Deter in Biological News

Guilt on their hands: tiny 'tags' could help to solve and deter gun crime

Criminals who use firearms may find it much harder to evade justice in future, thanks to an ingenious new bullet tagging technology developed in the UK. The tiny tags just 30 microns* in diameter and invisible to the naked eye are designed to be coated onto gun cartridges. They then attach th...

Biometrics Help Identify, Apprehend and Deter Illegal Migrants

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that in the first year of operation, its biometrics-at-sea program has been a success and accomplished its intended goals. In its first 12 months, the program collected biometric data from 1,368 ...

Venomous sea snakes play heads or tails with their predators

...h an adaptation is twofold; it may increase the chances of surviving predator attack by exposing a less 'vital' body part, but more importantly it may deter attack in the first place if attackers perceive the tail as the venomous snakes head," said Rasmussen. Similar defence mechanisms have been discove...

Bizarre walking bat has ancient heritage

...bats because it has advantages for them only in special circumstances. Competition with other mammals and pressure from terrestrial predators does not deter modern vampire bats from walking. Likewise, the rich rainforest environment in which the ancestors of the mystacinid bats evolved in ancient Australia...

New discovery suggests trees evolved camouflage defense against long extinct predator

...pecies such as snakes, insects and fish have evolved camouflage defences to deter attack from their predators. However research published in New Phytologis...ay of herbivores and in response they have evolved a variety of defences to deter predators such as thorns and noxious chemicals," said lead researcher Dr Ke...

Study: Illegal fishing harming present and future New England groundfish fisheries

...pected cost of getting caught." In the article, the authors outline how the existing enforcement system in the NEGF fishery does not significantly deter illegal fishing because economic gains from violating fishing regulations are nearly five times the economic value of expected penalties. The study fi...

UGA licenses new Bermuda grass that thrives in sun and shade

...now grow on golf courses around the world and in major sports stadiums. Hanna has spearheaded the screening of Bermudagrass for hybrids that naturally deter mole crickets, the No. 1 lawn and turf pest in the Southeast. He and his research team have been awarded seven patents. New Concept Turf, a Georgi...

Two-day symposium in Baltimore to tackle the promises and perils of proton radiotherapy

...n therapy. Evidence that it is superior to older technologies is murky for prostate cancer, for example, a controversy that nevertheless has failed to deter the large number of people currently being treated for prostate cancer. "On paper, proton therapy undoubtedly has theoretical advantages but ther...

Shark attacks decline worldwide in midst of economic recession

...ore, but the reality is they understand where humans fall in the grand order of things." Burgess said he doubts the economic recession is likely to deter surfers because their interest in the recreational activity is so high. "It's oftentimes not a group that is economically blessed, but all they have t...

A natural, alternative insect repellent to DEET

...uary 5, 2009 Isolongifolenone, a natural compound found in the Tauroniro tree ( Humiria balsamifera ) of South America, has been found to effectively deter biting of mosquitoes and to repel ticks, both of which are known spreaders of diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease. Derivativ...

Brain-nourishing molecule may predict schizophrenia relapse

...be huge," he says of the study that piggybacks on another federally-funded study looking at whether injectable medicine, rather than tablets, can help deter relapses. Not taking their medicines as prescribed is a big reason patients relapse but science has already shown that BDNF levels can start droppi...

Bitter-tasting nectar and floral odors optimize outcrossing for plants

...f floral nectar enforced modest drinking behavior. Apart from sugars, the floral nectar of tobacco also contains nicotine, which is bitter and used to deter nectar thieves or herbivores. But given the right timing and dose, nicotine in the nectar and the attractant, benzyl acetone, released at night as par...

Can certain metals repel sharks from fishing gear?

...ng in groups of sharks. Rare earth metals have previously been reported to deter spiny dogfish from attacking bait due to interactions with the sharks elect...r prey. Electric fields generated by electropositive alloys are believed to deter or repel sharks by overloading their sensory systems. "Individual sandb...

Atmel and Phoenix Technologies Collaborate to Create Next-generation Security Solutions for PCs

...y for mobile PCs. We not only want to provide critical next-generation functionality to our PC OEM customers but also embed certain features that will deter laptop theft," said Surendra Arora, Vice President of Business Development at Phoenix Technologies. "Additionally, our PBA collaboration with Atmel wi...

Phoenix Technologies and Atmel Collaborate to Create Next-Generation Security Solutions for PCs

...y for mobile PCs. We not only want to provide critical next-generation functionality to our PC OEM customers but also embed certain features that will deter laptop theft," said Surendra Arora, Vice President of Business Development at Phoenix Technologies. "Additionally, our PBA collaboration with Atmel wi...

DHS Expands Biometrics-at-Sea Program to the Florida Straits

... Fingerprints Help Apprehend and deter Illegal Migrants Attempting U.S. Entry WA...e are able to prosecute more illegal migrants and migrant smugglers to help deter others from attempting such dangerous voyages." This information-sharing ...

Group led by Stanford physicist says there's an urgent need for nuclear detectives

...plied also to radioactive materials seized by law enforcement agencies or border guards. Tracking the substances back to their source might prevent or deter attacks, they said. The authors note that the International Atomic Energy Agencys Illicit Trafficking Database contains 1,080 confirmed events involvi...

