Lukas VFN 🇪🇺

#PostDoc in #Evolution of #Microbes. In #Brest, #BZH, FR. From #Prague, CZE. He/Him. #StandWithUkraine #ClimateCrisis #TransRights #NoAI

Hire me as a science consultant for your creative project: https://lukasnovak.eu/science-consulting/

Public Key

npub1964kxexwv9murkda45hq742s6npy57mlmdpn6mxnstzsxnvstxcsqpev8m

NIP-05 Address

animalculum@scholar-social.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsza2mrvn8xza7pmx766ts024gdfsj20dlakseadnfc93grfkg9nvgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsu0j7s6

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1964kxexwv9murkda45hq742s6npy57mlmdpn6mxnstzsxnvstxcsqpev8m

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Last Notes

2026-09-25 19:36:49 UTC

Might be of interest to some of you...
🚅 #Interrail has 15% to 50% discount until 30 September. The passes are valid for 11 months.
It came handy for me just now as I'll need to travel Brest-Prague-Brest this autumn but I'm not yet sure exactly when. Great opportunity for some exploring on the way.
About the discount: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260924726921/en/Interrail-Invites-Travelers-to-Experience-The-Interrail-Effect-with-50-Off-Passes or https://parissecret.com/en/interrail-promotion/
Detailed explanation: https://www.seat61.com/how-to-use-an-interrail-pass.htm
Interrail: https://www.interrail.com/en
#Rail #Trains #CrossBorderRail
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2026-09-10 07:19:39 UTC

#Lichen-like life 600 million years ago may push back origins of fungal-algal partnerships https://phys.org/news/2026-07-lichen-life-million-years-fungal.html
Fungal–algal associations from the early #Ediacaran herald increasing symbiotic complexity before modern #lichens https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article/293/2075/20260673/482576/Fungal-algal-associations-from-the-early-Ediacaran
"fungal filaments in the #fossils were found to interact with photosynthetic cells, surrounding or touching them along their sides... a new glimpse into how #fungi and #algae dating back more than 600 million years may have interacted"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/245/523/643/402/270/original/36d7b49403da94f1.png

2026-09-01 09:41:23 UTC

#Kākāpō rising: 90 chicks swell population of the world’s heaviest parrot https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/01/record-breeding-worlds-heaviest-parrot-nz-endangered-kakapo
"Critically endangered #NewZealand bird enjoys record breeding season triggered by mass fruiting of native tree, pushing its numbers to 325... A recovery programme was established in 1995 with a population of just 51 #birds and has battled challenges with genetic diversity, infertility and poor chick hatching rates."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/195/121/772/741/643/original/a095c9a30453b8ea.jpeg

2026-08-24 18:28:53 UTC

Cyclamens are in bloom in Brittany! That means autumn is here. Sorry, I don't make the rules.
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/151/888/346/904/012/original/ee4f3d1cf3c27d94.jpg

2026-08-21 08:02:29 UTC

Rock-eating fungi flourish deep below our feet https://news.umich.edu/rock-eating-fungi-flourish-deep-below-our-feet/
Deep subsurface organic-rich shale supports abundant, diverse, and novel fungi https://academic.oup.com/ismej/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ismejo/wrag184/8744037
"the water was last in contact with the surface 11,000 years ago. The abundance of melting glacial water likely carried #fungi and #bacteria down through porous and fractured rock layers until they settled in cracks of the Antrim Shale, where they began munching on the organic material trapped in the rock."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/132/439/688/319/096/original/963d49b1095c87d3.jpg

2026-08-20 06:48:20 UTC

Two new papers from our team! Both about #DeepSea #Bacteria living on #sulfur. By @nprofile…4h9c
#Genomics of Desulfobulbaceae B35, a new hydrothermal vent mesophilic bacterium that disproportionates sulfur and respires Fe(III): Marie Hemon et al. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1874778726000322
Advancing the Resolution of the Sulfur Disproportionation Puzzle in Dissulfuribacter Thermophilus Through Quantitative Label-Free Comparative #Proteomics: Marilina Fernandez et al. https://enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1758-2229.70406
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/126/494/196/571/177/original/15377dabe85da69f.png

2026-08-13 13:34:57 UTC

Tea and Salamanders https://therevelator.org/tea-and-salamanders/
"The hills of #Darjeeling are home to Himalayan #salamanders — and the people working to prevent them from disappearing... An estimated 5,000 individuals may survive in the wild... Some #salamander habitats across the hills have acquired cultural and religious significance over generations. Surrounded by prayer flags and fed by the pure waters of hilly springs, these #wetlands are worshipped by local communities as the abode of deities."
#Tea #India
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2026-08-04 12:54:42 UTC

After Decade-Long Hunt, Scientists Find #EastAsia’s Tallest Tree https://www.sci.news/biology/heaven-sword-tree-14824.html
The journey of finding the tallest #tree in Formosa #Taiwan: Rebecca Chia-Chun Hsu et al. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2026.1746112/full
"Deep in the #mountains of northern Taiwan, a towering Taiwania cryptomerioides—a large coniferous tree in the cypress family—has been confirmed as the tallest known tree in East Asia... Nicknamed the Heaven Sword, the tree stands 84.1 m tall in the Sheshan range."
#trees #plants
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/037/330/557/820/669/original/03dd5f2e60aa2da6.webp

2026-08-02 07:30:29 UTC

#Moths Can Smell With Their Wings https://www.sci.news/biology/moth-wing-olfactory-capacity-14959.html
Noses on the wing: the olfactory capacity of #hawkmoth wings. By Ahmed Reda Ismaieel et al. https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/229/14/jeb252047/372157/Noses-on-the-wing-the-olfactory-capacity-of
"Scientists have found that #moth wings are equipped with odor-detecting receptors, suggesting the #insects use their wings — not just their antennae — to sense chemical cues in the air while flying."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/117/024/737/867/234/940/original/03b1fdaa7efb9f7d.png

2026-07-07 14:46:35 UTC

The #Flower That Tells #Pollinators to Move On https://www.botany.one/the-flower-that-tells-pollinators-to-move-on/ @nprofile…uyu7
The pistil as a traffic light: Yellow-to-red color change likely influences pollinator visitation patterns in Saxifraga fortunei https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ppp3.70193
"In #Saxifraga fortunei, a yellow-to-red colour change in the pistil may tell #hoverflies and #honeybees which #flowers are still worth visiting."
#Insects #Symbiosis #Bees #Flies #Pollination #Plants
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2026-05-29 07:11:31 UTC

