient sea creature that would have made Tyrannosaurus rex, think twic...determine its lineage. Together, they describe the creature in the latest issue of the journal Science. It measured 13 feet from nose to tail. Its jaws were a ...

Missing fossil link 'Dallasaurus' found

...ruction site near Dallas 17 years ago, he knew the creature was unlike anything in the fossil record. Scientists now know the significance of Turner's fossil as the origin of an extinct line of lizards with an evolutionary twist: a land-dwelling species that became fully aquatic. Turner took the remains to p...

Drugs from the deep blue

...e could be natural anti-fouling agents that stop a creature that does not move, like a sponge, from being overgrown with other sea life. Others might be released into the seawater as pheromones to encourage larvae to join an existing colony, or to attract a mate. Molinski's group is collaborating with Jay St...

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