The Tiniest Creatures on Earth Evolved for Speed

#science #biology #environment

The very fast (for their size) protists.

https://nautil.us/the-speediest-creatures-on-earth-532660/

The Speediest Creatures on Earth

How tiny one-celled protists pull off their strange and marvelous feats.

Occasional paper: When Armor Met Lips — Crooked Timber

#science #biology #evolution

https://crookedtimber.org/2024/03/16/occasional-paper-when-armor-met-lips/

Occasional paper: When Armor Met Lips

So about five hundred million years ago, give or take, there was this little creature called Plectronoceras.  It was about 2 cm long — just under an inch — and it had a conical shell wi…

"The openVertebrate project, oVert for short, is a new initiative to provide free, digital 3D vertebrate anatomy models and data to researchers, educators, students and the public."

"Over the next four years, the oVert team will CT scan 20,000 fluid-preserved specimens from US museum collections, producing high-resolution anatomical data for more than 80 percent of vertebrate genera."

"CT scanning is a nondestructive technology that reveals a specimen inside and out -- its skeleton, muscles, circulatory and nervous systems, internal organs, parasites, eggs and stomach contents."

"A selection of specimens will also be scanned with contrast-enhancing stains to characterize soft tissues."

"These digital images and 3D mesh files will be open for exploration, download and 3D printing on MorphoSource, an open-access online database."

This actually happened a year ago but I'm only finding out about it just now. Check out the images; they are pretty impressive.

oVert openVertebrate Project

#biology

Welcome

The openVertebrate project, oVert for short, is a new initiative to provide free, digital 3D vertebrate anatomy models and data to researchers, educators, students and the public. Over the next four years, the oVert team will CT scan...

#biology #reptiles #MaryRiverTurtle
Mary River turtle: The green-haired oddball that can breathe through its butt for 72 hours
https://www.livescience.com/animals/turtles/mary-river-turtle-the-green-haired-oddball-that-can-breathe-through-its-butt-for-72-hours

Mary River turtle: The green-haired oddball that can breathe through its butt for 72 hours

The Mary River turtle has adapted to life underwater after splitting from all other living turtle lineages more than 18 million years ago.

https://mastodon.green/@plazi_species/112059998547671324 plazi_species@mastodon.green - #NewSpecies
New many-plumed moth from #cameroon just landed:

Alucita sokolovi

Treatment: http://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D9F4858-D646-4A23-9620-E3C883642BD0
Publication: http://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1193.111544
#ZooKeys

#FAIRdata
#science #OA #openaccess #biology #taxonomy #ecology #biodiversity #nature #wildlife #conservation #animals #invertebrates #entomology #insects #lepidoptera #butterflies #moths #mothsmatter #savebutterflies

Plazi Species (@plazi_species@mastodon.green)

Attached: 1 image #NewSpecies New many-plumed moth from #cameroon just landed: Alucita sokolovi Treatment: http://treatment.plazi.org/id/3D9F4858-D646-4A23-9620-E3C883642BD0 Publication: http://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1193.111544 #ZooKeys...

https://c.im/@jake4480/112055378262812827 jake4480@c.im - This honeycreeper is half male, half female, and doesn't even GIVE a fuck

https://archive.ph/nC256

#science #biology #birds #ornithology

Jake Beamer (@jake4480@c.im)

Attached: 1 video This honeycreeper is half male, half female, and doesn't even GIVE a fuck https://archive.ph/nC256 #science #biology #birds #ornithology

I think this is a case of the science advancing far ahead of what the public thinks the science says.

#Science
#Biology

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00327-x

It’s time to admit that genes are not the blueprint for life

The view of biology often presented to the public is oversimplified and out of date. Scientists must set the record straight, argues a new book.

Weatherwatch: how #SolarFarms benefit #bees and #butterflies | #Biodiversity | The Guardian

An unexpected benefit.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2024/mar/01/weatherwatch-how-solar-farms-benefit-bees-and-butterflies

#Biology #Ecology #Pollinators

https://ohai.social/@tangledwing/111974207703177495 tangledwing@ohai.social - The large emerald moth (Geometra papilionaria), native to the Palearctic region and the Near East. #moth #insects #nature #CC #naturephotography #biology #wildlife

D C Fitzgerald (@tangledwing@ohai.social)

Attached: 1 image The large emerald moth (Geometra papilionaria), native to the Palearctic region and the Near East. #moth #insects #nature #CC #naturephotography #biology #wildlife

#biology #platypus
The World’s Oldest Wild Platypus Shocks Scientists at 24 Years of Age
The animal was tagged in 2000, when it was estimated to be about one year old, and re-discovered alive in the wild last year
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-worlds-oldest-wild-platypus-shocks-scientists-at-24-years-of-age-180983805/

The World's Oldest Wild Platypus Shocks Scientists at 24 Years of Age

The animal was tagged in 2000, when it was estimated to be about one year old, and re-discovered alive in the wild last year

#biology #birds #yellowcrestedHelmetshrike
‘Lost Bird’ not seen in 20 years photographed for the first time
The yellow-crested helmetshrike has noisy calls that match its bright feathers.
https://www.popsci.com/environment/lost-bird-helmetshrike-photos/

‘Lost Bird’ not seen in 20 years photographed for the first time

The yellow-crested helmetshrike has noisy calls that match its bright feathers.