A Balrog in the tunnels: Scientists discover a new cave #cricket species on the tiny island of Kastellorizo, Greece https://phys.org/news/2026-05-balrog-tunnels-scientists-cave-cricket.html paper: https://jor.pensoft.net/article/187943/
"On the island of #Kastellorizo, researchers surveyed an artificial tunnel, the island's sole accessible land #cave. They encountered a population of cave #crickets bearing characteristics of the cave-dwelling genus Dolichopoda... The epithet 'balrogi' links deep excavation with the revelation of hidden subterranean fauna"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/656/611/159/030/887/original/ad10199526a4a281.jpg

2026-05-14 09:56:42 UTC

Baby #bugs must play game of roulette to find survival partners before time runs out https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2026/05/14/leaffooted-bugs-symbiosis
"Leaffooted bugs nymphs hatch in the tree canopy, where their soil-living bacterial #symbionts are scarce. After hatching, a race against the clock begins. The journey from canopy to ground is a dangerous undertaking for nymphs measuring just a few mm. Risk of predation and the energetic demand are high. However, failing to acquire the #symbiont is also lethal"
#Insects #Bacteria
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/572/326/526/251/336/original/f76722d92d984985.webp

2026-05-08 07:21:23 UTC

Why are mountain #forests in Mexico and Central America hotspots for oak #trees? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mountain-forests-mexico-central-america.html paper: https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2537040123
"Red and white #oaks independently migrated into the #mountains of Mexico about 25 million years ago. The two groups diversified along a parallel path, rapidly evolving into a remarkable array of species. Now, #Mexico and #CentralAmerica are home to at least 160 different oaks: 40% of global diversity... Each #oak species hosts a unique community of life"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/537/731/509/107/226/original/83c02bad55c83ee9.webp

2026-05-04 17:09:04 UTC

Scientists uncover #beetle transport system for newly identified towering nematodes https://phys.org/news/2026-05-scientists-uncover-beetle-newly-towering.html paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.73510
"In 2025, #Konstanz scientists looked very closely at rotting fruit in local orchards, and observed what no one had before–hundreds of #worms twisting skyward into self-assembled living towers... #nematodes may be trying to hitchhike on #animals to reach new habitats... Now, they identified the carriers of the original worm towers: two sap-feeding #beetles"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/517/395/819/158/028/original/19c261c06c6f0502.jpg

2026-04-24 08:34:44 UTC

Kraken-like giant #octopuses 100m years ago crunched bones of prey: Study of fossilised beaks shows patterns of wear and suggests some ancient species were up to 19 metres long https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/23/kraken-like-giant-octopuses-crunched-cretaceous-bones paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6285
"One species, Nanaimoteuthis haggarti, was found to have a beak larger than that of the modern giant #squid, a creature that reaches about 12 metres in length... N. haggarti was between 7 and 19 m in length, which could make it the largest #invertebrate on record."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/458/756/744/838/069/original/27ed8e05026157b8.jpeg

2026-04-05 17:58:30 UTC

Spectacular fossil treasure trove pushes back origins of complex animals https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-04-03-spectacular-fossil-treasure-trove-pushes-back-origins-complex-animals
The dawn of the #Phanerozoic: A transitional fauna from the late #Ediacaran of Southwest China https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adu2291
"A newly discovered fossil site in southwest China has transformed our understanding of how complex animal life emerged on Earth, revealing that many key animal groups had already evolved before the start of the #Cambrian Period."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/353/390/084/139/383/original/01a7a4a8ffe8aca3.jpg

2026-03-05 16:11:10 UTC

Two #marsupials believed extinct for 6000 years found alive https://www.newscientist.com/article/2518082-two-marsupials-believed-extinct-for-6000-years-found-alive/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/05/marsupials-discovered-new-guinea paper: https://journals.australian.museum/flannery-2026-rec-aust-mus-781-1734/
"#Indigenous people in #Papua, Indonesia, have helped scientists track down two #animals that were thought to have gone #extinct thousands of years ago: a relative of Australia’s greater glider and a palm-sized #possum with a bizarre, elongated finger"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/177/431/787/429/078/original/e64e0faaa2f5eff8.webp

2026-03-04 08:56:45 UTC

Ancient plant-eater with a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth was a 'living fossil' in its own time https://phys.org/news/2026-03-ancient-eater-jaw-sideways-teeth.html
An aberrant stem tetrapod from the early #Permian of Brazil https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article/293/2066/20252106/480542/An-aberrant-stem-tetrapod-from-the-early-Permian
"In Tanyka, the lower jaw was twisted, so that the teeth pointed out to the sides. The part of its jawbone that, in humans, faces the tongue, in Tanyka is facing up towards the roof of its mouth. This surface is covered in smaller teeth forming a grinding surface like a cheese grater"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/170/051/586/537/592/original/8235a3001eec13cf.jpg

2026-03-02 12:59:44 UTC

New paper from my second PostDoc is out!
Novak et al.: Sulfur disproportionation occurs globally across anoxic habitats and has multiple mechanisms of independent evolutionary origin https://academic.oup.com/ismej/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ismejo/wrag042/8503335
Some #bacteria are able to gain energy by metabolizing elemental #sulfur alone—no other chemical needed. We investigate which genes may be responsible for this unique #metabolism and speculate about its evolutionary origins.
#Microbes #Evolution #DeepSea
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2026-03-01 10:54:53 UTC

#SilentSunday: Tachenn natur Bodonoù, #BZH
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2026-02-24 18:44:20 UTC

Thunderstorms conjure ghostly coronae in treetops, observed outdoors for the first time https://phys.org/news/2026-02-thunderstorms-conjure-ghostly-coronae-treetops.html paper: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2025GL119591
"For the first time, researchers have observed and measured weak electrical discharges on #trees during #thunderstorms. A new study describes the near-invisible sparkles appearing similarly on branches of several #tree species... implying that thunderstorms may paint entire canopies with a scintillating blue glow, too faintly for human eyes to see"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/127/076/868/295/887/original/ba133cca1b5a4e6f.jpg

2026-02-23 09:30:54 UTC

Globe-trotting ancient sea-salamander fossils rediscovered from Australia's dawn of the Age of Dinosaurs https://phys.org/news/2026-02-globe-ancient-sea-salamander-fossils.html paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02724634.2025.2601224
"The end-#Permian mass #extinction prompted the emergence of modern marine ecosystems... this involved the earliest appearances of sea-going #amphibians and #reptiles... A new study of 250 million-year-old fossils from the Kimberly region has uncovered a surprisingly diverse marine amphibian community with worldwide trans-oceanic links."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/119/240/618/677/694/original/55fc481d5963a775.jpg

