A Blog Around The Clock

'Virgin Birth' By Shark Confirmed: Second Case Ever:

Scientists have confirmed the second-ever case of a "virgin birth" in a shark, indicating once again that female sharks can reproduce without mating and raising the possibility that many female sharks have this incredible capacity.

Digital Zebrafish Embryo Provides First Complete Developmental Blueprint Of A Vertebrate:

Researchers at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) have generated a digital zebrafish embryo - the first complete developmental blueprint of a vertebrate. With a newly developed microscope scientists could for the first time track all cells for the first 24 hours in the life of a zebrafish.

Insects Trained In Quest For Artificial Nose:

Much like Pavlov conditioned his dog to salivate in anticipation of food when a bell rang, insects can be trained to perform certain behaviors when enticed with different smells. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered that when training insects, the interval between the signal, or odor, and the reward--delicious sugar water--is everything.

Unique Fossils Capture 'Cambrian Migration':

A unique set of fossils indicates that 525 million years ago marine animals congregated in Earth's ancient oceans, most likely for migration, according to an international team of scientists. Fossil evidence of collective behaviour is extremely rare. But what makes the find even more intriguing is that it indicates that such behaviour was occurring at the beginning of the 'Cambrian explosion' - a major event that saw a vast profusion of complex organisms enter the fossil record for the first time.

Climate Change To Devastate Or Destroy Many Penguin Colonies:

Half to three-quarters of major Antarctic penguin colonies face decline or disappearance if global temperatures are allowed to climb by more than 2°C.

Green Coffee-growing Practices Buffer Climate-change Impacts:

Chalk up another environmental benefit for shade-grown Latin American coffee: University of Michigan researchers say the technique will provide a buffer against the ravages of climate change in the coming decades.