Biology Research News

However, achieving true sustainability in engineered wood has been challenging due to the reliance on volatile chemicals, significant energy consumption, and the production of considerable waste. New genetically modified wood can accumulate carbon and lower emissions. The researchers tackled this issue by editing a single gene in live poplar trees, allowing the trees to grow wood that is ready for engineering without the need for processing. The findings were published online on August 12, 2024, in the journal Matter.

Date	August 12, 2024
Source	University of Maryland
Summary	Scientists have genetically engineered poplar trees to produce high-performance structural wood without the need for chemical treatments or energy-intensive processing.”

If you want to know recent biology news like New genetically modified wood can accumulate carbon and lower emissions: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Here The Yesterday’s News

Researchers at the University of Maryland have genetically engineered poplar trees to produce high-performance structural wood without the need for chemicals or energy-intensive processing. Engineered wood, made from traditional wood, is often viewed as a renewable alternative to traditional building materials like steel, cement, glass, and plastic. It also has the potential to store carbon for extended periods, as it resists deterioration, making it valuable in efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

How New genetically modified wood can accumulate carbon and lower emissions

• Researchers combines genetic engineering and wood engineering to sustainably sequester and store carbon in a resilient super wood form.
• Carbon sequestration is crucial in fight against climate change, and such engineered wood could play a significant role in the future bioeconomy.
• Before wood can be treated to gain structural properties like increased strength or UV resistance, which allows it to replace steel or concrete, it must be stripped of one of its main components, lignin.
• Previously, UMD researchers developed methods to remove lignin using various chemicals, while others explored enzymes and microwave technology.
• In this new research, the team aimed to create a method that avoids chemicals, eliminates chemical waste, and reduces energy consumption.
• By using a technology called base editing to knock out a key gene known as 4CL1, the researchers were able to grow poplar trees with 12.8% lower lignin content than wild-type poplars, comparable to the results of chemical treatments used in engineered wood products.
• Researchers grew the genetically modified trees alongside unmodified ones in a greenhouse for six months.
• They observed no differences in growth rates or significant structural differences between the modified and unmodified trees.
• To test the viability of their genetically modified poplar, the team used it to produce small samples of high-strength compressed wood similar to particle board, commonly used in furniture construction.
• Compressed wood is made by soaking wood in water under a vacuum and then hot-pressing it until it is nearly one-fifth of its original thickness, which increases the density of the wood fibers.
• In natural wood, lignin helps cells maintain their structure and prevents them from being compressed. The lower lignin content of chemically treated or genetically modified wood allows the cells to compress more densely, increasing the strength of the final product.
• To evaluate the performance of their genetically modified trees, the team also produced compressed wood from natural poplar using untreated wood and wood treated with the traditional chemical process to reduce lignin content.
• Researchers found that the compressed genetically modified poplar performed on par with chemically processed natural wood. Both were denser and more than 1.5 times stronger than compressed, untreated, natural wood.
• The tensile strength of the compressed genetically modified wood was comparable to that of aluminum alloy 6061 and the chemically treated compressed wood.
• This work paves the way for producing a variety of building products in a low-cost, environmentally sustainable manner, at a scale that could play a crucial role in the fight against climate change.
• Thus researchers discovered new genetically modified wood can accumulate carbon and lower emissions.

Fur is a defining characteristic of mammals, exhibiting a wide range of colors and patterns. Thanks to a groundbreaking study, we now understand gene that controls marsupial fur color whether a marsupial’s coat is black or grey.

Date	August 6, 2024
Source	University of Otago
Summary	Fur, a distinctive feature of mammals, exhibits a vast array of colors and patterns. A groundbreaking study has identified the specific genes responsible for determining whether a marsupial’s coat is black or grey.

If you want to know recent biology news like Researchers discover gene that controls marsupial fur color: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

How researchers discover gene that controls marsupial fur color

Researchers from New Zealand’s University of Otago analyzed brushtail possum DNA to better understand the evolution of fur color variation. Published in Royal Society Open Science, the study builds on the group’s previous work of sequencing the entire genome of the New Zealand brushtail possum.