2026-02-05 23:02:19 UTC

Huayuan biota decodes Earth's first mass extinction https://phys.org/news/2026-01-huayuan-biota-decodes-earth-phanerozoic.html
"#CambrianExplosion was cut short around 513 million years ago by the #SinskEvent—with an #extinction rate on par with the planet's 5 most severe mass extinctions. #Biodiversity remained low for 50 million years... While paleontologists have uncovered dozens of #Cambrian soft-bodied fossil sites... no equivalent deposit had been found from the critical post-Sinsk Event interval... That changed over the past 5 years"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/020/504/586/799/510/original/e7a61db3b44c2a83.jpg

2026-02-05 20:33:26 UTC

Spring #bloomscrolling in #Brest, #BZH
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2026-02-04 12:23:23 UTC

Tiny radio transmitters reveal a hidden survival tactic in birds https://theconversation.com/tiny-radio-transmitters-reveal-a-hidden-survival-tactic-in-birds-274517 Paper by Alice Barratt et al.: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(26)00011-4
"During and after the extreme rain events, the #birds remained in their burrows and they entered deep and long bouts of #torpor—far exceeding what passerine birds were thought capable of. Such torpor is crucial for these in-flight foragers to survive when wet and cold conditions suppress the activity of flying #insects"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/116/012/336/111/337/810/original/6e65aaa33b51d43e.jpeg

2026-01-29 22:05:35 UTC

How fire-loving #fungi learned to eat charcoal https://phys.org/news/2026-01-fungi-charcoal.html
Gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, and trait trade-offs drive #evolution of postfire resource acquisition in pyrophilous fungi https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2519152123
"We knew certain fungi were heat resistant, that some could grow quickly in scars where competitors have been burned away, and that others could consume nutrients in charcoal. Now we know the genetics behind these incredible abilities."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/980/649/376/354/456/original/4b5753cc994a1993.jpg

2026-01-26 17:21:25 UTC

Harvestmen #arachnids apparently use fluorescent patterns for species recognition https://phys.org/news/2026-01-harvestmen-arachnids-apparently-fluorescent-patterns.html paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-36335-2
"5 closely related species show species-specific, strongly fluorescent structures on their backs, especially visible under UV light... these patterns serve for species recognition—particularly at dusk and in moonlight... they can perceive their own glow in the blue-green range... their eyes are sensitive enough to detect high-contrast patterns at close range"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/962/545/260/536/587/original/9f1eacca233dca56.jpg

2026-01-20 10:45:24 UTC

A photographer finds thousands of #dinosaur footprints near Italian Winter Olympic venue https://apnews.com/article/italy-dinosaur-footprints-olympics-bipedal-herbivores-5a6ab5e5c68398716d339dba56a04112
"The discovery in the #Stelvio NP was striking for the sheer number of footprints, estimated at 20,000 over some 5 km, and the location near the Swiss border, once a prehistoric coastal area, that has never previously yielded tracks of #dinosaurs... they have been made by long-necked bipedal herbivores that were up to 10 m long, weighing up to 4 tons, similar to a #Plateosaurus"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/927/009/463/457/914/original/727a5c6fbf6ba667.webp

2026-01-09 10:23:18 UTC

New Zealand's rare flightless parrot begins breeding again https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20260109-new-zealand-s-rare-flightless-parrot-begins-breeding-again
"#NewZealand's critically endangered #kakapo, started breeding last week for the first time in four years... Only 236 of the parrots remain in three breeding populations on some of the most remote southern islands... That includes 83 breeding age females, with high hopes this year could bring the most hatched chicks since records began... The first chicks are expected to hatch in mid-February"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/864/644/181/167/269/original/9c5128b6f1d057ff.jpg

2026-01-08 07:59:22 UTC

How a #parasite gave up sex to find more hosts—and why its victory won't last https://phys.org/news/2026-01-parasite-gave-sex-hosts-victory.html
Host range expansion of asexual parasite can be explained by loss of adaptions in Muller’s Ratchet https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65843-4
"an asexual lineage of #Giardia managed to infect a wider range of hosts than its sexual ancestor... at a cost. Because these #parasites don't exchange genetic material, harmful mutations build up over time, leading to eventual collapse"
#Protists #Microbes #Evolution
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/858/416/743/148/920/original/185f6b42e794d314.jpg

2025-12-30 23:00:02 UTC

Photographing the hidden world of slime mould https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d9409p76qo
"These images, captured by photographer Barry Webb, provide a close-up view of single-celled #SlimeMoulds. A view that would not be possible with the naked eye... It's not fungi, it's not a plant, it's not animal... one picture would not do them justice, you can get virtually nothing in focus... he uses focus bracketing, where dozens of photos are taken."
#Protists #Microbes #SlimeMolds #Photography
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/810/986/057/138/375/original/d1edf04df9141894.webp

2025-12-28 16:11:46 UTC

With more scientists and artists turning their attention to #bioluminescence, new information about glowing #fungi is coming to light https://www.biographic.com/glowing-from-within/
Is the bioluminescence in many #Mycena species overlooked? By Renate Heinzelmann et al. https://doi.org/10.47371/mycosci.2024.03.001
"Mycena crocata is one of 125 or so species of fungi known to produce their own light. That they luminesce was only discovered recently... even wood interlaced with strands of fungi radiates green light"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/798/065/333/603/090/original/22cacf4ff0b36e5d.jpg

2025-12-25 15:43:48 UTC

Researchers rediscover #weevil believed to be extinct thanks to photos posted online https://www.actionnews5.com/2025/12/08/uofm-researchers-rediscover-weevil-believed-be-extinct-thanks-photos-posted-online/ https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(25)01460-5
"The greater chestnut weevil was believed to have gone #extinct with the decline of the #AmericanChestnut tree... a classic example of #coextinction — the loss of dependent species due to the decline of their hosts... This #rediscovery wouldn’t have been possible without volunteers and the digital tools that connect their data to scientists"
Photo by @nprofile…q7h2
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2025-12-25 11:53:19 UTC

2025-12-24 14:34:48 UTC

In the snow, these #salamanders get supercool https://www.npr.org/2025/12/24/nx-s1-5649922/snow-ice-blue-spotted-salamanders-supercool preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.28.645960v1.full
"blue-spotted salamanders can be seen walking on snow, but it was thought that this happened when temperatures had warmed up a bit... now, the researchers had a thermal camera with them... some salamanders had temperatures below freezing... they apparently have some kind of natural anti-freeze that allows them to become supercooled... letting them start their breeding as early as possible"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/775/004/789/181/955/original/41c1d91f357f4400.webp

