organisms

Scientists have discovered evidence of a “lost world” of previously unknown lifeforms that inhabited Earth between 800 million and 1.6 billion years ago. Fossilized fat compounds were identified in rocks all over the world, likely produced by our ancient ancestors called the "Protosterol Biota."There are three main domains of life on Earth: the single-celled bacteria and archaea, and the more complex eukaryota. Despite having the fewest members, that last group is the one we’re most familiar with – it includes us humans…

Recent research shows that dogs and humans have a lot in common when it comes to staying healthy. The study—a large survey of dog owners and their pups—found several key environmental factors linked to better health and longevity in dogs, such as a strong social network. The results are the latest to suggest that dogs can serve as an excellent model for studying aging in people, the authors say.These Frogs Might Be the Worst Jumpers EverThe research comes from the Dog Aging Project, an initiative billed as the most…

Traces of molecules found in ancient rocks are revealing a wild ecosystem of early life that hunted and thrived in the world's oceans for nearly a billion years.Biomarker signatures found in rocks dated to 1.64 billion years ago were left by an entire range of previously unknown organisms that dominated life on Earth, in a low-oxygen world an eon before the emergence of plants, animals, and fungi.These organisms were unlike anything alive today; their discoverers, led by paleobiogeochemists Jochen Brocks and Benjamin…

We know, we know. It’s not fauna. But this palm has an amazing story of rediscovery. The date species was originally domesticated during the Neolithic, some 7,000 years ago. The dates grown in the region of the Kingdom of Judah, known as Judean dates, were extolled by historians of the day. But by the 19th century, the plant had vanished. Over the past 50 years, however, excavations at the high-altitude Dead Sea site of Masada turned up 1,900-year-old seeds that researchers decided to plant.One of the seeds grew.…

The victims of extinction are countless and their are killers numerous—but, in recent centuries, there’s been one obvious, enduring culprit: Homo sapiens. A Mononykus Hunts In ‘Prehistoric Planet’As humankind has increased in numbers and technologized, more and more species have disappeared for good. Or have they really? Scientists may finally be on the verge of breakthroughs that can simulate some animals’ resurrection. But, despite what Jurassic Park led us to believe, simply having a creature’s DNA isn’t enough to…

As the name suggests, this plant is originally from East Asia. It arrived in the country in the 1800s and was used for ornamental reasons, according to the National Parks Service. Itssmall flowers allow it to spread quickly, and its roots are pretty strong which makes it harder to remove knotweed plants. And like many invasive species, it grows quickly and sucks up all of the nutrients out of the soil before some nearby native species have a chance to grow. It also tolerates being in sunlight or in the shade, which makes…

A view of an adult female Aspiritus ovicorrugatus with a length of about 1.5 feet (0.46 meters). The top image is a fresh sample, while the bottom is a preserved sample. Image: White et al. (2023), Journal of Fish Biology, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0Bizarre egg cases at a museum led scientists to some serious nightmare fuel off the coast of northwestern Australia. The egg cases belonged to a previously misidentified species of deepwater catshark that is now called Apristurus ovicorrugatus, a creature that features milky white…

Scientists in Australia have just begun an ambitious public health campaign, but not for humans. As part of a new field trial, koalas in the wild are being temporarily captured and then vaccinated against chlamydia, which can be dangerous and even life-threatening for them. The hope is that the vaccine can help reverse the population decline of these now-endangered marsupials.James Gunn on Feeling Pressure to Add Adam Warlock to Guardians of the Galaxy | io9 InterviewChlamydia is named after the several species of…

This rendering is an example of the type of bio-informed responsive architecture that a team of Cornell researchers and their colleagues hope to create using design parameters based on morphogenesis. The rendering is of the Agrivoltaic Pavilion, part of the project Sustainable Architecture & Aesthetics, which was funded by the Grainger Foundation. Credit: Sabin Design Lab/College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, and the DEfECT Lab, Arizona State UniversityBiomedical engineers and architects are collaborating on a…

It’s springtime!After a wild, wet winter, California is covered in color as blooming flowers like poppies, sunflowers, and larkspur blanket landscapes across the state—an event many are labeling as a superbloom.The term “superbloom” has no actual scientific parameters but is rather a term observers and the media use to describe an explosion of flowers. There’s some debate about what, exactly, quantifies a superbloom; some reserve it to label extremely remarkable events that only occur once every few decades.Nevertheless,…