Computational biologists have devised a software tool that can play a high-speed 'Match Game' to identify bioactive molecules and the microbial genes that produce them so they can be evaluated as possible antibiotics and other therapeutic agents.
Read moreA fast knee-jerk 'ballistic' escape response and a more considered 'delayed' escape response are mediated by distinct and parallel neuronal pathways in zebrafish, according to a new study.
Read moreA newly discovered protein turns on plants' cellular defence to excessive light and other stress factors caused by a changing climate, according to a new study.
Read moreTwo new symbiotic porcelain crab species have been described. One of them, from the South China Sea of Vietnam, inhabits the compact tube-like shelters built by the polychaete worm with other organisms. The other inhabits the intertidal vermetid snail formations in the Colombian Caribbean.
Read moreOnly two bird species have ever been shown to undertake what scientists call 'itinerant breeding': nesting in one area, migrating to another region, and nesting again there within the same year, to take advantage of shifting food resources. However, new research provides strong evidence of this rare behavior in a third bird — the Phainopepla, a unique bird found in the southwestern US and the northernmost member of an otherwise tropical family.
Read moreA new study by biologists explains how sexual cooperation and bonding evolves in bird species that form pair bonds.
Read moreAn international team of scientists has developed a genetic engineering tool that makes producing and analyzing microbial secondary metabolites — the basis for many important agricultural, industrial, and medical products — easier than ever before, and could even lead to breakthroughs in biomanufacturing.
Read moreAnthropogenic noise pollution (ANP) is a globally invasive phenomenon impacting natural systems, but most research has occurred at local scales with few species. Researchers in this study investigated continental-scale breeding season associations with ANP for 322 bird species to test whether local-scale predictions are consistent at broad spatial extents for an extensive group of North American bird species in the continental United States.
Read moreA computational analysis has identified key regions in the United States where model-based predictions of mosquito species distribution could be improved.
Read moreAn antibiotic commonly found at low concentrations in the environment can have major impacts on gut bacteria, report researchers.
Read more