2025-12-21 19:18:33 UTC

Carnivores spread beneficial fungi https://phys.org/news/2025-12-prey-predator-carnivores-beneficial-fungi.html
"Many mycorrhizal #fungi produce below-ground fruiting bodies like #truffles that cannot disperse spores without animal consumers... Small #mammals are particularly important but their limited movement restricts dispersal to hundreds of meters... #Carnivores transport spores that were eaten by the prey... fishers (Pekania pennanti) & #bobcats (Lynx rufus) are particularly effective due to their high spore loads, long-distance movements"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/759/132/388/511/748/original/6e1e0106a0528183.jpg

2025-12-14 13:10:37 UTC

Woodpeckers grunt and brace their bodies like athletes to maximize drilling power https://phys.org/news/2025-11-woodpeckers-grunt-brace-bodies-athletes.html paper: https://journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/228/21/jeb251167/369678/Neuromuscular-coordination-of-movement-and
"drilling #woodpeckers turn themselves into hammers by bracing their head, neck, abdomen and tail muscles to hold their bodies rigid... the #birds synchronize their breathing with their movements each time they strike wood, like ace #tennis stars that grunt noisily to stabilize core muscles when they take a shot"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/718/081/421/625/855/original/4ee08649834bee23.jpg

2025-12-14 12:57:23 UTC

The evolutionary mysteries of a rare parasitic plant https://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2025/12/10/evolutionary-mysteries-rare-parasitic-plant
#Balanophora #evolution, metabolic retention in reduced #plastids, and the origins of obligate agamospermy: Petra Svetlikova et al. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.70761
"At the base of mossy trees, deep in the mountains of #Taiwan and mainland #Japan or in the subtropical forests of #Okinawa, grows what most might mistake for a mushroom – a very unique plant with some of the smallest flowers and seeds in the world"
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2025-12-14 12:32:21 UTC

#SilentSunday: Étang de Trébel, Côtes d'Armor, #Breizh
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2025-11-23 12:41:32 UTC

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@nprofile…c8jp My French-pilled Czech mind: Sure, put as many negatives in the sentence as you like. The more negatives, the more emphatic "NO!" and there's never enough of that. English should just stop pretending there's anything logical about it.

2025-11-23 12:13:47 UTC

#Pigeons detect magnetic fields through their inner ear https://www.bi.mpg.de/news/2025-11-nordmann https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aea6425
"neurobiologists have identified a dedicated pathway for processing magnetic information that originates in the #InnerEar. This supports an inductive mechanism first proposed over 100 years ago, a concept that science forgot... Genetic analysis of inner ear tissue revealed cells with highly sensitive electric sensors, the same ones used by #sharks to detect their prey"
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2025-11-23 12:01:56 UTC

Why does #heather self-organise into wave-like patterns? A mathematical investigation https://jecologyblog.com/2025/11/20/why-does-heather-self-organise-into-wave-like-patterns-a-mathematical-investigation/
"a few simple interactions between wind, vegetation, and soil-wind-driven soil erosion, along with heather’s ability to stabilise soil and the shelter provided by small ridges, were enough to generate these patterns. Heather acts as an ecosystem engineer, shaping its environment by trapping soil and creating shelters where it can persist under extreme winds"
#Plants #Scotland
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2025-11-05 20:43:03 UTC

Sulfur cave #spiders build an arachnid megacity and possibly the largest-ever spider web https://phys.org/news/2025-11-sulfur-cave-spiders-arachnid-megacity.html
An extraordinary colonial spider community in Sulfur Cave sustained by chemoautotrophy https://subtbiol.pensoft.net/article/162344/
"the entire food chain is powered by sulfur-oxidizing #microbes that thrive in the cave system and are consumed by tiny non-biting midges. These small #insects are easily caught in the web, providing an abundant, continuous food source"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/499/029/476/187/372/original/ea12322e102f09b0.jpg

2025-10-28 05:58:42 UTC

Global study reveals seabirds as critical connectors between islands, the ocean, and people
https://phys.org/news/2025-10-global-reveals-seabirds-critical-connectors.html
The circular seabird economy: Holly Jones et al. https://www.nature.com/articles/s44358-025-00099-w
"#Seabirds function as biological pumps, consuming prey in the ocean and transferring large quantities of nutrients to their breeding grounds... These nutrients, when they leach back into surrounding waters, support coral growth, bolster fish biomass, and enhance the resilience of ecosystems"
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2025-10-27 17:54:48 UTC

Once tadpoles lose lungs, they never get them back https://phys.org/news/2025-10-tadpoles-lungs.html https://academic.oup.com/evolut/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/evolut/qpaf192/8296690
"all #frogs have lungs, so #tadpoles retain the genetics to regain lungs when environmental pressures might favor having them but instead evolve alternate solutions... The lungless African red #toad lives in low oxygen waters, and while redeveloping lungs might seem like the obvious solution, these tadpoles have instead evolved a crest of vascularized skin on top of their heads"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/447/408/088/110/202/original/e7d60b68d9086563.jpg

2025-10-17 18:58:19 UTC

Exchange of genetic diversity between species accelerates evolutionary adaptation in songbirds https://phys.org/news/2025-10-exchange-genetic-diversity-species-evolutionary.html https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado8005
"Changes in a single gene led to white plumage on the throat and back of the Balkan #wheatear... These variants were then passed on to the North African wheatear through crossbreeding... The exchange of genetic information across species boundaries gives rise to new combinations of genetic modules. This can help species adapt quickly to new conditions"
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2025-10-17 18:07:28 UTC

Three #NewSpecies discovered on #Australia's northernmost island https://phys.org/news/2025-10-species-australia-northernmost-island.html
"Dauan Island, a boulder-strewn, 3 sq. km island in the far northern #TorresStrait... has been revealed as a tropical refuge for three species new-to-science—a #gecko and two #frogs—found nowhere else on Earth... the peak that makes up most of the island is made of millions of #granite boulders, many the size of cars and houses, that are piled on top of each other, offering amazing hiding spaces"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/390/833/017/888/677/original/19e6545a3379054a.jpg

2025-10-17 06:07:25 UTC

Unique Egg-Laying Behavior Re-Discovered in #Culex Mosquito Species https://entomologytoday.org/2025/10/16/unique-egg-laying-behavior-rediscovered-culex-antillummagnorum-mosquito/
"I began hiking out at dusk, night after night, to sit and observe the same cluster of #Heliconia... included in the article is the recording of an entirely new egg-laying method in any known #mosquito species. We call it barrage oviposition: females perch just above the water’s surface and fire eggs directly from the abdomen into the bract below."
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2025-10-16 18:17:33 UTC

Defensive fungal #symbiosis on #insect hindlegs https://phys.org/news/2025-10-stinkbug-ears-legs-symbiotic-nurture.html
"Unexpectedly, they found that its so-called #TympanalOrgan is not an auditory organ... it was covered with fungal hyphae of benign #Cordyceps-allied filamentous #fungi... while laying eggs, the females skillfully transferred the fungi from the organ to the eggs... the eggs were quickly covered with fungal hyphae. The fuzzy hyphal thickets physically prevented #wasps from approaching, protecting the eggs from #parasitism."
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2025-10-13 17:29:12 UTC

