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Biology

All articles tagged with #biology

Life with Intent: Rethinking Biological Agency
biology3 days ago

Life with Intent: Rethinking Biological Agency

Quanta Magazine surveys whether ‘biological agency’—the idea that life acts with goals or reasons—is scientifically productive, weighing mechanistic, gene-centered explanations against views that organisms set proximal goals through context, learning, and interaction with their environment. The piece traces debates from Mayr and Monod to Baldwin’s effect and Lamarck, examines whether agency implies conscious deliberation, and argues for developing a formal, testable theory of agency that could unify biology with development, evolution, and future artificial agents.

via Quanta Magazine|
#agency#biology#evolution
Superworms Prove a Greener, Faster Way to Clean Skeletons for Museums
biology8 days ago

Superworms Prove a Greener, Faster Way to Clean Skeletons for Museums

Researchers in Iran and Germany tested using the larvae of Zophobas morio—the superworm—to clean animal skeletons for museum displays, finding they can efficiently remove flesh in a safe, affordable, and environmentally friendlier way than chemicals or dermestid beetles. The study in PLOS One identified an optimal worm-to-carcass ratio (about 10–15 grams of worms per 1 gram of carcass) and reported minimal damage to delicate bones while reducing pest risks.

via Gizmodo|
#biology#dermestid-beetles#environmentally-friendly
Laughter's steady rhythm traces the evolution from apes to human speech
biology15 days ago

Laughter's steady rhythm traces the evolution from apes to human speech

A cross-species study of laughter in orangutans, gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees, and humans finds laughter isochronous across extant great apes, with tempo accelerating and variability increasing over roughly 15 million years of hominid evolution. Tickling-induced laughter is more regular than play, and humans show the most context-sensitive tempo changes, indicating progressive gains in vocal control that likely paved the way for speech and language.

via Nature|
#biology#hominid-evolution#isochrony
Two-Growth-Factor Trick Sparks Regeneration in Mice, Skipping Scar Formation
science17 days ago

Two-Growth-Factor Trick Sparks Regeneration in Mice, Skipping Scar Formation

A two-step treatment using growth factors FGF2 and BMP2 reprograms fibroblasts at wound sites to form a blastema-like structure in mice, enabling bone, ligaments and skin to regrow rather than scar. While not a perfect replica of the original anatomy, the approach suggests regeneration in mammals can be steered away from scarring and toward rebuilding tissue, with potential to improve healing after amputations; BMP2 is FDA-approved for certain uses and FGF2 is in clinical trials, possibly speeding translation to humans.

via Good News Network|
#biology#fibroblasts#regeneration
Purine-rich coding sequences guard bacterial genes from Rho termination during runaway transcription
biology25 days ago

Purine-rich coding sequences guard bacterial genes from Rho termination during runaway transcription

Using a genome-wide Rho-termination screen in Bacillus subtilis, the study shows that coding strands are purine-rich to shield runaway transcription from Rho-dependent termination, while antisense regions are pyrimidine-rich, making them targets for Rho. In rho-containing Bacilli this purine bias shapes codon usage and constrains foreign gene expression; rho-less species relax the bias and can tolerate more pyrimidines. Recoding a gene to be more purine-rich suppresses Rho termination, and foreign sequences such as HGH lose expression in B. subtilis unless recoded. The findings reveal a sequence-based constraint on genome evolution beyond replication biases.

via Nature|
#bacillus-subtilis#biology#codon-usage
A single gene speeds growth but shortens lifespan in aging killifish
biology27 days ago

A single gene speeds growth but shortens lifespan in aging killifish

A Nature Communications study shows the vgll3 gene influences how fast African turquoise killifish grow and reach reproductive age, with CRISPR edits accelerating growth and puberty but increasing late-life tumors and shortening lifespan, providing rare in-vertebrate evidence for antagonistic pleiotropy and suggesting a trade-off between early-life benefits and later-life disease; the findings hint that similar mechanisms could partly explain aging in humans and motivate research to separate growth benefits from cancer risks.

via ScienceAlert|
#aging#antagonistic-pleiotropy#biology
Aging clocks promise time-to-death—but I’d rather not know
opinion28 days ago

Aging clocks promise time-to-death—but I’d rather not know

Op-ed writer Helen Pilcher examines a new Harvard-led “molecular clock” that claims to measure biological age and predict time to death, noting it’s still for research and could speed anti-aging trials or inform policy. She cautions that such results are probabilistic and can shape how people view aging—something she would rather not know—preferring to focus on healthier living despite the Kardashians using a similar test as an example.

via The Guardian|
#aging#biology#molecular-clocks
Mitochondria form a direct tether to the nuclear pore to power the nucleus and influence cell fate
biology1 month ago

Mitochondria form a direct tether to the nuclear pore to power the nucleus and influence cell fate

Scientists identify direct mitochondria–nuclear pore contacts mediated by VDAC1 and the RANBP2 C-terminal domain. Disrupting this interaction reduces mitochondria–nucleus proximity, lowers nuclear ATP and phosphocreatine, and alters the nuclear phosphoproteome, shifting pathways linked to histone modification, differentiation, and transcription. In vivo truncation of RANBP2’s CTD causes embryonic cardiac and neural crest defects, underscoring a vital mitochondria–nucleus communication axis that regulates nuclear energetics and cellular differentiation.

via Nature|
#biology#mitochondria#nuclear-energetics
Cozumel Dwarf Fox Captured on Camera After 20-Year Silence
biology1 month ago

Cozumel Dwarf Fox Captured on Camera After 20-Year Silence

A team of researchers photographed and confirmed the Cozumel dwarf fox—the island’s long elusive mammal not seen since 2001—after rescuing an adult male found on a highway and releasing it into a protected reserve. The discovery highlights the fox’s continued existence amid habitat loss, invasive species, and natural disasters, and it underscores the need for targeted surveys, population monitoring, and habitat protection to safeguard this rare, cryptic species.

via Gizmodo|
#biology#conservation#cozumel
Tiny Brains, Big Breakthrough: Bees Solve Problems Spontaneously
science1 month ago

Tiny Brains, Big Breakthrough: Bees Solve Problems Spontaneously

Finnish researchers report that bumblebees can spontaneously solve a box-and-banana–style task to reach a flower, showing goal-directed problem-solving without prior training. Across several designs, 16 of 22 bees succeeded when the task included visible training cues and barriers, while 23 of 30 succeeded in a test that limited visual feedback, with some solving without first moving the ball to an incorrect spot. The results suggest bees can generate novel solutions and demonstrate insight beyond reinforcement learning, laying groundwork for studying insect cognition further.

via Ars Technica|
#biology#cognition#insects