Biology News GotScience.Org

Anxious After Social Isolation in Lockdown?

July 6, 2020July 10, 2020 Science Connectedanti-social, brain mapping, loneliness, neuroscience, social isolation, zebrafish

Are you a loner or a lonely fish? Social isolation in zebrafish led to anxiety when reintroduced to society, mirroring how many humans feel after lockdown.

Biology Climate Change Environment Technology

Improved Solar Power with New Organic Sensitizers

June 22, 2020June 20, 2020 Science Connectedgreen tech, renewable energy, solar energy, solar panel, solar power

Cheaper, better solar power? Harnessing the power of the sun might finally become easier and less expensive thanks to new research into organic sensitizers.

Biology Health Human Evolution Science Videos

Loneliness and Why We Will Beat COVID-19

June 3, 2020June 1, 2020 Science Connectedcoronavirus, COVID-19, isolation, lonliness, shelter in place

Feelings of loneliness are widespread as humanity continues to self-isolate to stop the spread of coronavirus. Watch this video about why we will prevail.

Biology Health

Humidity and Respiratory Virus Transmission

May 6, 2020May 6, 2020 Science ConnectedCOVID-19, humidity, pandemic, seasons, temperature, virus

Past virus studies suggest that indoor humidity levels may influence how easily respiratory viral infections spread in winter.

Biology Education Technology

Virtual Dissection: AnimaLEARNing from Home

April 29, 2020April 29, 2020 Science ConnectedAnimalearn, biology, dissection, science education, science teaching, virtual reality, VR

Can you teach life science without animals? Yes, with VR, simulated bodies, and other cool tech. Here is a list of free and affordable resources to teach anatomy without taking the lives of animals, provided by our friends at AnimaLEARN.

Biology Health Science Videos

Coronavirus: How Do Pandemics Spread?

March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 Science Connectedcoronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak, pandemic, virus, world health

Coronavirus COVID-19: Dr. Joe Hanson, from It’s OK to Be Smart gives us a fantastic explanation of the paradox of pandemics and the science of epidemics.

Animals Biology Health

Toxoplasma Infection Makes Mice More Brave

February 24, 2020February 20, 2020 Science Connectedanimal behavior, behavior, inflammation, mice, neurodegenerative disease, parasites

By Mackenzie Myers, @kenzwrites Quiet as a mouse. Timid as a mouse. When’s the last time you heard a mouse described as brave? The scientific community has already established that a parasite carried by cats and their feces, Toxoplasma gondii, causes infected mice to lose their fear of feline predators. But a new study from researchers at the University of Geneva and the University of Toronto points to a decrease in anxiety that may be less specific than previously thought, giving mice a one-size-fits-all fearlessness. What is Toxoplasmosis? T. gondii,…

C-sections and obesity study finds no link

Biology Health

C-Sections Not to Blame for Obesity Epidemic

February 19, 2020February 17, 2020 Science Connectedbirth, birth method, BMI, C-section, childhood obesity, obesity

Rates of C-sections have risen along with obesity rates, but a new study finds that birthing method is not the cause of childhood obesity.

The water bear or moss piglet is a tiny invertebrate that's been around on Earth for more than half a billion years. This is a giant model at the AMNH's "Life at the Limits" exhibit. Photo courtesy of Eden, Janine, and Jim(CC BY 2.0)

Animals Biology Climate Change Environment

Even the Resilient Tardigrade Has an Achilles Heel

February 10, 2020January 30, 2020 Science Connectedclimate change, extreme temperature, resilience, rising temperature, tardigrade

By Shelby Nilsen (@shellbeegrace) Climate change is already affecting many habitats and ecosystems. As a result, scientists are working to understand how the rising temperatures we face might affect extant animals—that is, those species that are still surviving—including tardigrades, some of the toughest organisms around, which are well known for their ability to adapt to extreme environments. In the face of certain environmental cues, tardigrades enter cryptobiosis, a state in which all metabolic processes stop until the organism’s surroundings become favorable again. This remarkable survival tactic allows tardigrades to withstand…

Parasitic plant: Dodder (Cuscutta) Photo by BCGX via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Biology Botany

Parasitic Plant Has Edge in Evolutionary Arms Race

January 15, 2020January 14, 2020 Science Connectedadaptation, dodder, evolution, parasite, plants, RNA

By Cameron Duke (@DukeofCam) The relationship between a parasite and its host can be a contentious one. Their interests are in direct conflict with one another, so each is always trying to circumvent the other’s plan. This is often thought of as an evolutionary “arms race.” In this ongoing competition, a parasite evolves a more efficient way to prey on the host, and the host adapts in response. These successive adaptations can lead to complex life cycles and intimate species-specific relationships. New research out of Penn State, conducted by Michael…