111 articles from FRIDAY 25.11.2022

What octopus and human brains have in common

Cephalopods like octopuses, squids and cuttlefish are highly intelligent animals with complex nervous systems. In Science Advances, a team led by Nikolaus Rajewsky of the Max Delbrück Center has now shown that their evolution is linked to a dramatic expansion of their microRNA repertoire.

Project aims to use concrete reefs to increase marine biodiversity off the Danish coast

When cycling across the Bryggebroen bridge at Fisketorvet, you see three concrete sculptures emerging from the water surface in the inner harbor of Copenhagen. But it is actually only when you get under water that the work of art really begins to come to life. Here you can see that the sculptures are filled with cracks that will eventually become a habitat for seaweed and fish.

Synchronizing chaos through a narrow slice of the spectrum

The abstract notion that the whole can be found in each part of something has for long fascinated thinkers engaged in all walks of philosophy and experimental science, from Immanuel Kant on the essence of time to David Bohm on the notion of order, and from the self-similarity of fractal structures to the defining properties of holograms.

Developing a sensor to detect disease-transmitting mosquitoes

Mosquitoes inhabit various world regions, with more than 3,000 species already identified. Some of these are transmission vectors of several diseases, such as malaria, yellow fever, or dengue. According to the World Health Organization, 627,000 people died of malaria in 2020.

Study: Climate change is increasing the frequency and temperature of extreme heat waves

As California awakens to the worsening risk of extreme climate events, researchers are shedding new light on last year's anomalous and extreme Pacific Northwest heat wave. One study published this week said such heat waves could become 20 times more likely to occur if current carbon emissions continue unabated. Another said they may also be nearly 10 degrees hotter.

AI tailors artificial DNA for future drug development

With the help of an AI, researchers have succeeded in designing synthetic DNA that controls the cells' protein production. The technology can contribute to the development and production of vaccines, drugs for severe diseases, as well as alternative food proteins much faster and at significantly lower costs than today.

525-million-year-old fossil defies textbook explanation for brain evolution

According to a new study, fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods, the most species-rich group in the animal kingdom. Combining detailed anatomical studies of the fossilized nervous system with analyses of gene expression patterns in living descendants, they conclude that a shared blueprint of...

Stop counting cups: There's an ocean of difference in our water-drinking needs

A new study of thousands of people reveals a wide range in the amount of water people consume around the globe and over their lifespans, definitively spilling the oft-repeated idea that eight, 8-ounce glasses meet the human body's daily needs. Differences in environment, body composition and activity level contribute to daily water turnover of as little as 1 liter and as much as 10 liters.

Wolves infected with a common parasite may be much more likely to become pack leaders

A team of researchers with the Yellowstone Wolf Project at the Yellowstone Center for Resources, in Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming, has found that wolves in the park who become infected with Toxoplasma gondii, a common parasite, are much more likely to become leaders of their pack. In their study, reported in the journal Communications Biology, the group analyzed data from studies of the...

Animals are key to restoring the world's forests, long-term data set reveals

As UN climate talks close in Egypt and biodiversity talks begin in Montreal, attention is on forest restoration as a solution to the twin issues roiling our planet. Forests soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide and simultaneously create habitat for organisms. So far, efforts to help forests bounce back from deforestation have typically focused on increasing one thing—trees—over anything else.

DNA sequence enhances our understanding of the origins of jaws

The vast majority of vertebrate species living today, including humans, belong to the jawed vertebrate group. The development of articulating jaws during vertebrate evolution was one of the most significant evolutionary transitions from jawless to jawed vertebrates, taking place at least 423 million years ago. The lower and upper jaws were initially connected by the primary jaw joint. However,...

Oyster reef restoration rapidly increases marine biodiversity: Study

Global assessments of historical oyster reef distribution have estimated that over 85% of oyster reefs have been lost to overfishing and coastal development. In recent decades, enormous effort has been put into developing and implementing different methods for restoring oyster reefs globally.

Bioarchaeologist comes face-to-face with King Tut

Andrew Nelson studies bioarchaeology, in part, because it allows him to understand how people lived thousands of years ago. And while he has traveled the world investigating ancient mummies, his latest adventure with King Tut is one for the ages.

What is ethical animal research? A scientist and veterinarian explain

A proposed measure in Switzerland would have made that country the first to ban medical and scientific experimentation on animals. It failed to pass in February 2022, with only 21% of voters in favor. Yet globally, including in the United States, there is concern about whether animal research is ethical.

How bacteriophage resistance shapes Salmonella populations

Researchers from the Quadram Institute and the University of East Anglia have uncovered how resistance has helped drive the emergence of dominant strains of Salmonella. In addition to antimicrobial resistance, resistance to bacteriophages may give these bugs a boost, in the short-term at least.