Co-lead Dr. Donna Bond, from Otago’s Department of Anatomy, explains that this is the first time genetic variation in coat color has been studied in a natural population of marsupials.

Although marsupials, such as koalas and wombats, are quite distantly related to us researchers consider them cute and cuddly because of their fur. their research now reveals why most of them have grey fur, while some are black.

The color of a mammal’s fur is intrinsic to its identity, understanding the molecular reasons for this helps relate it to other animal systems, especially under-researched marsupials.

Possums are one of the few marsupials where natural coat color variation exists. In Australia, where they are considered a cultural treasure, many Tasmanian possums are black, while on the mainland they are grey. In New Zealand, where they were introduced in the 1850s for the fur trade and are now considered a pest, these subspecies interbreed extensively.

Due to this interbreeding, we knew we could identify the genes responsible relatively easily and provide a good model for other marsupials with coat color variation that are harder to study.

The researchers also found that the protein responsible for color variation, Agouti Signalling Protein (ASIP), is rapidly evolving in carnivorous dasyurid marsupials perhaps these are most colorful and interesting marsupials based on their fur.

Picture of Marsupials

“You have the quolls, which are spotted and can be either black or grey, and the famously striped tigers and devils with blotches from Tasmania.

“We can now connect the rapid molecular evolution of coat color genes with the role of these carnivorous marsupials as predators needing to avoid detection from prey,” he says. Coat color variation is thought to have evolved in mammals many times to fulfill certain functions.

“For a nocturnal animal like the possum, black fur may help conceal it from predators in Tasmania, but perhaps this is not needed on the Australian mainland.

“As possums continue to adapt and evolve in New Zealand, where they have few predators other than humans, it will be interesting to see whether black or grey coat color is preferred in certain locations,” Associate Professor Hore adds.

Possum skins and fur are a cultural treasure in Australia, where Southern Aboriginal tribes use their skins for cloaks, depicting images and stories on them throughout life. Historically, possum fur and skin were used to make balls for sports like marngrook, which some believe influenced Australian Rules Football.

While possums are protected in Australia, they are considered a pest in New Zealand, where their fur and skin continue to be harvested for its superior insulating properties.

Visit the web story on this topic

FAQ:

Date	August 20, 2024
Source	University of Utah Health
Summary	Researchers are discovering insights into treating diabetes and hormone disorders from an unlikely source: a toxin from one of the world’s most venomous creatures.

If you want to know recent biology news like A lethal toxin from a sea snail could be a source of better medicines: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Yesterday’s Video Here

How a lethal toxin from a sea snail could be a source of better medicines

Scientists are uncovering potential treatments for diabetes and hormone disorders from an unexpected source: a toxin found in one of the planet’s most venomous creatures that is a lethal toxin from a sea snail could be a source of better medicines.

A global team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Utah, has discovered a substance in the venom of the geography cone snail that mimics somatostatin, a human hormone that regulates blood sugar and other hormones. This hormone-like toxin, which the snail uses to hunt prey, has long-lasting and specific effects that could inspire the development of improved drugs for diabetes and hormone-related disorders. Their findings were published in Nature Communications on August 20, 2024.

A Path to Better Medicines

The toxin, named consomatin, acts similarly to somatostatin by controlling blood sugar and hormone levels. However, consomatin is more stable and precise, making it a promising candidate for drug development. By studying how consomatin interacts with somatostatin’s targets in human cells, scientists found that while somatostatin affects multiple proteins, consomatin only impacts one. This specificity allows it to regulate blood sugar and hormone levels without affecting other critical molecules.

Not only is consomatin more targeted than the best synthetic drugs currently available, but it also remains active in the body longer due to the presence of a unique amino acid that makes it resistant to breakdown. This stability is valuable for designing drugs with long-lasting therapeutic effects.

Learning from Deadly Venoms

Dr. Helena Safavi, a biochemistry professor at the University of Utah and senior author of the study, explains that although it may seem counterintuitive, studying venoms can lead to important medical breakthroughs. Venomous creatures, through evolution, have developed toxins that precisely target and disrupt specific molecules in their prey’s bodies—precision that can be harnessed for medical treatments. “Venom components are fine-tuned to hit specific targets,” Safavi notes. “When we isolate one component and study how it affects physiology, that pathway is often crucial for treating diseases.”

