News by Subject Biology

Using lasers, researchers have connected, arranged and merged artificial cells, paving the way for networks of artificial cells acting as tissues.

Corals in the Great Barrier Reef have enough genetic variation to adapt to and survive rising ocean temperatures for at least another century, or more than 50 years longer than previous estimates have suggested.

The Bajau, a population of sea nomads in Indonesia, are known for their ability to conduct prolonged and repeated deep dives while holding their breath. A new analysis by University of Copenhagen and UC Berkeley scientists shows that they evolved this ability by enlarging their spleen about 50 percent. A genetic analysis links this to upregulated thyroid hormone. This is a unique adaptation to living in a low-oxygen environment, the researchers say.

As summertime draws near, some people around the US will face annual water usage restrictions as water supplies become strained. But for those who live in arid climates year-round, water shortages are a constant concern. In these areas, residents must capitalize on even the smallest bit of moisture in the air. Now researchers report in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces that they have developed a type of 'harp' to harvest fresh water from fog.

In a recent paper published in the journal Environmental Pollution, scientists found that coho salmon became sick and nearly died, within just a few hours of exposure to polluted stormwater. But chum salmon showed no signs of ill-effects after prolonged exposure to the same water.

A new study published online today in Nature shows that corals on the northern Great Barrier Reef experienced a catastrophic die-off following the extended marine heatwave of 2016.

With limited funding available for conservation efforts, it's critical that species distribution models be more comprehensive

Why do the Earth's oceans contain such a staggering diversity of fish of so many different sizes, shapes, colors and ecologies? The answer, a UCLA-led team of biologists reports, dates back 66 million years ago, when a six-mile-wide asteroid crashed to Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs and approximately 75 percent of animal and plant species worldwide.