News by Subject Biology

Frogs from groups exposed to a deadly virus are breeding at younger ages, new research suggests.

Male birds-of-paradise are notorious for their wildly extravagant feather ornaments, complex calls, and shape-shifting dance moves -- all evolved to attract a mate. New research published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology on Nov. 20 suggests for the first time that female preferences drive the evolution of combinations of physical and behavioral traits that may also be tied to where the male does his courting: on the ground or up in the trees.

Scientists from four Japanese institutions including Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) have discovered that width of surface layers coating tooth's roots correlates with reproductive histories of female Asian black bears. When a female bear raised cubs, the layers of her teeth were much narrower compared to those when she was not. Thus, measuring layer width of female bears' teeth can be a useful index for their reproductive histories.

Scientist have cast new light on the behaviour of tiny hair-like structures called cilia found on almost every cell in the body. Cilia play important roles in human development and disease. Akin to tiny antennae, they act as cell timers keeping the brakes on cell division until the right growth cues are received. Malfunction of cilia leads to many human diseases such as polycystic kidney disease and cancer.

In most animal societies, members of one sex dominate those of the other. Is this, as widely believed, an inevitable consequence of a disparity in strength and ferocity between males and females? Not necessarily. A new study on wild spotted hyaenas shows that in this social carnivore, females dominate males because they can rely on greater social support than males, not because they are stronger or more competitive in any other individual attribute.