Consomatin, which shares an evolutionary background with somatostatin, has been weaponized by the cone snail to prevent its prey’s blood sugar from rising. This toxin works in tandem with another venom component similar to insulin, which rapidly reduces blood sugar, causing the prey to become unresponsive. Consomatin then keeps the blood sugar levels low.

According to Ho Yan Yeung, a postdoctoral researcher and the study’s first author, this dual-action venom hints that other undiscovered toxins in the venom could regulate blood sugar. These toxins might pave the way for better treatments for diabetes.

While it may seem surprising that a snail can outperform human drug design, Safavi points out that cone snails have had millions of years to perfect their venom, whereas humans have only been working on drug development for a few centuries. “Cone snails have had the time to do it right,” she says.

Beetles can be found in almost every habitat on Earth, from forests and deserts to freshwater environments. They have adapted to survive in a wide range of conditions. Beetle that Uses the Light of 100 Billion Stars to Push Dung Inspires Advances in Drone and Satellite Navigation

Date	August 21, 2024
Source	University of South Australia
Summary	A species of beetle, which first appeared 130 million years ago, has inspired new research aimed at enhancing navigation systems in drones, robots, and satellites.

If you want to know recent biology news like Beetle that Uses the Light of 100 Billion Stars to Push Dung Inspires Advances in Drone and Satellite Navigation: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Yesterday’s Video Here

How Beetle that Uses the Light of 100 Billion Stars to Push Dung Inspires Advances in Drone and Satellite Navigation

The dung beetle is the first known species to use the Milky Way for nighttime navigation, relying on the constellation of stars to roll dung balls in a straight line, avoiding competitors. Swedish researchers discovered this behavior in 2013, and now, Australian engineers are replicating the technique to develop an AI sensor that accurately measures the Milky Way’s orientation in low-light conditions.

Professor Javaan Chahl, a remote sensing engineer from the University of South Australia, along with his PhD students, used computer vision to show that the broad band of light from the Milky Way is not impacted by motion blur, unlike individual stars.

“Nocturnal dung beetles move their head and body a lot while rolling manure, so they need a stable point in the night sky to guide them in a straight path,” says Prof Chahl. “Their compound eyes can’t clearly distinguish individual stars during movement, but the Milky Way remains highly visible.”

In experiments using a camera mounted on a moving vehicle, UniSA researchers captured images of the Milky Way, both while the vehicle was stationary and in motion. These images were used to create a computer vision system that reliably tracks the Milky Way’s orientation, marking the first step toward a new navigation system.

The findings, published in Biomimetics, highlight the potential of this orientation sensor to serve as a backup for stabilizing satellites and aiding drones and robots in navigating low-light environments, even in the presence of motion blur.

“For the next phase, I plan to test the algorithm on a drone to allow it to fly autonomously at night,” says lead author and UniSA PhD candidate Yiting Tao.

While many insects rely on the sun for daytime navigation—like wasps, dragonflies, honeybees, and desert ants—nocturnal insects use the moon or, when it’s obscured, the Milky Way, as dung beetles and some moths do. Prof Chahl emphasizes that insect vision has long provided inspiration for engineers working on navigation systems.

“Insects have been solving complex navigational challenges for millions of years with a brain consisting of only tens of thousands of neurons, while even the most advanced machines struggle to replicate these abilities,” Chahl said.”

FAQ:

In the immune system, cell communication is critical for coordinating the body’s defense against pathogens. Immune cells, such as T cells and dendritic cells, use signaling molecules like cytokines to activate, regulate, and direct the immune response, ensuring that it targets harmful invaders effectively while avoiding damage to healthy tissues. So inflammation affects cellular communication by immune system.

Date	August 14, 2024
Source	Indiana University School of Medicine
Summary	Researchers have advanced way considerably in uncovering the mechanisms of cell communication during inflammation.

If you want to know recent biology news like inflammation affects cellular communication: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Here The Yesterday’s News

Cell communication refers to the process by which cells interact with each other through signaling molecules. These interactions are crucial for coordinating various cellular activities, such as growth, immune responses(because inflammation affects cellular communication), and tissue repair.

