Morphological features of "Sheba" at different ages. Credit: Communications Biology (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06721-5An international team of botanists, agriculturists, and historians has successfully cultivated a mature tree from an ancient seed discovered in an Israeli cave.In fact, in their study published in Communications Biology, the researchers detail the seed’s origin, the process of tracing its history,...
A Serianthes seedling that was part of the study, surrounded by a 7.5-cm (3-inch)-wide ring of mirrorsThomas MarlerIndoor plant enthusiasts are familiar with using mirrors to direct sunlight onto plants. Now, scientists have adapted this idea to help endangered tree seedlings struggling to grow in shaded forests. The Serianthes nelsonii, a large tree native...
A live recreation of the Ngamugawi wirngarri coelacanth in its natural habitat. P3D graphic credit: Katrina Kenny. Credit: Illustration Katrina Kenny (courtesy Flinders University)"Groundbreaking" new fossil research reveals that climate change, asteroids, and plate tectonics are interconnected with the origins and extinction of animals, highlighting the significant evolutionary role of these factors.A recent study...
Credit: BETH ZAIKENFour thousand years ago, the last woolly mammoth on an island off the coast of modern-day Siberia died. This isolation could have led to fatal inbreeding and population declines, contributing to the species' extinction.However, a new study reveals that while the Wrangel Island mammoths were indeed inbred, this alone did not...
Credit: CanvasToday, let's talk about a part of the body that doesn't get much attention but is incredibly important: the anus. This little opening at the end of our digestive tract is essential for our survival and the survival of many animals on Earth.The Journey of DigestionInside your body, the digestive system is a...
We still wouldn't call a T. rex not that clever to their face. Credit: PixabayAlthough we prefer not to speak negatively about extinct creatures, recent physiological analysis suggests that the Tyrannosaurus rex, once thought to be highly intelligent, may not have been as clever as previously believed. This challenges earlier research from last year that compared...
An artist's impression of Ichthyotitan severnensis washed up on a beach, while some curious dinosaurs investigateSergey KrasovskiyA newly identified marine reptile species may have been the largest to ever inhabit the world's oceans. Dubbed the "giant fish lizard," this creature existed over 200 million years ago and could rival the size of the blue whale.Ichthyosaurs, a...
The algae Braarudosphaera bigelowii has been found to have absorbed a cyanobacteria called UCYN-A, which may be a huge step forward for evolutionTyler CoaleScientists have witnessed a once-in-a-billion-year evolutionary event where two lifeforms merge, creating an organism with enhanced abilities. The last occurrence led to the emergence of plants on Earth.Known as primary endosymbiosis, this phenomenon...
Brains are larger than they were in the 1930s. Credit: IdeogramLarger brain size indicates enhanced brain health and cognitive abilities. Since the 1930s, there has been a consistent increase in brain size. A recent study highlights the implications of this growth on the likelihood of developing dementia, specifically Alzheimer's disease.By 2020, more than 55...
Tails serve various purposes, yet unlike vervet monkeys seen in Lake Mburo National Park, Uganda, humans' nearest primate ancestors shed these appendages roughly 25 million years ago. ImageBROKER/ShutterstockHumans are special, but we're missing something common in many animals with spines: a tail. Why this is has been a bit of a mystery.Tails are helpful...