'Smart' holograms help patients help themselves

...the Nobel-prize-winning physicist Dennis Gabor first unveiled their underlying principles, holograms have become widely used as authentication tags to deter copying, and on credit cards, passports, banknotes. They also underpin the technology of supermarket scanners and CD players. As Chris Lowe and Cyn...

Squirrels use snake scent

... "see" in the infrared; assess how dangerous a particular snake is, based on the sound of its rattle; and display assertive behavior against snakes to deter attacks. In addition, work by Owings' colleague, psychology professor Richard Coss, has demonstrated that these squirrels have evolved resistance to s...

Biologists expose hidden costs of firefly flashes

...ple field experiment to measure the potential predation costs of firefly flash signals. Photinus fireflies are known to produce noxious chemicals that deter most predators, yet make them the top menu choice for the larger predatory fireflies known as Photuris. Using basic materials that included electronic...

Natural insecticide re-created in the lab

...ts the first synthesis of azadirachtin, a natural compound that stops predatory insects from feeding. Plants have a variety of defense mechanisms to deter insect attack. Investigation of these mechanisms often allows researchers to discover molecules with interesting biological properties. One such compo...

Male reindeer inflate a large air sac in the neck region to emit their hoarse rutting calls

...mit a hoarse rattling with the head kept low. In this posture the inflated air sac expands the neck region. Both acoustic and optical display serve to deter rival males and thereby prevent fighting, allowing to conserve energy. Simultaneously, the performance serves to attract female mating partners. ...

New evidence of 'human' culture among primates

...hese skills from one another because they have to develop them quickly. To be sure we would need to research more." As well as using the noise to deter predators, Dr Moura also reports that in many cases the act of stone-banging, which often took place on higher ground, dislodged other stones that cou...

Microbes compete with animals for food by making it stink

... Microbes may compete with large animal scavengers by producing repugnant chemicals that deter higher species from consuming valuable food resources -- such as decaying meat, seeds and fruit, a new study suggests. Ecologists have long recogni...

Tarantula venom and chili peppers target same pain sensor

...in chili peppers, UCSF scientists have discovered. The findings demonstrate that some plants and animals have evolved the same molecular strategy to deter predators -- triggering pain by activating a specific receptor on sensory nerves. The research provides new tools to understand how these pain- and he...

Did 'ABCs' cause Uganda's fall in HIV rates?

...en in Uganda had little power at the outset of the AIDS epidemic. "Fortunately," say Murphy and Greene, "a 'this could not work here' attitude did not deter Uganda from moving forward to implement its wide-ranging HIV prevention program and adding gender-related elements when it became clear that this stra...

When the label says 'low fat,' calories can pile up, study says

...r an excuse to eat, low-fat labels give it to us." He recommends that low-fat-labeled foods post larger, more realistic serving sizes, which might deter people from eating too much by giving them a more accurate calorie count. ...

New moth variety disarms plants guarded by selenium

...selenium accumulation might be utilized in different ecological and agricultural circumstances. Applying selenium to plants may be an efficient way to deter herbivory and improve crop productivity, and if managed carefully, the supplied selenium could give added value to the crop (some evidence suggests th...

Parasitic plants sniff out hosts

...nn Stsate researchers note that the identification of at least one repellent compound raises the possibility of eventually using airborne chemicals to deter plant parasites. Looking forward, they would also like to determine exactly how the parasites are able to sense and respond to host volatiles. They ...

Value of services performed by insects tops $57 billion in US

...by domesticated honeybees. For dung burial, they estimated the losses if dung beetles did not clean nearby plants and cattle environments, which would deter cattle from eating the plants and attract more flies and parasites that would have to be controlled. They also calculated how much fertilizer would be...

Rhinos clinging to survival in the heart of Borneo, despite poaching

...ed. WWF and partners last month launched a five-year project called "Rhino Rescue," which will organize rhino protection units and other activities to deter poaching. "The results from the survey of Borneo's rhinos are crucial additions to our scientific understanding of the species," said Dr. Christy ...

Oysters: The natural way to protect our shores

... A study published in the latest issue of Restoration Ecology finds that in coastal Louisiana, oyster reefs help to deter erosion. Oyster reefs are self-sustaining, and are additionally attractive because they use native materials, have the potential for long-term growth...

NASA satellite data provides rapid analysis of Amazon deforestation

...g on the results of this study, Brazil's INPE has developed a near or almost real time monitoring application for deforestation detection known as the deter system. While this study highlights the challenges of monitoring deforestation and the use of MODIS data in the Amazon, it also shows that similar ...

Drugs from the deep blue

... the field of research that explores how natural products serve the organisms that produce or harbor them. The compounds could be chemical defenses to deter predators. For example, some fish "taste" food items before swallowing them, sometimes spitting the item out and sucking it back in several times befo...

Key to elephant conservation is 'in the sauce'

...with a cost-effective means of warding off the elephants without inflicting them with permanent damage. Specifically, farmers use chilli peppers to deter potential crop raiders in two ways: as a protective buffer crop to surround core crops of maize, sorghum and millet; and as an ingredient in a spray t...

Microbial forensics: The next great forensic challenge

...pendent societies. The nation is in the process of developing a strong microbial forensic program to attribute and prosecute such attacks, and perhaps deter them. The opportunities and challenges facing the new field of microbial forensics will be presented at the 229th National Meeting of the American C...