Biology
- A history of terrariums: the first terrariumvimeo.com A History of Terrariums: The first ever terrarium
A history of terrariums: the first ever terrarium By Michael Johnson @ Original Design
By Michael Johnson @ Original Design
- A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletonsphys.org A possible explanation for the 'missing plastic problem': New detection technique finds microplastics in coral skeletons
Researchers from Japan and Thailand investigating microplastics in coral have found that all three parts of the coral anatomy—surface mucus, tissue, and skeleton—contain microplastics. The findings were made possible thanks to a new microplastic detection technique developed by the team and applied ...
cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/30414
- Self study; Changing my own Biology Successfully
Important Notice Before Publishing Documents
Before I publish these documents, I want to make it very clear: while testing and experimenting are essential for advancing our understanding of human evolution, it is crucial to consult a medical professional beforehand. Even the slightest miscalculation or lack of clarity about your goals could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Over the past four years, I have developed what I consider to be a method of “fast-tracked evolution.” Traditionally, evolution is understood as a process that spans generations within a species, slowly occurring over millions of years as new adaptations emerge. However, this method allows for significant modifications to the body within a decade, enabling the growth of beautiful and intricate features, such as wings.
I understand that some may view this as trolling or even dangerous. While there are risks involved, the potential benefits are unimaginable. I grew up with a broken, deteriorating body and felt I had no choice but to explore this path. As a result, my body has begun to enhance itself. I hope that, in the future, everyone will have the opportunity to experience this.
I invite open feedback on this work, but I ask that we keep our discussions constructive and beneficial, similar to an educational or professional setting. Your insights will be invaluable in refining these ideas and advancing our understanding.
Below are a few papers on the subject: one is a study, and the other explains the biological and evolutionary relationship between this fast-tracked evolution and traditional evolutionary processes.
Adaptation and Change in Wing Development: An Evolutionary Perspective
- What a bioluminescent petunia had to teach meknowablemagazine.org What a bioluminescent petunia had to teach me
I bought a glowing plant. It led me down a rabbit hole of radiant mushrooms, 19th century experiments and a modern rivalry between scientists in Russia and the Americas.
- Enhancing microbe memory to better upcycle excess CO2phys.org Enhancing microbe memory to better upcycle excess CO₂
While some microbes can make people sick or spoil food, others are critical for survival. These tiny organisms can also be engineered to make specific molecules. Researchers reporting in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering have rewired one such microbe to help tackle greenhouse gases in the atmo...
- Histones Do A Lot More Than Regulate Genesknowablemagazine.org These proteins have been secretly managing your cells
Scientists have long known that histones spool DNA and help regulate genes. They may be doing a lot more.
- The promise of synthetic cellsphys.org The promise of synthetic cells
For over a decade, scientists have made extraordinary progress on the long-held dream of fabricating an entire cell from nonliving molecules and materials.
- Brain found to store three copies of every memorynewatlas.com Brain found to store three copies of every memory
Like a computer system with built-in redundancies, a study has revealed that brains use three different sets of neurons to store a single memory. The finding could one day help soften painful memories in people who've suffered trauma.
- How reef fish may use the moon's cycle to manipulate the sex of their offspringphys.org How reef fish may use the moon's cycle to manipulate the sex of their offspring
For some fish, being born close to a new moon increases the chances they will develop as male, while female offspring are more likely when the moon is full, a new study has found.
For some fish, being born close to a new moon increases the chances they will develop as male, while female offspring are more likely when the moon is full, a new study has found.
- 3D-printed blood vessels bring artificial organs closer to realityphys.org 3D-printed blood vessels bring artificial organs closer to reality
Growing functional human organs outside the body is a long-sought "holy grail" of organ transplantation medicine that remains elusive. New research from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) brings that que...
cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/7680
- The pathogens that could spark the next pandemicwww.nature.com The pathogens that could spark the next pandemic
The World Health Organization has updated its list of most dangerous viruses and bacteria.
The number of pathogens that could trigger the next pandemic has grown to more than 30, and now includes influenza A virus, dengue virus and monkeypox virus, according to an updated list published by the World Health Organization (WHO) this week. Researchers say that the list of ‘priority pathogens’ will help organizations to decide where to focus their efforts in developing treatments, vaccines and diagnostics.
- New discoveries regarding tomato hormones can increase total yieldphys.org New discoveries regarding tomato hormones can increase total yield
In an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of São Paulo's Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil describe for the first time how strigolactones, plant hormones discovered several decades ago, control flo...
- It’s not just us: Other animals change their social habits in old ageknowablemagazine.org It’s not just us: Other animals change their social habits in old age
In patterns that may sound familiar, long-term studies reveal what elderly deer, sheep and macaques are up to in their twilight years
- The ape Y chromosome evolves extremely rapidly, but the X chromosome is conservedwww.nature.com The ape Y chromosome evolves extremely rapidly, but the X chromosome is conserved
The complete genome sequences enable inter-species comparisons.
cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/2066
- TIL about fish with the nomenclature "Boops, Boops"
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/25010101
> > Boops boops (/ˈboʊ.ɒps ˈboʊ.ɒps/; from Ancient Greek βόωψ, literally 'ox-eyed'), commonly called the bogue, is a species of seabream native to the eastern Atlantic > >
> Domain: Eukaryota > Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Actinopterygii > Order: Spariformes > Family: Sparidae > Genus: Boops > Species: B. boops > - Hippos can launch themselves airborne for split seconds at a time, surprising scientistswww.businessinsider.com Hippos can launch themselves airborne for split seconds at a time, surprising scientists
Researchers realized hippos become airborne when they trot. They made the discovery watching footage that showed hippos fully lifting off the ground.
