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Medieval pandemic left a hidden legacy in Europe's oldest trees

Biology news

Medieval pandemic left a hidden legacy in Europe's oldest trees

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates how radiocarbon dating can reveal the maximum lifespan of Mediterranean hardwoods, uncovering hidden links between human history and ...

Plants & Animals

1 hour ago

Previously unknown detoxification pathway for chloromethane revealed

Chloromethane is a gas that is toxic to humans and contributes to the depletion of the ozone layer. It is produced during the combustion of coal, biomass and other raw materials. Natural sources such as algae, plants and ...

Molecular & Computational biology

6 hours ago

120,000-year-old European fallow deer—tracing the loss of genetic diversity

European fallow deer have faced a dramatic loss of genetic diversity since the last interglacial period. This was revealed by 120,000-year-old fossils from central Germany's Neumark-Nord site in Saxony-Anhalt, analyzed by ...

Plants & Animals

3 hours ago

Sweet basil carbon dots show potential for sustainable agriculture

What if a common herb found in the kitchen could help farmers grow healthier crops? As the global population grows and agriculture faces increasing environmental challenges, scientists are searching for innovative ways to ...

Biotechnology

dialog

8 hours ago

Ever seen a cave cricket? Australia now has three new species of these spindly, spider-like creatures

When you picture a cave, you probably think of an environment devoid of life. But for most caves on Earth, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Plants & Animals

4 hours ago

Green space exposure, mental health and the nasal microbiome explored

Plenty of studies have linked exposure to nature to a wide variety of health benefits, from improved cognitive function to lower blood pressure to better mental health. Other research has found connections between the human ...

Cell & Microbiology

11 hours ago

Texas governor wants to speed up work on a fly-breeding factory to fight a cattle parasite

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott expressed concern Friday that a new factory isn't expected to start breeding sterile New World screwworm flies for more than a year as a big part of the effort to stop its flesh-eating larvae from threatening ...

Agriculture

13 hours ago

US reports second case of dangerous livestock pest

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Friday it has detected a second case of a dangerous livestock pest whose flesh-eating larvae can kill cattle.

Agriculture

13 hours ago

Scientists map more than 200 years of nature's progress

Armed with trail cameras, artificial intelligence, and a powerful national research network, scientists are revisiting Lewis and Clark's legendary journey to see how America's wildlife has changed over the past 200 years.

Plants & Animals

22 hours ago

Deep-sea supergiant isopods last years without food by using a two-part survival system

The supergiant bathynomid is a deep-sea isopod famous for surviving more than five years without food. Despite residing in an extremely low-nutrient habitat, these organisms exhibit pronounced body gigantism, a trait that ...

Plants & Animals

Jun 5, 2026

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Hagfish fossils reveal stepwise eye simplification before near-total vision loss

Many animals, including humans, rely on their eyes to detect changes in their surroundings. The eyes of vertebrates, animals with a backbone or a similar supporting structure, contain a transparent structure (i.e., the lens) ...

Evolution

feature

Jun 5, 2026

'The Heaven Sword' crowned as East Asia's tallest tree after a nearly decade-long search

Taiwan, historically known as Formosa, holds a secret deep within its rugged interior: it is one of the rare locations on Earth capable of supporting "giant" trees—specimens that tower over 80 meters in height. Since 2014, ...

Plants & Animals

Jun 5, 2026

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Europe's aversion to eating insects may have deep ecological and evolutionary roots

In recent years, human population growth, coupled with the climate crisis, environmental pressures, and current production and consumption patterns, has driven the search for alternative food sources. With 1,611 insect species ...

Ecology

Jun 5, 2026

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Why do rival plants coexist? The secret is in the soil beneath the oaks

How can plants that compete for the same resources grow in the same area without one driving the other to extinction? Ecologists have been trying to answer this question for decades, and a surprising new explanation has now ...

Plants & Animals

Jun 5, 2026

Dengue is no longer just a travel risk—what Google's mosquito plan could mean for your summer

This is not science fiction or some perverse prank. A Silicon Valley tech giant is seeking federal approval to release up to 64 million sterilized male mosquitoes in California and Florida over the next two years.

Ecology

Jun 5, 2026

How the body creates reliable antibodies out of biological chaos

A new study tracking thousands of B cells across more than 100 germinal centers in mice reveals how the system consistently produces highly effective antibodies. The findings overturn longstanding ideas about how germinal ...

Evolution

Jun 5, 2026

RNA-guided transposon mechanics show use of figure-eight intermediate and direct-transfer route

IS110 transposons are a large, diverse family of bacterial insertion sequences (IS elements)—small, mobile DNA elements that can move from one genomic location to another. They have recently attracted broad interest due to ...

Cell & Microbiology

Jun 5, 2026

Hawai'i's last false killer whales threatened by nutritional stress and warming seas

A seven-year collaborative study has revealed alarming fluctuations in the health of Hawaii's endangered insular false killer whales, with some individuals losing nearly a quarter of their body weight in just a few months. ...

Plants & Animals

Jun 5, 2026