How inflammation affects cell communication:

During inflammation, cell communication is heightened as immune cells release signaling molecules to recruit other immune cells to the site of injury or infection. This communication is essential for initiating and sustaining the inflammatory response, which helps the body fight off infections and repair damaged tissues. However, dysregulated communication can lead to chronic inflammation and diseases like multiple sclerosis.

STAT4:

STAT4 (Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 4) is a protein that plays a critical role in the immune system. It belongs to the STAT family of transcription factors, which are essential for transmitting signals from cytokines (signaling molecules) and growth factors to the cell nucleus, where they influence gene expression.

Function of STAT4:

STAT4 is primarily involved in the development and function of Th1 cells, a subset of T cells that produce the cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Th1 cells are essential for the immune response against intracellular pathogens. STAT4 also influences the production of other cytokines that help coordinate the immune response and inflammation.

How inflammation affects cellular communication in new way

• Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine have made notable strides in understanding how cells communicate during inflammation. Their five-year study, recently published in PNAS, concentrated on the molecules that facilitate cellular functions during inflammation, especially in the central nervous system, where diseases like multiple sclerosis arise.
• Communication is crucial in any relationship, even at the cellular level where diseases are involved. The molecules enabling cell functions during inflammation act like text messages exchanged between or within cells. Researchers have been investigating which cells receive these messages and how they respond in an inflammatory environment within the central nervous system, leading to diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
• The signaling molecule STAT4, previously thought to mainly function in T cells (a part of the immune system), was discovered by the team to play a critical role in dendritic cells—a specific cell type that reacts to the extracellular signals IL-12 and IL-23.
• Research has shown that STAT4 could be a potential target for treating inflammatory diseases in the central nervous system. By comprehending cellular communication and STAT4’s role, researchers may develop therapies to modify immune responses and ease symptoms of diseases like multiple sclerosis.
• The study’s lead author, Nada Alakhras, PhD, is a recent IU School of Medicine graduate who now works at Eli Lilly and Company. Other contributors include Wenwu Zhang, Nicolas Barros, James Ropa, Raj Priya, and Frank Yang, all from IU, and Anchal Sharma of Eli Lilly and Company.

USC researchers create an AI model that forecasts the precision of protein-DNA binding, recently published in Nature Methods, that accurately predicts how various proteins may bind to DNA. This technological breakthrough, called Deep Predictor of Binding Specificity (DeepPBS), has the potential to significantly reduce the time needed for developing new drugs and medical treatments.

Date	August 9, 2024
Source	University of Southern California
Summary	A new artificial intelligence model can predict how different proteins may bind to DNA.

If you want to know recent biology news like Researchers create an AI model that forecasts the precision of protein-DNA binding: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Another News Video Here

How researchers create an AI model that forecasts the precision of protein-DNA binding:

• DeepPBS is a geometric deep learning model designed to predict the binding specificity of protein-DNA interactions based on the structures of protein-DNA complexes. By inputting the structure of a protein-DNA complex into an online computational tool, researchers can determine how a protein might bind to any DNA sequence or region of the genome, bypassing the need for high-throughput sequencing or structural biology experiments.
• “Structures of protein-DNA complexes usually involve proteins bound to a single DNA sequence,” explained Remo Rohs, professor and founding chair of the Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. “DeepPBS provides a much-needed AI tool to reveal protein-DNA binding specificity.”
• DeepPBS uses a geometric deep learning approach, analyzing data through geometric structures to predict binding specificity. The AI tool generates spatial graphs that depict protein structure and the relationship between protein and DNA representations, offering predictions for binding specificity across different protein families, something many current methods can’t do.
• “Having a universal method for all proteins, not just those from well-studied families, is crucial for researchers. This approach also opens the door to designing new proteins,” said Rohs.
• The field of protein-structure prediction has seen rapid advancements with tools like DeepMind’s AlphaFold, which predicts protein structure from sequences. DeepPBS complements these methods by predicting specificity for proteins lacking experimental structures.
• Rohs highlighted that DeepPBS has numerous potential applications. It could accelerate the design of new drugs and treatments targeting specific mutations in cancer cells and contribute to breakthroughs in synthetic biology and RNA research.

