New research shows the diversity of plant and animal life in 14 tropical reserves in Mesoamerica has plummeted since 1990 as roads and cattle ranches have expanded into protected areas. Large mammals, birds, and reptiles are disappearing, while disease-carrying insects and rodents are on the rise.
Clashing genes drive the development of distinct species
Researchers have identified genes involved in hybrid incompatibility, a phenomenon that creates reproductive barriers between species and evolutionarily splits them apart.
A new Stanford study uses behavioral analysis, neural engineering, electrophysiology, and math to explore how mice decide whether to eat or drink when they are both hungry and thirsty.
What we can learn from the masters of regeneration
In some organisms, injuries to one part of the body induce a healing response in another. New evidence suggests this whole-body response isn’t a side effect: it’s the main feature.
Both animal and plant stem cells rely on the cytoskeleton to divide properly, but in opposite ways. The findings could help researchers engineer more resilient plants.
