Study helps pinpoint what makes species vulnerable to environmental change

Researchers have reported that a bird species' ability to adapt to seasonal temperature changes may be one factor in whether it can better withstand environmental disruption. The researchers studied 135 bird species in the Himalayas and found that species living in the seasonal western Himalayas adapted to the conversion of forests to agricultural land better than birds native to the tropical eastern Himalayas. Results such as these could help conservationists better determine where to focus their efforts.

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Scientists find early humans moved through Mediterranean earlier than believed

An international research team led by scientists from McMaster University has unearthed new evidence in Greece proving that the island of Naxos was inhabited by Neanderthals and earlier humans at least 200,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years earlier than previously believed.

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Clingfish biology inspires better suction cup

A team of engineers and marine biologists built a better suction cup inspired by the mechanism that allows the clingfish to adhere to both smooth and rough surfaces. Researchers reverse engineered the clingfish's suction disk and developed devices that cling well to wet and dry objects both in an out of water. The devices can hold up to hundreds of times their own weight.

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Failure of mitochondrial quality control causes heart disease

Mutations in the gene that encodes a protein called ANT cause a variety of conditions, such as heart disease, but the underlying mechanism of how these mutations trigger disease has been unclear. Researchers discovered that ANT is critical for a quality control process called mitophagy — which helps to ensure the integrity of the mitochondria network — and found that mutations that lead to a defective quality control system cause heart disease.

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