Plant and Animal Science

Neuroscientist Alipasha Vaziri of the University of Vienna and his colleagues have for the first time imaged all of the neurons firing in a living organism, the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans. Read on for more details. 

An epidemic that started a year ago called Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) has killed thousands of Northeast Pacific Coast sea stars. Read on to find out the causative factor behind this. 

A team led by Barbara Goettsch of the IUCN’s Cactus and Succulent Plant Specialist Group analyzed the cacti’s distributions, population trends, habitat preferences, ecology, conservation actions, and human uses and found that of the 1,480 known species of cactus found on the planet, an estimated 31% are threatened. Read more about their research here.

A group of conservation biologists at the University of Exeter have confirmed that the extinction of one species of a carnivore can lead to the extinction of fellow species of predators. The research team placed several species of aphids and parasitoid wasps, which are aphids’ natural enemies, in experimental communities with complex food webs in outdoor field cages. Read more about their research here.

The discovery of pelves and a partial pelvic fin from Tiktaalik roseae, a 375 million-year-old transitional species between fish and the first legged animals, reveals that hind legs actually evolved from enhanced hind fins. Read on to know more. 

Stick insects, one of the most peculiar insects found on earth, have intrigued scientists by exhibiting how the process of natural selection can prevent the formation of new species. A team of researchers from the University of Sheffield in England and the University of Colorado Boulder studied a plant-eating stick insect species from California called Timema cristinae. Read more about their research here.

The discovery of a four-legged fossil snake has provided a new direction to the long-standing argument of researchers over the evolution of snakes. The fossil is named Tetrapodophis amplectus, which loosely translates as ‘four-legged hugging snake,’ and is being considered as a missing link between snakes and lizards. Read on to learn more about this.

A long-term study has shown that infant lemurs born to older mothers are less likely to get hurt than those born to younger mothers. Read on to know more. 

Nicholas Whitney of Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla., and colleagues observed that nurse sharks are some of the most inactive species of shark that spend most of their time on the ocean bottom waiting in one spot. They only move at night when they have to hunt for food. This behavior interested the researchers in understanding how this affected the shark’s metabolism. Read more about their research here.

A new study may offer insight into the implications antioxidants may have for the embryos of other species, including humans. Read on to know more.