Biology News GotScience.Org

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…

A disco clam shows off it's bright red tissue and flashing display. Lindsey Dougherty, University of Colorado at Boulder

Biology Oceanography

Disco Clam, Colorful Mystery

January 2, 2020January 3, 2020 Science Connectedchemical defense, clams, coral reef, disco clam, peacock mantis shrimp, predator

By Neha Jain (@lifesciexplore) Dazzling bright-red tentacles first lured Lindsey Dougherty to the study of disco clams, which are found in coral reefs in the tropical waters off the coast of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. In a recent study, Dougherty’s research team found that the disco clam’s colorful tissues are noxious (unpleasant or distasteful) and are involved in its chemical defense against one of its predators. This is the first study to demonstrate that bivalve tissues can chemically deter predators. Most bivalves, such as clams, mussels, and oysters, are dull in…

Biology Botany Genetics

Genome Revelations: How Green Plants Evolved

December 4, 2019December 9, 2019 Science Connectedbiodiversity, botany, evolution, genome, green plants, phylogenomics

By Jacqueline Mattos (@mattosjacq) Plants are ancestral organisms that have evolved over millions of years, leading to the broad diversity we see today. Green plants evolved from a common ancestor into approximately 450,000–500,000 species today. There are many gaps in understanding of their diversification that scientists still struggle to fill. In a recent paper published in Nature, researchers from the One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative reviewed and analyzed genomic data from 1,124 plant species and provided the most complete evolutionary relationship tree for green plants to date. Genomes, transcriptomes, and…

Biology Education Science Videos

The Science of Fear, Anxiety, and Phobias

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 Science Connectedanxiety, fear, phobias, Science with Sophie

What happens to you when you feel fear? What about anxiety? And while we’re on the subject, what is a phobia, anyway? Today, Science with Sophie spoofs TV to bring us PHOBIA FACTOR and expose our greatest fears… and why we have them. Featuring TUGGS THE CORGI – back by popular demand. We love you, Tuggs! There is a science experiment inside this video! To join Sophie in conducting the simple science experiment in this episode, you’ll need: a timer a notebook a pencil your heartbeat Go find those things…