FAQ on Researchers create an AI model that forecasts the precision of protein-DNA binding:

Many organisms instinctively avoid the smell of deadly pathogens, but a recent study by the University of California, Berkeley, reveals that the nematode C. elegans not only detects the odor of pathogenic bacteria but also prepares its intestinal cells to defend against a potential infection. So Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, the research was published on June 21 in the journal Science Advances.

Date	August 7, 2024
Source	University of California – Berkeley
Summary	In both nematodes and humans, mitochondrial stress in the nervous system triggers a body-wide response, particularly affecting the gut.

If you want to know recent biology news like Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections: Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula 1.3 million years ago, How Domestic Rabbits Become Feral in the Wild.

A recent study revealed that in nematodes, the odor of a pathogen activates the nervous system to signal this response throughout the organism, preparing intestinal cell mitochondria to combat bacterial infection. Humans might also be able to detect pathogenic smells that prime the gut for an infection.

Just see what is C. elegans?

• Like humans, nematodes often face gut infections from harmful bacteria. In response, C. elegans destroys iron-containing organelles called mitochondria, which are responsible for producing cellular energy, to protect iron from bacteria that steal it. Iron is crucial for many enzymatic reactions, especially in generating ATP, the cell’s energy currency.
• The discovery of this protective response in nematodes suggests that other organisms, including mammals, may also have the ability to respond defensively to the scent of pathogens, according to Andrew Dillin, a UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator.
• So far, this response has only been observed in C. elegans. Still, the discovery is surprising, given that the nematode is one of the most extensively studied organisms in labs, where biologists have tracked every cell from embryo to death.
• There’s evidence suggesting that beyond this mitochondrial response, a more generalized immune response might be triggered just by smelling bacterial odors. Since olfaction plays a significant role in regulating physiology and metabolism across animals, it’s entirely possible that mammals also have a similar mechanism to C. elegans.

How do Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections?

• Stress in the nervous system activates protective cellular responses, particularly through a suite of genes that stabilize proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum, a process known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). This UPR serves as a “first aid kit” for mitochondria, which are not only the cell’s powerhouses but also play essential roles in signaling, cell death, and growth.
• The errors in the UPR network can lead to disease and aging and that mitochondrial stress in one cell can communicate with mitochondria across the body. What environmental factors trigger the nervous system to signal this stress?
• Our nervous system evolved to detect environmental cues and maintain homeostasis throughout the organism. The smell neurons detect these cues and identified the specific odorants from pathogens that activate this response.
• Mitochondria’s sensitivity to the smell of pathogenic bacteria might be a vestige from when mitochondria were free-living bacteria before becoming the power plants of eukaryotic cells about 2 billion years ago. These eukaryotes eventually evolved into multicellular organisms with specialized organs, like animals and humans.
• The smell of pathogens triggers an inhibitory response, sending a signal throughout the body. This was evident when he ablated olfactory neurons in the worm, causing all peripheral cells, particularly intestinal cells, to exhibit the stress response typical of threatened mitochondria. The study also identified serotonin as a key neurotransmitter communicating this information body-wide.
• Now mapping the neural circuits from smell neurons to peripheral cells and investigating the neurotransmitters involved. Researchers are also exploring whether a similar response occurs in mice in relation toSmell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections.

FAQ on smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections

Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three. Originally identified in the mid-1800s, Botryococcus braunii is a photosynthetic organism known for producing hydrocarbons that can serve as a renewable fuel source. It was believed to consist of one species with three chemical races—A, B, and L—each producing slightly different oils. However, Boland and a team of Texas A&M AgriLife researchers revealed a 20-30% genetic difference between these races, leading them to propose new species classifications—a thrilling achievement for any biologist.

Date	August 19, 2024
Source	Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
Summary	When the global pandemic forced a former graduate student out of the lab and into computer-based research, he uncovered significant differences within the long-studied species Botryococcus braunii, revealing that it was not one species, but three.

