PHYSorg · Page 25

A special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B takes a bold step toward redefining one of the most debated concepts in biology and the social sciences: domestication. Titled "Shifting Paradigms Towards Integrated Perspectives in…

From Tama, Japan's most famous stationmaster calico cat, to the lasagna-loving, ginger Garfield, cats with orange fur are both cultural icons and beloved pets. But their distinctive color comes with a genetic twist—most orange tabbies are male, while calicos…

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have developed a new stem cell model of the mature human amniotic sac, which replicates development of the tissues supporting the embryo from two to four weeks after fertilization. This is the first model of amniotic…

Scientists have confirmed that there is something unique about ginger-hued domestic felines. In a new study, Stanford Medicine researchers have discovered the long-posited but elusive genetic mutation that makes orange cats orange—and it appears to occur in…

Nestled in dark burrows, with a limited sense of vision, mice brush their whiskers against their environment to navigate and to detect objects around them. This behavior, termed whisking, has been extensively studied in the past few decades and has…

Language processing in humans depends on the neuronal connection between language areas in the brain. Until recently, this language network was thought to be uniquely human.

Sea level rise will cause large areas of land to be flooded in the coming century. We could use these future sea-landscapes for the production of seagrass grains, argues environmental scientist Marieke van Katwijk in the journal Ambio.

When trees and soil fungi form close associations with each other, both partners benefit. Many tree species have further enhanced this cooperation by forming a concurrent symbiosis with two different groups of mycorrhizal fungi. Those trees cope better with…

Roots "feel" gravity to extend and anchor themselves in the soil, but they can alter their growth direction toward a water source when needed. However, according to a new study by scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and…

A study has found that an ancient protein motif that binds to nucleic acids is functionally "ambidextrous." This means that the motif can interact with both natural and mirror-image nucleic acids, an occurrence that has never before been reported for nucleic…

Together, or not together, that is the question. Hamlet is not the only one facing life-changing questions—wild animals have to make decisions pivotal to their survival on a daily basis.

The recent announcement of the resurrection of the dire wolf generated considerable global media attention and widespread scientific criticism.

A proposal to regulate the killing of coyotes in California has drawn fierce opposition from ranchers and farmers, who say they need to be able to control the wild canines to protect livestock and pets.

Wildfires are burning through thousands of acres of forest in Northern Minnesota, damaging buildings and forcing residents to evacuate their homes.

Researchers who were dropped off by helicopter in a largely inaccessible and remote canyon in South Africa say they have discovered a type of gecko that hadn't been seen in more than 30 years and was thought to be extinct—or maybe to have never existed at all.

When a plant species spreads beyond its habitat, it is usually seen as a threat to native flora and fauna. But what happens when that same species is struggling to survive in its original range?

A vast bloom of toxic algae is killing more than 200 species of marine life off the southern coast of Australia, scientists and conservation groups say.

Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology in Japan, in collaboration with the Institute of Translational Medicine and Biomedical Engineering (IMTIB) in Argentina and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, have advanced the "PDMS SlipChip," a…

After earning notoriety as the first cellular receptor isolated and mammalian lectin identified, the Ashwell-Morell receptor's functions in our bodies eluded scientists for more than 30 years.

The musculoskeletal system provides structural support, enabling movement such as walking and lifting, protecting internal organs, maintaining posture, generating heat through muscle activity, and coordinating with the nervous system. One of the many…