All Ecology & Evolution articles – Page 4
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NewsUrban fungi are showing signs of thermal adaptation
A new study finds that common fungal species may be adapting to higher temperatures in warmer sites within cities compared to cooler sites in the same city. The findings could signify that urban fungi could one day evolve into disease-causing pathogens.
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NewsAncient viral DNA shapes modern human placentas
Researchers have uncovered how ancient viral DNA controls a gene linked to placenta development and pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy disorder. The research could help identify pre-eclampsia risk much earlier.
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NewsNew study reveals not all bats carry equal viral risk
A groundbreaking study sheds new light on the relationship between bats and dangerous viruses, showing that contrary to widespread assumptions, not all bats carry viruses with high epidemic potential, only specific groups of species.
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NewsHow algae help corals bounce back after bleaching
A $1.1 million project will uncover how reefs regain life-giving algae after suffering from heat stress. The three-year project will use advanced imaging and living experimental systems to learn what’s happening on a cellular level when algae return to bleached reefs.
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NewsLichens and drones reveal dinosaur bones
Scientists have found that certain lichen species preferentially colonise exposed dinosaur bones, creating distinctive spectral signatures that can be detected from 30 metres above ground using drones.
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NewsUnprecedented decline in marine viruses in the western Mediterranean linked to climate change revealed
Researchers have described a sustained and unprecedented decrease in the abundance of marine viruses in the northwestern Mediterranean over the last two decades. The findingis based on the longest-known time series data on marine viruses to date.
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NewsResearchers to investigate moisture-driven Antarctic ice sheet growth during past warm climates
Investigating how increased moisture transport to Antarctica, and under what temperatures and sea ice conditions moisture transport occurs, is required to understand the mechanisms that can lead to increased ice accumulation.
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NewsNew study explores ‘legacy effects’ of soil microbes on plants across Kansas
A new study analyzes soils sampled across the state of Kansas to determine the importance of “legacy effects” — or how soils from a specific location are influenced by microbes that have evolved in response to the specific climate at that site for many years.
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NewsDNA from Napoleon’s 1812 army identifies the pathogens likely responsible for the army’s demise during their retreat from Russia
Microbial paleogenomicists extracted DNA from the teeth of soldiers from Napoleon’s ill-fated invasion of the Russian Empire and found no trace of typhus. Instead, they identified two pathogens known to cause enteric fever and relapsing fever.
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NewsProtection against winter vomiting bug spread with arrival of agriculture
Norovirus clears up after a couple of days, but the protection it provides is short-lived, meaning that the same person can fall repeatedly sick in a short space of time. But some people cannot succumb to the virus, thanks to a particular gene variant whose historical spread has now been traced.
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NewsStudy uncovers origins of urban human-biting mosquito, shedding light on uptick in West Nile virus spillover from birds to humans
The research disproves the theory that the mosquito evolved in the London underground by dating the mosquito’s origin back over 1,000 years and identifies the genetic links between bird-biting and human-biting mosquitoes, key to West Nile transmission.
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NewsFungi paved the way for life on land hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought
After reviewing the evolutionary timeline of fungi, scientists have determined that their origin dates back to between 900 million and 1.4 billion years ago. This means that fungi had already been living on Earth hundreds of millions of years before plants took root on our planet.
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NewsDoes floral scent affect insect visitors and bacterial strains on flowers?
A new study reveals that high floral scent chemodiversity is associated with increased pollinator richness but reduced bacterial richness on flowers. The findings led the scientists to propose the ’Filthy Pollinator Hypothesis’.
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NewsDual feeding strategy helps Mediterranean coral thrive in rising sea temperatures
An exceptional “dual feeding” strategy underlies a Mediterranean coral’s resilience to rising sea temperatures, according to a study. The stony coral Oculina patagonica is known to feed itself with or without algae.
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NewsStinkbug leg organ contains symbiotic fungi to shield eggs from parasitic wasps
What looked like a hearing organ on a tiny stinkbug’s leg turned out to be something far stranger: a fungal nursery that mother bugs use to coat their newly laid eggs in protective symbiotic hyphae, shielding their offspring from parasitic wasps.
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NewsSped-up evolution may help bacteria take hold in gut microbiome
A genetic mechanism inserts mutations into key DNA hotspots that enable bacteria to adapt to new environments, a new study finds.
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NewsClimate change may increase the spread of neurotoxin in the oceans
Climate-driven oxygen loss in the Black Sea thousands of years ago triggered the expansion of microorganisms capable of producing the potent neurotoxin methylmercury. That is shown in a new study which suggests that similar processes could occur in today’s warming oceans.
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NewsEarth’s oxygen boom: a fresh perspective for a billion-year-old problem
A new study examines nickel and urea in early microbial habitats, showing how ancient cyanobacteria adapted to their chemical surroundings. By recreating Archean conditions in the lab, researchers uncovered clues about the delicate balances that shaped early cyanobacterial life.
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NewsResearchers uncover hidden plant–microbe strategy that boosts crop growth under nutrient stress
Scientists discovered that when soil microbes compete with each other in the rhizosphere, they release a well-known compound called glutathione. This compound enhances plant growth under sulphur-deficient conditions.
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NewsRare bacterium ‘plays dead’ to evade detection in NASA clean rooms
A rare novel bacterium found in an unexpected environment may be evading detection by “playing dead”. Discovered in NASA spacecraft assembly clean rooms, Tersicoccus phoenicis could have major implications for planetary protection and clean room sterilization practices.