If you want to know recent biology news like Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Yesterday’s Video Here

Why Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three

• Mapping the genome of your research organism is a huge advantage because it helps identify and understand gene functions. Another researcher had already sequenced the B race’s genome. They proposed extending this work to the A and L races. Not only would this be novel research, but it could also offer insights into how these races produce hydrocarbons.
• Though visually similar under the microscope, some scientists had debated whether these races were different species. The research team set out to answer this question using genomic data.
• Genetic analysis and discoveries
• While Botryococcus braunii has long been studied for its hydrocarbon production, sequencing its genome had been difficult. Researchers explained that the cells live in a thick, oily substance that complicates DNA extraction. Despite these challenges, the team successfully sequenced the genomes and used Texas A&M’s supercomputers to compare them.
• The results were striking. Everywhere they looked, there were differences. About 20% of the genes were unique to each race. To put this into context, the genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees is less than 2%.
• After further validation, they worked on reclassifying the races. They kept the name Botryococcus braunii for race B, and renamed race A to Botryococcus alkenealis and race L to Botryococcus lycopadienor, reflecting the type of hydrocarbons each species produces.

Defining a species

• In modern biology, species classification increasingly relies on genetic data. However, researchers noted that species recognition ultimately depends on acceptance by the scientific community.
• After publishing their findings in PLOS One, the team shared the data with over 100 researchers in the field. While the practical impact on research may be limited, the reclassification enhances scientific understanding of the organism’s relationships.
• They also made their findings publicly available, with full genome data on the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website and emphasized, Science is a community effort. Our goal is to advance collective knowledge, and we think that’s what we’ve done here.

FAQ on Key biofuel-producing microalga believed to be a single species is actually three

Coexisting with a Predator: How an unexpected Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle. When clams take the risk of living alongside a predator, sometimes their luck runs out, according to a study from the University of Michigan.

Date	August 7, 2024
Source	University of Michigan
Summary	A new study suggests that when clams take the risk of living alongside a predator, their luck doesn’t always hold out

If you want to know recent biology news like Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle: Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula 1.3 million years ago, How Domestic Rabbits Become Feral in the Wild.

How an Unexpected Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle:

• A long-standing question in ecology is how so many different species can coexist in the same place at the same time. The competitive exclusion principle suggests that only one species can occupy a specific niche within a biological community at any given time.
• However, in nature, researchers often observe different species sharing the same niches, living in identical microhabitats, and consuming the same food.
• Researchers investigated one such case: a specialized community of seven marine clam species living in the burrows of a predatory mantis shrimp. Six of these species, known as yoyo clams, attach themselves to the burrow walls using a long foot that allows them to spring away from danger like a yoyo. The seventh species, closely related to the yoyo clams, occupies a different niche by attaching directly to the mantis shrimp’s body and not exhibiting yoyo behavior. The researchers were curious about how this unusual clam community manages to survive.
• Researchers’re looking at a fascinating situation where all these clam species not only share the same host but have also evolved, or speciated, on that host.
• When they conducted field studies of these clams in mantis shrimp burrows, her findings defied theoretical expectations: burrows containing multiple clam species were exclusively composed of yoyo clams. In a lab experiment, when the host-attached clam species was introduced, the mantis shrimp killed all the burrow-wall clams.
• This contradicts theoretical predictions, the researchers say. According to the competitive exclusion principle, species evolving to live in different niches should coexist more frequently than those sharing the same niche. However, data, published in the journal PeerJ, indicate that the evolution of a new, host-attached niche has led to ecological exclusion, not coexistence, among these clams.

