Biology News Net - Biology

Extinct moa rewrites New Zealand's history

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:30:58 -0500

DNA recovered from fossilised bones of the moa, a giant extinct bird, has revealed a new geological history of New Zealand, reports a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists unravel evolution of highly toxic box jellyfish

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:30:57 -0500

With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life.

UCLA study shows brain's ability to reorganize

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:30:57 -0500

Visually impaired people appear to be fearless, navigating busy sidewalks and crosswalks, safely finding their way using nothing more than a cane as a guide. The reason they can do this, researchers suggest, is that in at least some circumstances, blindness can heighten other senses, helping individuals adapt.

Ladybugs taken hostage by wasps

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:29:10 -0500

Are ladybugs being overtaken by wasps? A Université de Montréal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) to carry their larvae. These wasps lay their eggs on the ladybug's body, a common practice in the insect world, yet they don't kill their host.

Study: Sea stars bulk up to beat the heat

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:29:08 -0500

A new study finds that a species of sea star stays cool using a strategy never before seen in the animal kingdom. The sea stars soak up cold sea water into their bodies during high tide as buffer against potentially damaging temperatures brought about by direct sunlight at low tide.

Right-handed chimpanzees provide clues to the origin of human language

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:19:50 -0500

Most of the linguistic functions in humans are controlled by the left cerebral hemisphere. A study of captive chimpanzees at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center (Atlanta, Georgia), reported in the January 2010 issue of Elsevier's Cortex (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cortex), suggests that this "hemispheric lateralization" for language may have its evolutionary roots in the gestural communication of our common ancestors. A large majority of the chimpanzees in the study showed a significant bias towards right-handed gestures when communicating, which may reflect a similar dominance of the left hemisphere for communication in chimpanzees as that seen for language functions in humans.

Can a plant be altruistic?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:27:06 -0500

The concept of altruism has long been debated in philosophical circles, and more recently, evolutionary biologists have joined the debate. From the perspective of natural selection, altruism may have evolved because any action that improves the likelihood of a relative's survival and reproduction increases the chance of an individual's DNA being passed on. Social behavior, kin recognition, and altruism are well known in the animal kingdom; however, although plants have the ability to sense and respond to other plants, their ability to recognize kin and act altruistically has been the subject of few studies.

Why can't chimps speak?

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:27:05 -0500

If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not?

Africa's rarest monkey had an intriguing sexual past, DNA study confirms

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:27:04 -0500

The most extensive DNA study to-date of Africa's rarest monkey reveals that the species had an intriguing sexual past. Of the last two remaining populations of the recently discovered kipunji, one population shows evidence of past mating with baboons while the other does not, says a new study in Biology Letters. The results may help to set conservation priorities for this critically endangered species, researchers say.

Ancient penguin DNA raises doubts about accuracy of genetic dating techniques

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:17:18 -0500

Penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica have provided extraordinary frozen DNA samples that challenge the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements, and suggest those approaches have been routinely underestimating the age of many specimens by 200 to 600 percent.