Green #turtle bounces back from brink in conservation win https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg426qqqqnro
"thanks to decades of global #conservation efforts - from protecting eggs and releasing hatchlings on beaches, to reducing accidental capture in fishing nets - new data shows green turtle populations are rebounding... The #GreenTurtle has been downgraded from Endangered to Least Concern."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/368/035/619/154/797/original/f16792efc33b96ed.webp

2025-10-11 10:54:07 UTC

The sticky battle between microscopic #worms and predatory fungi comes with a genetic trade-off https://phys.org/news/2025-09-sticky-microscopic-worms-predatory-fungi.html
"predatory #fungi use specialized traps—adhesive nets—to capture their nematode prey... the nematode gene nhr-66 controls the production of cuticular #collagens that enable #PredatoryFungi to adhere and capture the #nematodes.. While reduced collagen expression helps nematodes evade fungal traps, it also weakens their protective cuticle, highlighting an evolutionary trade-off"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/115/355/153/903/015/209/original/e7af7edc70573e36.jpg

2025-10-10 13:35:53 UTC

Rare #Moss Transplanted to New Sites in Hope of Saving it From Extinction https://thehighlandtimes.com/rare-moss-transplanted-to-new-sites-in-hope-of-saving-it-from-extinction/ https://www.nature.scot/conservationists-boost-survival-chances-scotlands-rarest-moss
"Round-leaved bryum was rediscovered at Threipmuir Reservoir, near Balerno in #Edinburgh, in December 2023... Since then, experts from NatureScot and RBGE have cultivated thousands of new shoots and relocated them to North Third and Loch Coulter reservoirs, near Stirling, areas confirmed to have the right conditions for survival."
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2025-10-03 19:47:54 UTC

Unique videos show how #trawling restrictions bring back life to the sea https://phys.org/news/2025-10-unique-videos-trawling-restrictions-life.html paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72091
"The marine wildlife in #Kosterhavet National Park has changed rapidly in recent years... Trawling restrictions not only benefit #fish and #shellfish; #anemones and #corals are also becoming more common"
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2025-10-03 08:39:07 UTC

Bearded Vulture nests found to have hoards of cultural artifacts—some up to 650 years old https://phys.org/news/2025-10-bearded-vulture-hoards-cultural-artifacts.html
The #BeardedVulture as an accumulator of historical remains https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70191
"the same nest is used for centuries... researchers in Spain had the opportunity to examine 12 of these nests in detail... The hoard included items like a slingshot made from esparto grass, shoes, a crossbow bolt, a decorated piece of sheep leather and a wooden lance."
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2025-08-27 20:04:10 UTC

Deep sea worm fights poison with poison to survive high #arsenic and sulfide levels https://phys.org/news/2025-08-deep-sea-worm-poison-survive.html
A #DeepSea worm detoxifies arsenic and sulfur by intracellular #biomineralization of orpiment (As2S3) https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003291
"A hydrothermal vent worm survives the high levels of arsenic and sulfide in its environment by combining them to form a less hazardous mineral... #orpiment—the same toxic, golden mineral produced by this worm—was once prized by medieval and Renaissance painters"
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2025-06-10 06:51:50 UTC

Mussel power: how an offshore #shellfish farm is boosting marine life https://theconversation.com/mussel-power-how-an-offshore-shellfish-farm-is-boosting-marine-life-251192
"Over many years, the studies have shown how some #mussels from the farm have fallen to the seabed and regenerated lost shell reefs. The farm has also boosted populations of #crabs, #lobsters, #scallops, #starfish, #fish, conger #eels, #sharks and #rays... By creating structure and excluding the damaging effects of bottom-towed fishing, offshore #MusselFarms can restore degraded #fishing grounds"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/657/735/637/369/402/original/6a4c3aaee5992a14.jpeg

2025-06-03 13:54:56 UTC

Historic village water tanks provide a lifeline for amphibians
https://phys.org/news/2025-06-historic-village-tanks-lifeline-amphibians.html paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70294
"In the quiet mountain villages of northern #Portugal, centuries-old stone water tanks and irrigation channels... are providing critical breeding and refuge sites for #amphibians, as natural #wetlands are increasingly under pressure... Surprisingly, these tanks even supported a higher diversity of species compared to natural habitat types."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/619/767/130/766/294/original/7876e3628cffa132.jpg

2025-05-31 18:13:45 UTC

Europe's most complete stegosaurian skull unearthed in Teruel, Spain https://phys.org/news/2025-05-europe-stegosaurian-skull-unearthed-teruel.html
New insights into the phylogeny and skull #evolution of stegosaurian #dinosaurs: An extraordinary cranium from the European Late #Jurassic https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/146618/
"The detailed study of this exceptional fossil has allowed us to reveal previously unknown aspects of the anatomy of #Dacentrurus armatus, the quintessential European #stegosaur, which in 2025 marks 150 years since its first description."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/603/785/730/279/009/original/f67c36fb3df9111a.jpg

2025-05-30 11:01:43 UTC

The great comeback of the Iberian lynx https://www.rewildingmag.com/the-great-comeback-of-the-iberian-lynx/
"At the beginning of the 21st century, the #IberianLynx was listed as critically endangered, with the unfortunate sobriquet of the world’s most threatened cat... Conservationists, politicians, landowners, scientists, and communities have come together to save #Lynx pardinus, and they have been extremely successful. From that nadir of just 52 there are now more than 2,000 individuals living in the wild in Iberia."
#Conservation
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2025-05-23 19:30:36 UTC

Rare giant "shrimp" is more widespread than previously believed, new findings reveal https://phys.org/news/2025-05-rare-giant-shrimp-widespread-previously.html
The supergiant #amphipod Alicella gigantea may inhabit over half of the world’s oceans https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.241635
"#Amphipods like A. gigantea are #shrimp-like #crustaceans known for their narrow frames and a signature hump-backed curl in their posture. They roam the #DeepSea, from the abyssal depths (3,000–6,000 m) to beyond hadal zones (>6,000 m)"
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2025-05-23 06:01:31 UTC

Mystery of very odd #elasmosaur finally solved: One of North America's most famous #fossils IDd as new species https://phys.org/news/2025-05-mystery-odd-elasmosaur-north-america.html
"Long-necked and measuring in at 12m, #Traskasaura sandrae possessed heavy, sharp, robust teeth, ideal for crushing... Its unique suite of adaptations, a strange mix of primitive and derived traits, enabled it to hunt prey from above, perhaps one of the first #plesiosaurs to do so... The 85-million-year-old fossils are not new to science, though, far from it"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/555/615/802/615/233/original/578f93315967d1aa.jpg

