Jane Goodall, the primatologist and conservationist, has died at age 91. Here's more from NBC.
#JaneGoodall #Primatology #Conservation #Chimpanzees #Biology #Zoology #RIP #InMemoriam
Goodall's field research changed the understanding of humans' closest relative.Julia Jacobo (ABC News)
Living organisms are assumed to produce same-#species #offspring.
But this is not the case for Messor ibericus, an #ant that lays individuals from two distinct #species.
In this life cycle, females must clone males of another species because they require their sperm to produce the worker caste.
As a result, males from the same mother exhibit distinct genomes and morphologies, as they belong to species that diverged over 5 million years ago.
The evolutionary history of this system appears as sexual parasitism that evolved into a natural case of cross-species cloning, resulting in the maintenance of a male-only lineage cloned through distinct species’ ova.
#biology #evolution
nature.com/articles/s41586-025…
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same mother having distinct genomes and morphologies.Nature
Because life can be full of bullshit, here's some pleasant counterprogramming:
Meet 3.3 m/11 ft #InspectorClouseau
(Old people like me will get the #PinkPanther reference)
First spotted off #Australia in 2015
The only #pink #mantaRay we've discovered in the world, now or ever
Researchers have studied him (yes, a he) as to cause
Diet: no. Stress: no. Toxins: no. Infection: no
They now think it is just a rare genetic mutation
smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/…
#Ocean #Biology #Zoology #Fish #Oceans
Researchers suspect a genetic mutation may have gifted the giant fish, named Inspector Clouseau, his rosy hueKatherine J. Wu (Smithsonian Magazine)
These 2 papers provide compelling empirical evidence that competition in #science leads to sloppy work being preferentially published in hi-ranking journals:
journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1…
academic.oup.com/qje/advance-a…
Using the example of structural #biology , the authors report that scientists overestimate the damage of being scooped, leading to corner-cutting and sloppy work in the race to be first. Faster scientists then end up publishing sloppier work in higher-ranking journals.
Great article by vox on modern #panpsychism in the scientific setting.
It reaches a bit but the idea that base layer of reality is consciousness not matter is fascinating
vox.com/future-perfect/353430/…
The theory that everything is conscious was mocked as unscientific. But new evidence shows a brain is not necessary for cognition. AI may become conscious, too.Sigal Samuel (Vox)
Equipment question for those of you doing #twophoton imaging: anyone using a fixed wavelength laser from Axon / Toptica / Spark Lasers? Any recommendations / horror stories would be most welcome, as would boosts. I really don't want to ask over there. Maybe @MatteoCarandini @sls? Thx!
If you have no idea what I'm talking about:
coherent.com/lasers/oscillator…
toptica.com/products/psfs-fibe…
spark-lasers.com/produit/alcor…
are #lasers for #biology #microscopy
Spark Lasers’ ALCOR is specifically designed for two-photon excitation. It offers clean femtosecond pulses with the highest peak power.Spark Lasers
> The ecology of fear, the idea that the presence of a predator causes a cascade of ecological effects across a landscape, is a fundamental concept in wildlife ecology. In recent years, ecologists have come to appreciate how much animals, even apex predators, fear humans, with myriad effects on animal behaviors and, in turn, ecosystems.
Ecologist Asia Murphy writes about humans' role in the "ecology of fear" and the implications for wildlife management & conservation: americanscientist.org/article/…
#SciComm #ecology #biology #science #anthropocene 🐘
Animals, even apex predators, take great pains to avoid people—a pervasive problem when these changes disrupt what they eat and where they go.American Scientist
