A 'private bandwidth' for communication in bats: Evidence from insular horseshoe bats
...ase for horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae). These bats find their way in the dark and detect insect prey by emitting long ultrasound calls mainly made of a constant frequency. Different rhinolophid species show different frequency values. It has been proposed that such differences are large enough to allow re...Climate change isolates Rocky Mountain butterflies
...ately, we need to study the population dynamics to find out if the habitat allows the species to reproduce and persist," Roland said. "This latest study shows that as populations function with less synchrony and become more independent of each otheras we've shown the Parnassius is becoming in certain ar...Which came first, the moth or the cactus?
...els into the field and examine them empirically to find out how well they predict what really happens," Holland said. Traditional theory of such mutualistic interactions leads to predictions of unbounded population growth or instability and eventual doom due to one species overexploiting another. These ...Bursts of waves drive immune system 'soldiers' toward invaders
...he scientists report. "One of the things that I find fascinating about these waves is how relatively simple patterns of protein interaction can generate very complex behaviors," says Weiner. "Evolution has found the same solution to generating waves again and again even with completely different molecu...Protein 'chatter' linked to cancer activation
...progression of these diseases as well as help them find a cure for cancer. ...Gene regulation, not just genes, is what sets humans apart
...elating to neural system development and failed to find any, the Duke team believes this is the first study to take a genome-wide look at the evolution of regulatory sequences in different organisms. Other studies have found significant differences between these species in the coding regions that govern...Green tea boosts production of detox enzymes, rendering cancerous chemicals harmless
...Japanese, generally have lower rates of cancer. To find out if green tea can protect against cancer, the NCI has sponsored a number of rigorous scientific studies testing capsules of the extract, Polyphenon E, that have been prepared in Japan to meet exact specifications. These pills contain epigallocatec...Does the desire to consume alcohol and tobacco come from our genetic makeup?
...s for alcohol and tobacco use. In an attempt to find the genomic determinants underlying alcohol and tobacco use, researchers examined 120 families (approximately 900 individuals). The researchers identified an area relating to alcohol and tobacco use on chromosome 1. They found another area relating t...X-ray images help explain limits to insect body size
...livered to the extremities. We were surprised to find that the effect is most pronounced in the orifices leading to the legs, where more and more of the space is taken up by tracheal tubes in larger species, said Alex Kaiser, biologist at Midwestern University. They then examined the tracheal measurem...New, more direct pathways from outside the cell-to-cell nuclei discovered
...s of the cell. Just like a person would eventually find a worm hidden in an apple by repeatedly slicing through the apple, Gavin found the intruiging phagosome behavior he sought by using the confocal microscope to repeatedly obtain views that sliced clear through the cell. Specifically, the team tracke...Swarming starlings help probe plasma, crowds and stock market
...cks of birds. The technique could even be used to find unusual patterns in stock market behaviour. The researchers began their work in a research group interested in plasmas. These are difficult to study at the best of times because the opportunities to view plasma in the solar wind are limited by th...ESF EURYI award winner aims to stop cancer cells reading their own DNA
...therapy targets all dividing cells, and the aim to find more sensitive techniques. However Dekkers work is not just confined to cancer, having the broader goal within the ESF EURYI project of unraveling the underlying physical principles behind these molecular motors that operate at the nanometer scale t...Climate change and permafrost thaw alter greenhouse gas emissions in northern wetlands
...protects it like a thick layer of insulation. We find permafrost in peatlands further south than in othe...large region of Canada. They initially expected to find that the melting ice would (trigger a release of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, as previousl...Antioxidant overload may underlie a heritable human disease
...e animals hearts are under reductive stress. The find initially took Benjamin by surprise, he said. They had conducted a test traditionally used to measure the level of oxidative stress in the animals, expecting they might see higher than normal levels. Instead, they found the mice had markedly reduced ...Evolution is driven by gene regulation
...rgeted promoters, said Snyder. We were startled to find that even the closely related species of yeast had extensively differing patterns of regulation. In this study, the authors found the DNA binding sites by aiming at their function, rather than their sequence. First, they isolated transcription fac...A study by the MUHC and McGill University opens a new door to understanding cancer
...the long term, this may serve as a basis for us to find ways to intervene in this chain reaction and discover a treatment adds Dr. Gehring. This new information about ubiquitin marks an important advance in our understanding of the mechanisms associated with cancer and contributes to the fight against the...Proteaceae spread by continental drift and transoceanic dispersal
... to botanists. Ornithologists will be intrigued to find that the age of the Embothriinae, a bird-pollinated group of Proteaceae in Australia, coincides with the estimated age of the Honey-eaters, Australian nectar-feeding birds. Nigel Barker, the first author of the work enthuses this study is the culmi...Conventional plowing is 'skinning our agricultural fields'
...wore out the people could move to other places and find rich enough soil to sustain them. But with the world population now exceeding 6.6 billion people, Montgomery argues that there are few, if any, places left where the soil can feed a large population for very long. "We are skinning our agricultural...Inflammation may cause preterm labor and fetal deaths
...d their pups. The researchers said they hope to find ways to prevent preterm labor that complicates 12% of all live deliveries and results in 70% of neonatal deaths. Preterm births affect nearly half a million babies in the U.S. each year and cost billions of dollars in health costs annually. Han add......hat elephant seals adopted different strategies to find food. The Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University led the research. Author Mike Fedak says, These data are really exciting. This new technology has allowed us to see where the seals go and understand their behaviour in the context of dif...