Birds

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (yellow) budding and replicating from an H9 T cell (dark blue). The virus particles are in various stages of maturity, which accounts for differences in shape. Credit: NIAIDNIH-funded trial shows promising outcomes with treatment started promptly after birth.Four children have remained free of detectable HIV for more than one year after their antiretroviral therapy (ART) was paused to see if they could achieve HIV remission, according to a presentation at…

Whether you've been gaming since the Atari days or fell in love with the pastime with the arrival of mobile games, everyone is very much aware of the iconic Sonic and Angry Birds. One has been around a lot longer than the other, but they're both much-loved franchises. Now, they're teaming up in a crossover that we didn't know we needed — but we're absolutely here for it now that we do.This is all happening thanks to a Sega and Rovio crossover that will see characters from the famous Sonic and Angry Birds universes join…

BIRDERS GET nervous when they see landscapes covered in wind turbines. When the wind gets going, their…

Scientists have discovered a new species of fossil bird, Imparavis attenboroughi which is the first of its kind to have evolved toothlessness. Illustration showing the fossil skeleton of Imparavis attenboroughi, alongside a reconstruction of the bird in life. Credit: Ville Sinkkonen.No birds alive today have teeth. But that wasn’t always the case– many early fossil birds had beaks full of sharp, tiny teeth. In a paper in the journal Cretaceous Research, scientists have described a new species of fossil bird that was the…

PRINT, a new gene therapy technique, employs bird-derived retrotransposons to insert whole genes into a safe zone of the human genome, offering a complementary approach to CRISPR-Cas9 by potentially enabling the treatment of diseases without the risk of gene disruption or cancer. Credit: SciTechDaily.comRetrotransposons can insert new genes into a “safe harbor” in the genome, complementing CRISPR gene editing.The recent greenlighting of a CRISPR-Cas9 treatment for sickle cell disease underscores the efficacy of gene…

A groundbreaking study has identified common feather characteristics among flying birds, revealing that all possess 9 to 11 primary feathers, a trait that provides insights into the evolution of flight from dinosaur ancestors. By combining analysis of museum specimens and fossil data, researchers suggest that flight evolved only once among dinosaurs, highlighting the significance of feathers and flight in the evolutionary success of these species. Above is a fossil showing the wing and feathers of the prehistoric bird…

According to an analysis of hundreds of preserved bird specimens from museum collections around the globe, there's a specific set of feather rules behind the power of flight.These newly discovered rules allow scientists to better predict which dinosaurs could fly too."Theropod dinosaurs, including birds, are one of the most successful vertebrate lineages on our planet," says Field Museum of Natural History paleontologist Jingmai O'Connor. "One of the reasons that they're so successful is their flight. One of the other…

On the vast grasslands of Alberta, a group of sharp-tailed grouse gather for the most important event of the year: a song and dance competition.While most male birds compete against each other to win a mate, the grouse take a different approach. They perform a synchronized dance routine as a team, and the more males, the more impressive their performance.These sharp-tailed grouse put on a remarkable show. With their heads down and wings outstretched, they stomp and rattle their tail feathers. Flashes of yellow from the…

In the forests of eastern Australia, a unique annual ritual is underway. A male superb lyrebird fans out its large tail and bobs up and down amongst the foliage. It's performing a song and dance routine in hopes of winning a potential mate. Unfortunately, this bird isn't drawing any attention. Female lyrebirds require more complex songs to win the ability to mate. During his mating display, the male lyre bird puts on a show in his performing ground, replicating the sounds he hears in the surrounding forest — with…

Coot nesting on a bike on a lake in Copenhagen. Birds and humans also co-inhabited specific environments in our prehistory, new research shows. Credit: Lisa Yeomans Roughly 14,500 to 10,500 years ago, in the transition from the last glacial period, Epipaleolithic and Neolithic peoples harvesting vegetation from the wetlands of eastern Jordan created a habitat for birds that would otherwise have migrated, a new study published…