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Yearly Archives: 2017
Early avian evolution: The Archaeopteryx that wasn‘t
Credit: Oliver Rauhut
Paleontologists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich correct a case of misinterpretation: The first fossil "Archaeopteryx" to be discovered is actually a predatory...
How much can late Permian ecosystems tell us about modern Earth? A lot
The research team at the Bletterbach paloentological site, Dolomites, Northern Italy.
Credit: Photo by Christian Weber
A whopping two hundred and fifty-two million years ago, Earth...
Ancient genetic mutation helps explain origin of some human organs
DNA (stock illustration).
Credit: © frenta / Fotolia
A neutral genetic mutation -- a fluke in the evolutionary process that had no apparent biological purpose --...
First-of-its-kind chemical oscillator offers new level of molecular control
Molecular model (stock image).
Credit: © alice_photo / Fotolia
DNA molecules that follow specific instructions could offer more precise molecular control of synthetic chemical systems, a...
Chimpanzee deaths in Uganda pinned on human cold virus
A two-year-old chimp named Betty, who succumbed to the virus.
Credit: Richard Wrangham
In the wild, chimpanzees face any number of dire threats, ranging from poachers...
Girls will be boys: Sex reversal in dragon lizards
This is a central bearded dragon.
Credit: Professor Arthur Georges
One of Australia's iconic lizard species is hiding a secret -- female central bearded dragon embryos...
Interrupted reprogramming converts adult cells into high yields of progenitor-like cells
This is a hollow-luminal iPL colony.
Credit: Lily Guo
A modified version of iPS methodology, called interrupted reprogramming, allows for a highly controlled, potentially safer, and...
Reductions in individual plant growth sometimes boost community resilience
Tomato plants produce repellent chemicals called volatile organic compounds in response to herbivore attacks. (Stock image)
Credit: © slavomir pancevac / Fotolia
In sports, sometimes a...
Dinosaur parasites trapped in 100-million-year-old amber tell blood-sucking story
Hard tick grasping a dinosaur feather preserved in 99 million-year-old Burmese amber. Modified from the open access article published in Nature Communications: 'Ticks parasitised...
Synthetic protein packages its own genetic material and evolves
Molecular model (stock image).
Credit: © alice_photo / Fotolia
Protein assemblies, designed and built from scratch to carry molecular cargo, are advancing both synthetic life research...
Scientists improve people’s creativity through electrical brain stimulation
Researchers passed a weak constant electrical current through saline-soaked electrodes positioned over target regions in the scalp.
Credit: Image courtesy of Queen Mary University of...
