Phys.org Biology

• Earlier migration signals deeper trouble for tiny birds

  Fall migration is happening earlier for a North American bird species that is already in rapid decline, adding pressure to its chances for survival.

• UK dolphin deaths correlate with elevated sea temperature and chemical contaminants

  Rising ocean temperatures and lingering industrial toxins are proving deadly for short-beaked common dolphins in UK waters. Researchers led by the Zoological Society of London have drawn a clear connection between environmental stress and the spread of infectious disease in this sentinel marine species. Results point to two powerful drivers of mortality acting in tandem: warming seas and chemical pollutants that have persisted for decades.

• Butterflies benefit from roadside greenery in cities, finds Singapore study

  Plants, especially flowering ones, are often grown along roads to beautify cities. Now, a new Singapore study has found that such small artificial green spaces beside busy roads are also beneficial to butterflies, which are important pollinators in urban ecosystems.

• Your cells can 'hear': Uncovering the relationship between life and sound

  There's a sensation that you experience—near a plane taking off or a speaker bank at a concert—from a sound so total that you feel it in your very being. When this happens, not only do your brain and ears perceive it, but your cells may also.

• Pupy the elephant heads to a vast Brazilian sanctuary after 30 years in an Argentine zoo

  An unusual convoy neared Argentina's lush border with Brazil on Tuesday, after snaking through traffic-snarled roads for hours. Inside the specialized iron crate strapped to a truck and flanked by vans full of caretakers and veterinarians was Pupy, a female African elephant.

• Ancestors of today's crocodilians survived two mass extinction events: Study uncovers secret to their longevity

  Most people think of crocodilians as living fossils—stubbornly unchanged, prehistoric relics that have ruled the world's swampiest corners for millions of years. But their evolutionary history tells a different story, according to new research led by the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) and the University of Utah.

• The bear in the (court)room: Who decides on removing grizzly bears from the endangered species list?

  The Endangered Species Act (ESA), now 50 years old, was once a rare beacon of bipartisan unity, signed into law by President Richard Nixon with near-unanimous political support. Its purpose was clear: protect imperiled species and enable their recovery using the best available science to do so.

• New pollen-replacing food for honey bees brings hope for survival

  Scientists have unveiled a new food source designed to sustain honey bee colonies indefinitely without natural pollen.

• Foraging on the wing: How can ecologically similar birds live together?

  A spat between birds at a backyard birdfeeder highlights the sometimes fierce competition for resources that animals face in the natural world, but some ecologically similar species appear to coexist peacefully. A classic study in songbirds by Robert MacArthur, one of the founders of modern ecology, suggested that similar wood warblers—insect-eating, colorful forest songbirds—can live in the same trees because they actually occupy slightly different locations in the tree and presumably eat different insects.

• Research confirms copper-based fungicides as a reliable solution for aerial stem rot in potatoes

  Potato growers face a persistent late-season threat: aerial stem rot (ASR), a bacterial disease primarily caused by Pectobacterium carotovorum. Often emerging after thunderstorms and other weather events, ASR has long been a challenge to manage effectively.

• Climate change threatens seagrass, but it proves more resilient than expected

  The results of recent research reveal both the vulnerability and the surprising resilience of tropical seagrass, despite the growing threats posed by climate change. Led by Fee Smulders from Wageningen University & Research, international scientists investigated how seagrass responds to warming waters, grazing by sea turtles and fish, and nutrient pollution.

• Chlorotonils: Naturals antibiotics' dual-action mechanism against multidrug-resistant pathogens uncovered

  The development and spread of antibiotic resistance represents one of the greatest threats to global health. To overcome these resistances, drugs with novel modes of action are urgently needed.

• Bumble bee decline tied to air pollution's disruption of gut microbiome

  A study of bumble bees has uncovered a potential reason for the insects' decline. By studying bumble bee exposure to particulate air pollutants, scientists at the University of Leicester have determined that the diversity and behavior of the bee gut microbial community is altered when exposed to black carbon found in air pollution, disrupting the beneficial bacteria that live there.

• How circadian clocks maintain robustness in changing environments

  New research has uncovered how a simple circadian clock network demonstrates advanced noise-filtering capabilities, enhancing our understanding of how biological circuits maintain accuracy in dynamic natural environments.

• How age and head shape affect dogs' olfactory brain networks

  A new brain imaging study from the ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research group has revealed that age and brain shape affect how strongly dogs' olfactory brain regions are connected. The researchers used resting-state fMRI on awake dogs to map olfactory functional connectivity.

• If we must bring back extinct species, let's focus on the giant herbivores

  The American genetic engineering firm Colossal Biosciences recently announced to much fanfare it had "de-extincted" the dire wolf, a canine species that was wiped out around 10,000 years ago. However, the three animals it presented are actually modern gray wolves with some genetic modifications.

• Taste research suggests pearl millet could be a healthy, sustainable, gluten-free wheat alternative in US

  With droughts in the United States increasingly impacting wheat production, many producers are looking for more durable alternatives. Researchers from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, City University of New York and Monell Chemical Senses Center recently reported that American palates are likely to accept pearl millet—a hardy, gluten-free grain that has been cultivated for centuries in rugged, drought conditions in Africa and India—as an acceptable substitute in recipes that use wheat flour.

• Can citizen science be trusted? New study of birds shows it can

  Platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird encourage people to observe and document nature, but how accurate is the ecological data that they collect?

• How proactive salmon conservation in the North Pacific can deliver global benefits

  A new study published in the journal Fisheries shows how a salmon-focused ecosystem protection strategy in the North Pacific can deliver meaningful results in the global drive to protect biodiversity.

• Australian honeybees are under attack by mites and beetles. Here's how to keep your backyard hive safe

  Australia's honeybees are facing an exceptional crisis. The tiny but devastating foreign pest Varroa destructor is steadily spreading across the country.

• Adjusting trees' internal clocks can help them cope with climate change

  A new study from Umeå University has revealed that trees' circadian clocks guide their growth and the timing of seasonal events like the appearance of leaves in spring. The researchers investigated the growth of genetically modified poplars in greenhouse and field conditions, combining statistical learning and plant biology methods. Their findings, published in npj Biological Timing and Sleep, suggest that adjusting clock-associated genes could help trees better synchronize with changing climates, offering new opportunities for forestry.

• Imaging techniques show phages in unprecedented detail

  Researchers at Pitt have produced the most detailed image to date of a bacteriophage–phage for short–that has allowed them to see for the first time the structural makeup of the part of the phage that directly attaches to its target Mycobacterium cell.

• Electron transporter identified in mammals protects against low oxygen

  Ubiquinone, a metabolite critical to generating energy in cells, has long been thought to be the only mitochondrial electron transport chain carrier in mammals. Although other electron transporters have been identified in bacteria, nematodes and other organisms, evidence of their presence in mammals has remained elusive.

• When dogs return to nature—just how domesticated are our pooches really?

  It's hard to imagine a beloved pet dog surviving in the world. But reports of a 4 kg miniature dachshund looking well 500 days after she escaped during a family holiday is raising questions about how dependent our dogs really are on their humans. Our loyal pooches may be less domesticated than we like to think.

• Sex selection creates distinct hummingbird species on small Jamaican island

  There are two species of streamertail hummingbirds on the island of Jamaica, West Indies—one with red-billed males (Trochilus polytmus) and the other with black-billed males (T. scitulus). This is a puzzling situation, as many evolutionary biologists have argued that avian speciation is unlikely to occur on small oceanic islands.