- Vancouver Aquarium rescues weeks-old sea otter
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/24113865
- Researchers at MIT Use Light-sensitive Proteins to Stimulate Muscle Contractionsnews.mit.edu MIT scientists learn how to control muscles with light
MIT researchers developed a way to help people with amputation or paralysis regain limb control. Their optogenetic technique could offer more precise control over muscle contraction, along with a dramatic decrease in muscle fatigue.
- New Patient: EL2401 Female Otter Pup (Name TBD)
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/23517604
> Link to patient profile: https://mmrpatients.org/patient/el2401-female-otter-pup-name-tbd/ > > Patient Record (as of 2024-06-20) > >
> Species: Sea Otter > Patient ID: EL2401 > Admitted on: 2024/06/17 > Collection Site: Wikkaninnish Island > Reason for Admission: Maternal separation > Weight at Admission: 2.10 kg > Patient Status: in care > Time in Care: 2 days > Current Habitat: Hospital (Intensive Care) >> > Photos: > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! > > ! - Such a perfect ending for a paper!
Such a perfect ending for a paper!
"The animals themselves did not long survive in the aquarium. A slow process of dissolution set in at some point on the body, and gradually more and more of the tissue melted away till only the tentacle- and brain-region remained. This crept about for a few days, but finally it, too, disintegrated. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, May 12, 1893."
Wheeler, W. M. (1894). Journal of Morphology, 9(2), 195–201. doi:10.1002/jmor.1050090203
- How plants heal wounds: Mechanical forces guide direction of cell divisionphys.org How plants heal wounds: Mechanical forces guide direction of cell division
Plants are made up of very rigid cells. Much like bricks in a wall, this feature gives them the structural support to maintain their shape and to stand upright against gravity. However, just like any living organism, plants can be injured, for instance, by wind or animal grazing. While humans and an...
- Found this moth today
!photo of a fuzzy palm sized moth
Any chance someone knows anything about it? It was found in the Great Lakes area. It's about palm sized, found near a tree by the playground. I returned it to an out of the way place where kids wouldn't mess it it.
- TIL about spider number 16, the longest lived spider on record, and the decades long study by researcher Barbara York Main
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/21700185
> The article is short so I recommend reading it. I started adding the key points below, but ended up including almost the entire article: > > > Number 16 (c. 1974 – 2016), also known as #16, was a wild female trapdoor spider (Gaius villosus, family Idiopidae) that lived in North Bungulla Reserve near Tammin, Western Australia. She lived an estimated 43 years and became the longest-lived spider on record, beating a 28-year-old tarantula who previously held the title. When Number 16 finally died in 2016, it was not of old age but from a parasitic wasp sting. > > --- > > > On March 1974, Australian arachnologist Barbara York Main began a long-term study of spider families. [...] Main returned to the site annually, sometimes more frequently, for more than four decades. > > > Like other trapdoor spiders, Number 16 spent her entire life in the same burrow, subsisting off the edible insects that walked on her burrow's trapdoor-like silk roof. > > > For her 40th birthday, research assistant Leanda Mason wanted to give the spider a mealworm, but Main denied the request since it would interfere with the study > > > Because of Number 16, Main's project took far longer than she had expected. She continued to work into her late 80s, but she "began to look forward to the project's end," The Washington Post reported. Finally, when Main's own health declined before the spider's, she passed the project on to Leanda Mason. > > > On 31 October 2016, researcher Leanda Mason discovered Number 16's burrow in disrepair. The spider was gone. Evidence suggested she was killed by a parasitic spider wasp > > > “She was cut down in her prime [...] It took a while to sink in, to be honest," said Mason > > > After retiring, Barbara York Main moved to a care facility for Alzheimer's. Leanda Mason, who kept in contact with her mentor, said in 2018 that Barbara "remembers No. 16" but "forgets that she’s died."
- Back from the dead: Tropical tree fern repurposes its dead leavesnews.illinois.edu Back from the dead: Tropical tree fern repurposes its dead leaves
Zombie leaves? A species of tree fern found only in Panama reanimates its own dead leaf fronds, converting them into root structures that feed the mother plant. @LASillinois @DallingJim
- New paper from Ikeda et al. on the biogenesis of chitin bristles in the annelid #Platynereis with nice #vEM reconstructions and a chitin synthase knockout.
New paper from Ikeda et al. on the biogenesis of chitin bristles in the annelid #Platynereis with nice #vEM reconstructions and a chitin synthase knockout. Bristles are formed in a process of biological 3D printing. @biology \#microscopy https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48044-3
- [SciShow] Virgin Births: Inbreeding with Yourself
Six stories of parthenogenesis:
- Rays
- Sharks
- California Condors
- Honeybees
- Whiptail lizards
- Amazon Mollies
- Spider adaptations to aquatic life
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/20257123
> From this article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/swimming-and-spinning-aquatic-spiders-use-slick-survival-strategies/
