Biology

“Trained teamwork” in plants

Test areas for investigating plant communities: The so-called Jena Experiment started in 2002 and is one of the longest-running biodiversity experiments in Europe. ...

Cold-water corals: lessons from the past

Colony of cold-water coral Lophelia pertusa. © MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen Contemporary witnesses in the sea: In order...

Does wind power disrupt local food webs?

Bat strike victim under a wind turbine. © Christian Voigt/ Leibniz-IZW Wind power is important for the energy transition, while collisions with rotors kill...

Spider webs record microplastic pollution

"Eight-legged research assistants" have provided scientists at bus stops with test material to detect microplastic pollution in the air. © Daniel Schmidt/ University...

Giraffe neck as a result of sexual selection?

Giraffes and a life reconstruction of their primeval ancestors (front). © Yu Wang and Xiaocong Guo Why do giraffes have long necks? Until...

Water protection could have a toxic effect

Notorious streaks in the water: The explosive multiplication of cyanobacteria can enrich water bodies with toxins. © Colleen Yancey It seems paradoxical at first:...

New type of molecule in the atmosphere

Free-jet flow tube for the analysis of atmospheric reactions. © Tilo Arnhold/ TROPOS Highly reactive oxygen compounds play an important role in the earth's...

Drug candidates from coral

Some soft corals produce medicinally promising compounds. © Bailey Miller Corals contain numerous substances that could potentially be used medicinally. One problem with...

Dolphins do skin care with corals

Mother dolphin with her calf at the "medicinal" corals. © Angela Ziltener In the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt, a wildlife biologist...

What “ghost fossils” reveal about past climate impacts

Nannofossil from sedimentary rocks on the Yorkshire coast. © SM Slater et al. How is global warming and the associated acidification of the oceans affecting...

How fungi attack plants

A research team at the University of Cologne is investigating how pathogenic soil fungi outsmart the defense mechanisms of potatoes, tomatoes and the like. Source:...

On the trail of communicative structure

Apparently, the vocalizations of chimpanzees are structured in a surprisingly complex way. © Liran Samuni, Taï Chimpanzee Project According to a study, the sound...

Storms can also protect sandy beaches

Strong storms apparently not only gnaw at sandy beaches, but can also contribute to their long-term stabilization. © yuran-78/iStock Fierce coastal storms are known...

Water mushrooms: Powerful unknowns in sight

In water, too, special fungi are involved in the decomposition of biomass and thus in the nutrient cycle. © H. Masigol Inconspicuous, hardly researched...

First growth tests in lunar soil

A tiny seedling grown on lunar soil is harvested for genetic analysis. © UF/IFAS photo by Tyler Jones Is the lunar surface material suitable...

Award-winning biodiversity research

the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung reports on the interesting work of the evolutionary biologist alexandre Antonelliwhich was awarded this year's Senckenberg Prize. Source: Senckenberg World

Brave monkeys learn faster

A male marmoset exploring a branch. © Vedrana Šlipogor Like humans, monkeys have the ability to use tools, display complex social behavior, and learn...

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