2025-05-22 11:02:08 UTC

Teeth first evolved as sensory tissue in the armored exoskeletons of ancient #fish, fossil scans find https://phys.org/news/2025-05-teeth-evolved-sensory-tissue-armored.html
The origin of vertebrate teeth and #evolution of sensory exoskeletons: Yara Haridy et al. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08944-w
"dentin, the inner layer of teeth that transmits sensory information to nerves inside the pulp, first evolved as sensory tissue in the armored exoskeletons of ancient fish."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/551/137/236/281/086/original/b7e327121dd94004.jpg

2025-05-22 07:53:15 UTC

New species of octopus discovered in a deep-sea canyon https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2025/May/New-species-of-octopus-discovered-in-a-deep-sea-canyon
"The Carnarvon Flapjack #Octopus is a gelatinous #DeepSea octopus that grows to around 4 centimetres diameter... It's the 10th and latest #NewSpecies to be described from specimens collected during a 2022 voyage by RV Investigator... The #FlapjackOctopus is a deep-sea shape shifter with the ability to flatten its body to resemble a pancake—or flapjack—or to pull itself up to look like a tiny gelatinous umbrella."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/550/394/459/473/336/original/936ce2215245a56f.jpg

2025-05-22 07:26:03 UTC

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@nprofile…aaya Becherovka vodka or "we can't even be bothered to mix flavorants in your booze anymore"—I see things are developing in the right direction in the ol' country

2025-05-22 06:57:21 UTC

#TIL thanks to #PBS Eons (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEkbSV8aYrs&t=514):
"#Earthworms do not have ears, but #Darwin still tested their sense of hearing. He used a metal whistle and had his son play his #bassoon loudly. Darwin even shouted at the #worms" https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/22-charles-darwin-and-earthworms

2025-05-21 09:16:16 UTC

Ancient fossil sperm #whale may have been active predator https://phys.org/news/2025-05-ancient-patagonian-fossil-sperm-whale.html
Awakening #Patagonia's sleeping #SpermWhale: a new description of the Early #Miocene Idiorophus patagonicus. By Florencia Paolucci et al. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/spp2.70007
"Its snout features point to a lifestyle quite different from modern sperm #whales. It was likely an active predator of large #fish and possibly #seabirds, while extant #SpermWhales feed mostly on #cephalopods or small fish through suction feeding"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/545/055/454/002/196/original/7b4edac16b255738.jpg

2025-05-20 18:52:59 UTC

For #LongTailedTits, it really does take a village https://phys.org/news/2025-05-tailed-tits-village.html paper by Jennifer Morinay et al.: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.14237
"about 70% of long-tailed tit nests are destroyed by predators every year... By early May, the season is too advanced to re-nest, and if a pair has lost their brood they give up for the year... they often become helpers, moving to another nest and assisting... Around half of all broods have helpers, typically just one or two, but up to eight at a single nest."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/541/668/182/922/262/original/92eb6a65257e9c38.jpg

2025-05-17 08:23:15 UTC

Slow-growing #bacteria respond more sensitively to their environment https://phys.org/news/2025-05-bacteria-sensitively-environment.html
"When cells are growing rapidly, they ignore the environmental noise. When things are going badly, they listen very carefully, exploring the environment and deriving new survival strategies... the growth rate sets the rate at which signaling molecules within the cell are diluted... In slow-growing cells, the molecules persist longer and can accumulate more easily, making the cells more sensitive."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/522/199/008/798/208/original/82da779e206fd144.jpg

2025-05-11 12:16:13 UTC

#StandingStoneSunday: Ti-ar-c'horriquet / Allée couverte de Lesconil / Covered Alley of Lesconil, Finistère, #BZH
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/489/143/680/212/381/original/f721c1cbd2f81071.jpg

2025-05-07 21:07:40 UTC

Sea pigs, icefish and trilobites: #Antarctica’s mysterious marine life – in pictures https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2025/may/08/antarctica-marine-life-denman-glacier-rsv-nuyina-in-pictures
"True trilobites went extinct more than 250m years ago, but the Southern Ocean is home to a living lookalike: Ceratoserolis trilobitoides. They have a segmented, armoured exoskeleton, which helps protect them from predators... after a marine science voyage, a team aboard Australia’s icebreaker, #Nuyina, has collected some remarkable species from the waters around the Denman Glacier"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/468/586/717/316/237/original/082959ce10570282.webp

2025-04-18 08:00:13 UTC

Highly endangered sunflower star finds refuge in Canadian fjords
https://phys.org/news/2025-04-highly-endangered-sunflower-star-refuge.html
Fjord oceanographic dynamics provide refuge for critically endangered #Pycnopodia helianthoides: Alyssa-Lois Madden Gehman et al. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2024.2770
"in the summer, there is a lot of glacial runoff, dumping a lot of really cold water into the #fjords. Then, because the #SeaStars do not like cold water, they go deeper. And that may be shielding them from #SeaStarWastingDisease"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/357/906/007/410/659/original/6773e6e8f00fe12f.webp

2025-04-16 03:44:40 UTC

First Confirmed Footage of a #ColossalSquid—and it’s a Baby!
https://schmidtocean.org/first-colossal-squid-footage/
"The 30-centimeter juvenile #squid was captured on video at a depth of 600 meters by the #ROV #SuBastian. The sighting occurred on March 9 on an expedition near the #SouthSandwichIslands in the South Atlantic Ocean."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/345/565/336/567/272/original/8c75ad55de986e5f.jpg

2025-04-11 20:26:40 UTC

Once-dying Mexican river delta slowly nursed back to life https://www.rfi.fr/en/international-news/20250408-once-dying-mexican-river-delta-slowly-nursed-back-to-life
"#conservationists secured land as well as #irrigation permits, cleared invasive shrubs and planted thousands of native #trees... After years of this type of work, we now have a #forest of #poplars and #willows on 260 hectares on a stretch of the #ColoradoRiver. Fauna has returned. Many #birds have returned. The rejuvenation has also brought back the #beaver—a species that had largely disappeared in the area"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/321/205/475/066/543/original/6b9b8232ab22463b.jpg

2025-04-09 12:49:56 UTC

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@nprofile…hy00 dire rhea: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-warning-over-aggressive-escaped-rhea-bird-on-the-loose-in-nottinghamshire-10345553.html

2025-04-08 11:01:57 UTC

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@nprofile…s9ap Well, they can still produce a bunch of sad hairy elephants and let them suffer in some oil baron's game reserve in Siberia. Being full of bs doesn't stop anyone from doing a lot of damage... as we can see with AI.

