When the option is to adapt or starve, animals are no stranger to getting scrappy in the face of climate change. Researchers conducted fieldwork in East Antarctica, where they revealed an underdocumented link in the food web of the Southern Ocean: Adélie penguins and their shelled pteropod consumption. Shelled pteropods, specifically Thecosomata, are a suborder of free-swimming sea snails. The study aimed to better understand Adélie penguin foraging behaviour and, in doing so, provided the first clear video evidence of Adélie penguins actively feeding upon shelled pteropods during their foraging sessions.

All processes such as wound healing, hair growth, and the replacement of old cells with new ones depend on cell division. During this process, chromosomes inside the cell must be evenly divided between two daughter cells. Even slight errors can lead to cellular abnormalities.

 

A research team at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) has recently uncovered new clues suggesting that a protein called tau plays an important role in this highly regulated process. The findings were published in the international journal Nature Communications.

While commercial honeybee hives nationwide are collapsing under attack from deadly parasites, a unique hybrid bee found only in Southern California has demonstrated the ability to survive.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Hongmei Wang, Ph.D., as an Associate Editor of its journal, Stem Cell Reports. Dr. Wang is a professor of State Key Laboratory of Organ Regeneration and Reconstruction, Institute of Zoology (IOZ), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

‍An internationally recognized leader in developmental and reproductive biology, Dr. Wang brings deep expertise in early embryo and placental development, and advanced in vitro modeling systems. Her laboratory investigates the mechanisms that govern embryonic and placental development in non-human primates and humans, with the long-term goal of improving understanding of pregnancy health and exploring culture systems that support extra-uterine embryogenesis. Her work advances understanding of developmental diseases and holds potential for improving reproductive health outcomes.

A remarkable new discovery is shedding light on one of the greatest survival stories in Earth’s history, and answering a decades-old scientific mystery. Lystrosaurus, a hardy, plant-eating mammal ancestor, rose to prominence in the wake of the End-Permian Mass Extinction some 252 million years ago, the most devastating extinction event our planet has ever experienced. While countless species vanished, Lystrosaurus not only survived, but thrived in a world marked by extreme environmental instability, intense heat, and prolonged droughts.

The Tennessee State University College of Agriculture (TSUAg) and the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) have launched a joint seed funding program to support collaborative research projects focused on some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges. The inaugural initiative brings together the strengths of Tennessee’s land-grant institutions to encourage innovative, interdisciplinary research led by teams from both universities. Through a combined investment of $300,000 from UT AgResearch; the UT Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development; and Tennessee State University College of Agriculture, six joint seed grants were selected for funding in the program’s first round. Each project received $50,000 and is co-led by faculty from TSUAg and UTIA.

In what looks like a pile of rocks in Shark Bay, UNSW scientists have discovered a hidden clue to how the ancestors of plants and animals may have first evolved.