ADHD may have been an evolutionary advantage, research suggests

#Guardian #ADHD #Biology #Evolution

#biology #birds #parrots #rosyfacedLovebirds
These Parrots Use Their Beaks to Swing Across Branches Like Monkeys
Scientists have documented the unusual movement, dubbed “beakiation,” for the first time
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/these-parrots-can-use-their-beaks-to-swing-across-branches-like-monkeys-180983694/

These Parrots Use Their Beaks to Swing Across Branches Like Monkeys

Scientists have documented the unusual movement, dubbed "beakiation," for the first time

Keep it Up

https://www.sciencealert.com/regular-erections-may-be-vital-for-erectile-function

#science #biology

Regular Erections May Be Vital For Erectile Function

Cars should be taken out for a spin every now and then to keep them in tip-top working order.

#biology #parrots #AfricanGrayParrots
These Parrots Won’t Stop Swearing. Will They Learn to Behave—or Corrupt the Entire Flock?
A British zoo hopes the good manners of a larger group will rub off on the eight misbehaving birds
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-this-zoo-is-handling-its-foul-mouthed-parrots-180983655/

These Parrots Won't Stop Swearing. Will They Learn to Behave—or Corrupt the Entire Flock?

A British zoo hopes the good manners of a larger group will rub off on the eight misbehaving birds

#biology #diet #SugarAndFatCravings #dopamine
Monell Center Study: New Gut-Brain Circuits Found for Sugar and Fat Cravings
Fat, sugar, and the combination of both (chocolate) navigate a gut-brain maze.
Image credit: Isadora Barga, de Lartigue lab: The blue path represents the sugar route, the green path signifies the fat route, and the yellow path represents the combined impact of fats and sugars. Each path leads to the brain, but the combined route has a greater impact, triggering heightened dopamine release in the reward circuits, emphasizing the synergistic effect of fat-sugar combinations on neural responses.
https://monell.org/monell-center-study-new-gut-brain-circuits-found-for-sugar-and-fat-cravings/

Monell Center Study: New Gut-Brain Circuits Found for Sugar and Fat Cravings - Monell Chemical Senses Center

For Immediate Release Contact: Karen Kreeger, kkreeger@monell.org Results reveal a “one-two punch” to the brain’s reward system, possibly impeding dieting efforts. PHILADELPHIA (January 18, 2024) – Understanding why we overeat unhealthy foods has...

It’s time to admit that genes are not the blueprint for life | #biology #complexity #bestof

It’s time to admit that genes are not the blueprint for life

The view of biology often presented to the public is oversimplified and out of date. Scientists must set the record straight, argues a new book.

#biology #anthropology #homolongi
A Brazilian anthropologist has reconstructed the face of the archaic human species Homo longi from a well-preserved skull discovered in northeastern China in the 1930s. Homo longi is an extinct species of the genus Homo that lived in Asia during the Middle Pleistocene.
Nicknamed Dragon man, the species was identified from a nearly complete skull dated to 148,000 years ago.
https://www.sci.news/othersciences/anthropology/homo-longi-face-12609.html

Face of Homo longi Reconstructed | Sci.News

A Brazilian anthropologist has reconstructed the face of the archaic human species Homo longi from a well-preserved skull discovered in northeastern China in the 1930s.

Why flying insects gather at artificial light | Nature Communications

#science #biology #ethology #insects

Contrary to the expectation of attraction, insects do not steer directly toward the light. Instead, insects turn their dorsum toward the light, generating flight bouts perpendicular to the source. Under natural sky light, tilting the dorsum towards the brightest visual hemisphere helps maintain proper flight attitude and control. Near artificial sources, however, this highly conserved dorsal-light-response can produce continuous steering around the light and trap an insect. Our guidance model demonstrates that this dorsal tilting is sufficient to create the seemingly erratic flight paths of insects near lights and is the most plausible model for why flying insects gather at artificial lights.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-44785-3

Why flying insects gather at artificial light - Nature Communications

It is unclear why flying insects congregate around artificial light sources. Here, the authors use high-speed videography and motion-capture, finding that insects fly perpendicular to light sources due to a disruption of the dorsal light...

Simulating Cellular Biology in the Browser

#medicalhacks #biology #cellularmetabolism #simulation #hackaday
posted by pod_feeder_v2

Simulating Cellular Biology In The Browser

[Technistuff] read a paper about simulating a “minimal” cell — apparently a cell with only 493 genes. This led to a goal: reproduce the simulation in TypeScript so it can run in a…