2025-04-08 10:16:17 UTC

#Deextinction is a BS scam and a distraction from real conservation work. It's the AI of biology. They are genetically modifying animals to superficially resemble extinct species while vaguely gesturing towards sci-fi ideas about finding/reconstructing entire genomes. We are nowhere near this stage, and it's doubtful we ever will. And guess what, that still wouldn't bring anything back, because living things are much more than their DNA on so many levels.

2025-04-05 11:25:36 UTC

#Flies are masters of migration https://theconversation.com/flies-are-masters-of-migration-its-about-time-they-got-some-credit-253254
Dipteran migrants are diverse, abundant and ecologically important https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.70017
"All over the world, it’s mostly females that migrate. They have been recorded migrating through mountain passes high in the Himalayas, on ships hundreds of miles out to sea in the Gulf of Mexico & in their millions through western Europe. Forcipomyia midges use their soft foot hairs to stick to dragonfly wings to hitch a lift over the Indian Ocean"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/285/103/281/106/302/original/064d0a1723af99fd.jpeg

2025-04-03 06:27:44 UTC

Bats' echolocation strategy: How dense colonies avoid mid-air collisions
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-echolocation-strategy-dense-colonies-mid.html paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2407810122
"When exiting the cave, #bats experience a cacophony of calls, with 94% of echolocations being jammed. Yet, within five seconds of leaving the cave, bats significantly reduced the #echolocation jamming... they fanned out and they emitted shorter and weaker calls at higher frequency... to gain detailed information about their near neighbors... to avoid collisions."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/272/608/693/989/112/original/487c9234c0e40984.webp

2025-04-02 17:32:30 UTC

#Mammals were adapting from life in the trees to living on the ground before dinosaur-killing asteroid https://phys.org/news/2025-04-mammals-life-trees-ground-dinosaur.html
Down to earth: therian mammals became more terrestrial towards the end of the Cretaceous https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pala.70004
"plant life changed toward the end of the #Cretaceous, with flowering #plants creating more diverse habitats on the ground... The vegetational habitat was more important for the course of Cretaceous mammalian #evolution than any influence from #dinosaurs"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/269/552/091/103/303/original/cd2fb61a23f27777.jpg

2025-03-28 20:26:57 UTC

Fish use sharks as shields to ambush prey https://phys.org/news/2025-03-fish-sharks-shields-ambush-prey.html
To see and not be seen: Carangids hide behind sharks to prey on fish https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70028
"Previous research has shown that some #fish shadow #sharks to remove parasites and hide from predators. However, they have never before been seen hiding behind sharks to ambush their prey."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/241/930/965/231/724/original/bbe235ac31481b1e.jpg

2025-03-26 08:01:12 UTC

#Hummingbird chick acts like a #caterpillar to survive
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-hummingbird-chick-caterpillar-survive.html
"Unlike most #hummingbirds, the jacobin chick was covered in long brown feathers... they saw a predatory #wasp approach the chick when the mother was away. As the wasp hovered above the nest, the chick started to twitch its body vigorously, swinging its head from side to side. A few seconds later, the wasp flew away... many #caterpillars in this region have similar-looking brown hairs that can give painful stings"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/227/676/373/296/402/original/ac709b36397add4c.jpg

2025-03-24 18:32:07 UTC

Pink snow tints the edges of Antarctica https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2025-03-24/pink-snow-tints-the-edges-of-antarctica.html
"The #algae that covers Mount Reina Sofía in patches is Sanguina nivaloides, a species first described in 2019. The meaning of its scientific name in Latin is eloquent: blood in the snow. Each creature has a single cell, about 20 thousandths of a millimeter in size, with a molecule inside that gives it its characteristic red color: #astaxanthin... the same pigment that produces the color of salmon"
#Antarctica #Protists #Microbes
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2025-03-24 17:16:58 UTC

Fossil of ancient crustacean gathering reveals new insights into their lives
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2025/march/fossil-ancient-crustacean-gathering-reveals-new-insights-into-their-lives.html
Gregarious behaviour in #Carboniferous cyclidan #crustaceans https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0734
"With legs emerging from underneath rounded shells, #cyclidans looked not unlike an underwater beetle. Earliest species were a few mm in size and form #fossils that look like a tiny bunch of grapes. Over millions of years they evolved larger species, and by the #Triassic they were about as wide as a human hand"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/218/538/651/141/432/original/d0daebee5b9488fd.jpeg

2025-03-21 16:48:50 UTC

Massive, long-lived #trees discovered in the #Tanzanian rainforest are a new species https://phys.org/news/2025-03-massive-trees-tanzanian-rainforest-species.html
Tessmannia princeps (Fabaceae), a #NewSpecies of rainforest tree from the #Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.694.2.1
"In addition to its massive girth, the tree grows a little taller than others around it in the rainforest... some of the newly discovered trees could be up to 3,000 years old. They are also slow growing, taking up to 15 years to add 1 centimeter of girth."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/201/431/081/281/086/original/7b863e8f825a5eaf.png

2025-03-13 07:55:36 UTC

The Secret Sex Lives of Deep, Dark Corals
https://www.biographic.com/the-secret-sex-lives-of-deep-dark-corals/
"A unique fjord in Chilean #Patagonia gives scientists a chance to unlock the reproductive secrets of cold-water #corals that typically live thousands of meters below the surface... Instead of partnering with #algae within its cells for food, #Desmophyllum catches #plankton with stinging tentacles... cold-water corals live throughout the world’s oceans, providing habitat at least as critical as that of tropical #CoralReefs"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/154/044/876/618/024/original/16f5ecb3fab312cb.jpg

2025-03-12 11:13:51 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…hwmj Happy Birthday! Please, accept this happy Quimper snail eating a mushroom.
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/149/157/862/812/373/original/91ae2a343d4c2137.jpeg

2025-03-11 19:29:36 UTC

Australia’s superb #lyrebirds ‘farm’ the forest floor to increase their prey https://theconversation.com/australias-superb-lyrebirds-farm-the-forest-floor-to-increase-their-prey-a-behaviour-rarely-seen-in-nature-247908 paper: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.70009
"The superb lyrebird scratches through the leaf litter and topsoil, using its powerful claws to search for #invertebrates... This loosens the soil, allowing more air and water to infiltrate, speeding up the decomposition of organic material... this creates an ideal habitat for the invertebrates on which it feeds"
#Birds #Animals
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2025-03-11 15:06:52 UTC