• They encountered two surprising results. One was that the species expected to coexist with yoyo clams didn’t. The second was that the host mantis shrimp could turn deadly. The interesting twist is that the only survivor was the clam attached to the mantis shrimp’s body. It killed everything else on the burrow wall and even went outside the burrow to kill one that had wandered off.
• The Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle, competitive exclusion principle suggests that the six yoyo clam species (which share the burrow-wall niche) should occupy host burrows less frequently with each other than with the niche-differentiated, host-attached clam species. Researchers tested this by field-censusing populations in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, capturing host mantis shrimp and sampling their burrows using a bait pump. They then created artificial burrows in the lab to observe commensal clam behavior with and without a mantis shrimp host. Just two and a half days later, nearly all the clams in the mantis shrimp’s burrow were dead.
• In Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle, these clams are commensal organisms, they naturally live with mantis shrimp in the wild, so we had no way of knowing if this behavior occurred in nature or not. It was completely surprising.
• The exact mechanism causing the exclusion of burrow-wall and host-attached clams remains unclear. One possibility is that, during the larval stage, burrow wall clams recruit to different host burrows than host-attached clams. Another possibility is differential survival in burrows containing both types of clams, potentially triggering a lethal reaction from the host mantis shrimp.
• The researchers plan to investigate further. It could have been an artifact of the lab setup, or it might indicate that, under certain conditions, the commensal relationship between the yoyo clams and the predatory host can catastrophically break down.
• The researchers have proposed two follow-up studies on the Mantis Shrimp-Clam relationship challenges a biological principle: one to determine if both types of commensal clams can recruit as larvae to the same host burrows, and another to test whether the mantis shrimp’s predatory behavior changes when the host-attached clam species is introduced to its burrow.

FAQ on Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle:

Top of the Hive: New Tests Discovered to Detect Fake Honey because a 2023 report by the European Commission revealed that 46% of 147 honey samples were likely adulterated with inexpensive plant syrups. Due to the varying characteristics of honey, affected by nectar sources, harvest seasons, and geography detecting adulteration is often complex and challenging. Existing authentication methods are both costly and time-consuming, fueling the need for reliable testing and new regulations to combat fraud.

Date	August 18, 2024
Source	Cranfield University
Summary	Scientists have introduced innovative methods to identify sugar syrup adulteration in honey, enabling quick and precise testing to uncover counterfeit products.

If you want to know recent biology news like New Tests Discovered to Detect Fake Honey: Smell prepares nematodes and the human gut to combat infections, Mantis Shrimp-Clam Relationship Challenges a Biological Principle, Injury Dressings in First-Aid Kits Can Identify Shark Species After Bite Incidents, Harnessing big data helps scientists home in on new antimicrobials, New geological datings place the first European hominids in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, A New Rule of Biology Focusing on Evolution and Aging.

Watch Yesterday’s Video Here

The typical composition of honey:

Component	Percentage (%)
Sugars	80-85%
Water	15-20%
Organic Acids	0.5%
Amino Acids	0.2-0.3%
Enzymes	Trace
Vitamins	Trace
Minerals	0.1-0.2%
Antioxidants	Trace
Pollen	Trace
Flavonoids & Phenolic Acids	Trace
Aromatic Compounds	Trace
Other	Trace

New Tests Discovered to Detect Fake Honey

• Using the non-invasive Spatial Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) method—originally developed at STFC’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) and commonly applied in pharmaceutical and security diagnostics—samples of UK honey spiked with rice and sugar beet syrups were analyzed.
• This technique proved highly accurate in identifying the presence of sugar syrups. SORS quickly recognized the unique ‘fingerprint’ of each ingredient, and by combining this with machine learning, scientists were able to detect and identify sugar syrups from various plant sources.
• This analysis method is both portable and easy to implement, making it an ideal tool for screening honey throughout the supply chain.
• The paper titled Application of Spatial Offset Raman Spectroscopy (SORS) and Machine Learning for Sugar Syrup Adulteration Detection in UK Honey was published in Foods 2024, vol. 13.

DNA Traces in Honey Used to Differentiate Real from Fake

• In a second study, in collaboration with the Food Standards Agency and the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University of Belfast, DNA barcoding was utilized to detect rice and corn syrups spiked in UK honey samples.
• Scientists examined 17 honey samples from bee farmers across the UK, representing different seasons and floral nectar sources, and purchased four samples from supermarkets and online retailers. These samples were then spiked with corn and rice syrups sourced from various countries.
• DNA barcoding—an already established method for food authentication—proved effective in breaking down each sample’s composition, successfully detecting syrups even at a 1% adulteration level.
• DNA methods have not been widely used to examine honey authenticity until now. But the considerable variation in honey composition makes authentication particularly challenging. Therefore, having this consistent technique in the testing arsenal could significantly reduce honey fraud.
• The two newly developed methods can be used in tandem to increase the likelihood of detecting external sugar adulteration in honey.

FAQ: