Pinpointing a molecule for sea lamprey control
Scientists have identified a single molecule that could be a key in controlling invasive sea lampreys. The researchers have homed in on a fatty...
Helping plants pump iron
Just like people, plants need iron to grow and stay healthy. But some plants are better at getting this essential nutrient from the soil...
Whether herbivores increase or decrease plant diversity depends on what’s on the menu
Cows eat grass. It seems simple enough. But just which kind of grass cows and their vegetarian comrades munch on can influence the entire...
Female mosquitoes get choosy quickly to offset invasions
Certain female mosquitoes quickly evolve more selective mating behavior when faced with existential threats from other invasive mosquito species, with concurrent changes to certain...
Diamondback moth uses plant defense substances as oviposition cues
Researchers showed that isothiocyanates produced by cruciferous plants to fend off pests serve as oviposition cues. The scientists identified two olfactory receptors whose sole...
Meat shortages are looming across U.S. and Canada
Numerous meat processing plants have shut down, due to COVID-19, raising questions about food security and diet.
Infectious cancer in mussels spread across the Atlantic
An infectious cancer that originated in 1 species of mussel growing in the Northern Hemisphere has spread to related mussels in South America and...
Antarctic biodiversity hotspots exist wherever penguins and seals poop
Scientists have found that on the desolate Antarctic peninsula, nitrogen-rich poop from colonies of penguins and seals enriches the soil so well that it...
Warming oceans have decimated marine parasites — but that’s not a good thing
Save the ... parasites? Analyzing 140 years of parasite abundance in fish shows dramatic declines, especially in parasites that rely on three or more...
Ancient secrets of medicinal mint
The precious chemistry of a plant used for 2000 years in traditional Chinese medicine has been unlocked in a project that raises the prospect...