Rare #frog rediscovered after 130 years https://phys.org/news/2025-03-rare-frog-rediscovered-years.html
Lost for more than a century: the rediscovery of Alsodes vittatus (Anura, Alsodidae), one of the rarest and most elusive #amphibians from #Chile https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/135523/
"This is an important milestone for South American #herpetology... Most of the other Alsodes species are either threatened with #extinction or we don't know enough about them to assess their status"
#Frogs #Animals #Conservation
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2025-03-10 18:40:52 UTC

#Whales move nutrients from Alaska to Hawaii in their urine, supporting tropical ecosystems https://phys.org/news/2025-03-whales-nutrients-alaska-hawaii-urine.html
Migrating #BaleenWhales transport high-latitude nutrients to tropical and subtropical ecosystems https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56123-2
"in oceans across the globe, great whales—including #RightWhales, #GrayWhales, and #humpbacks—transport about 4,000 tons of nitrogen each year to low-nutrient coastal areas in the tropics and subtropics. They also bring more than 45,000 tons of biomass"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/139/595/112/925/373/original/66232d3b60259197.jpg

2025-03-06 20:13:31 UTC

Plants struggled for millions of years after the world's worst climate catastrophe
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-struggled-millions-years-world-worst.html
"#conifers were some of the earliest to colonize the land after the End-#Permian catastrophe. But the recovery of #forests was not smooth sailing... even higher temperatures during the Late Smithian Thermal Maximum caused the collapse of these survivors... they were replaced by tough, shrubby #plants resembling modern #clubmosses. This scorching period lasted for about 700,000 years"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/117/307/887/147/411/original/90312c922ca798ae.webp

2025-03-06 19:54:59 UTC

#Squid are some of nature's best camouflagers. Researchers have a new explanation
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-squid-nature-camouflagers-explanation.html
Cephalopod chromatophores contain photosensitizing nanostructures that may facilitate light sensing and signaling in the skin https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/tc/d4tc04333b
"Chromatophores are pigmented organs all over the squid's skin... [they] are light sensors that help power squid and their camouflage... It can see whatever light is on the outside and convert it into energy to help distribute camouflage"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/117/237/429/388/246/original/a4bc3ad3c2e4c3e7.webp

2025-03-01 13:57:23 UTC

Ancient marine organism's dual-layer structure reveals both past and present ocean environments https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ancient-marine-dual-layer-reveals.html
A cosmopolitan calcifying benthic #foraminifera in agglutinated disguise as a geochemical recorder of coastal environments https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2413054122
"This species has a remarkable hidden feature—an inner shell made of calcium carbonate beneath its outer layer of gathered particles... [this] made them an excellent recorder of environmental conditions."
#Protists #Microbes
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2025-02-27 11:01:03 UTC

Leaf-dwelling #fungi enhance black #poplar chemical defenses and mediate #insect interactions https://phys.org/news/2025-02-leaf-fungi-black-poplar-chemical.html
A Fungal Endophyte Alters Poplar Leaf Chemistry, Deters Insect Feeding and Shapes Insect Community Assembly: Christin Walther et al. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.70007
"The #fungus, which lives inside the leaves, not only increases the production of defensive substances in the #trees, but also produces an alkaloid itself that protects the trees from feeding damage."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/075/501/216/962/969/original/6e99e106c0282e54.jpg

2025-02-24 17:47:12 UTC

#MushroomMonday
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/060/113/590/415/938/original/07378cae7c178e3b.jpg

2025-02-22 22:15:23 UTC

Orchid's nutrient theft from #fungi sheds light on photosynthesis-parasitism continuum https://phys.org/news/2025-02-orchid-nutrient-theft-fungi-photosynthesis.html paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tpj.70045
"When the #orchid Oreorchis patens happens to grow close to rotten wood, it shifts its fungal #symbionts to those that decompose the wood and significantly increases the amount of nutrients it takes from them—without ceasing to employ photosynthesis. As a result, the #plants are bigger and produce more #flowers."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/049/838/947/886/346/original/b5c88d2c24610c12.jpg

2025-02-18 08:46:08 UTC

Green staghorn coral may be more likely to survive ocean warming if crabs are around https://phys.org/news/2025-02-green-staghorn-coral-survive-ocean.html
"predation by #starfish led to wounds that bled mucus, which in turn attracted the hoof-clawed #crab... the #crabs fed on the mucus but did not harm the coral... they also fed on nearby #seaweed, typically the vectors for infectious #bacteria, which led to infection prevention in the #corals... coral that were protected by the crabs were 60% less likely to suffer tissue loss"
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/114/024/008/542/251/364/original/fa8c724f7732d672.jpg

2025-02-12 17:14:00 UTC

Jurassic #fossil rewrites history of bird evolution https://www.reuters.com/science/jurassic-fossil-china-rewrites-history-bird-evolution-2025-02-12/
Earliest short-tailed bird from the Late #Jurassic of China https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08410-z
"The newly identified bird, called #Baminornis zhenghensis, joins the similarly aged #Archaeopteryx as the oldest-known #birds. But Baminornis, about 15 cm long, was far more advanced anatomically and a better flier than crow-sized Archaeopteryx, a creature seemingly half #bird and half reptile."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/113/992/029/345/506/145/original/8d5fd6d6febdace8.jpeg

2025-02-12 10:55:44 UTC

Stripey-faced fish named after warrior princess San https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwywq42ng8yo paper: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/130512
"A #DeepSea #fish new to science has been named after San, the warrior princess from #StudioGhibli's #PrincessMononoke, due to its striking facial markings... deepwater tilefish are found as deep as 600m below the surface... Only three #NewSpecies in the genus Branchiostegus have been identified in the last 34 years."
#Animals #Miyazaki #Biodiversity
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2025-02-12 00:01:40 UTC

Sex as a formality: Male stick #insects have lost their reproductive function
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-sex-formality-male-insects-lost.html
Lack of successful sexual reproduction suggests the irreversible #parthenogenesis in a stick insect https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.4522
"While most #animals reproduce sexually, some species rely solely on females for parthenogenetic reproduction. Even in these, rare males occasionally appear. Whether they retain reproductive functions is a key question in the #evolution of reproductive strategies."
https://cdn.masto.host/scholarsocial/media_attachments/files/113/987/850/255/833/072/original/8ed8164050a32c4b.webp

2025-02-08 11:41:22 UTC

Rare Fossil of 183-Million-Year-Old Plesiosaur Reveals Both Smooth and Scaly Skin https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/rare-fossil-of-183-million-year-old-sea-monster-reveals-both-smooth-and-scaly-skin-180986026/
Skin, scales, and cells in a Jurassic plesiosaur https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(25)00001-6 by @nprofile…tndy
"it was between something like a green sea turtle with scales and the smooth-skinned leatherback turtle"
#Paleoart by @nprofile…z79r
#Plesiosaurs #Animals #Fossils #Turtles
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