Latest news with #CurrentBiology
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Shocking' find could change the way Aussies visit the beach
For 200 years, there has been speculation that swimmers could be tormented by more than one species of bluebottle jellyfish. It turns out there are at least four, including one in Australia that has a 'prominent nose'. 'We were shocked, because we assumed they were all the same species," Griffith University marine ecologist Professor Kylie Pitt said. Until recently, studying these notorious jellyfish has been a challenge because they're hard to keep in captivity, and when they wash up on the beach they disintegrate quickly. Speaking with Yahoo News, Pitt explained the game-changer has been advances in DNA sequencing. 'With our paper, we used the most powerful method, whole genome sequencing, so it's entire DNA has been sampled,' she said. 'By combining the DNA with morphology, we've got the strongest evidence possible for separating out the species.' The discovery is likely to have a direct impact on Aussie swimmers because it could help researchers better understand jellyfish behaviour and predict when they'll swarm towards beaches. Pitt was part of an international research effort by Yale University, University of New South Wales and Griffith University that sequenced the genomes of 151 jellyfish from around the world and published their findings in the journal Current Biology. A key finding of the study that the notorious Portuguese man o' war is only found in the Atlantic and is a completely separate species from Australian bluebottles. 'For a long time, people have said they're much bigger over there and the venom is much more potent,' Pitt said. 'Now we know that the potency of their venom might differ.' Related: 😳 Swimmer's painful encounter with deadly creature on Queensland island The existence of three newly described species, Physalia physalis, Physalia utriculus and Physalia megalista, had been proposed in the 18th and 19th Centuries, but the idea was later dismissed. The researchers also identified a fourth species Physalia minuta that had never been described before. 'The one that really stands out is Physalia megalista because it has a really pronounced nose,' Pitt said. It's also believed there are several distinct subpopulations shaped by regional winds and ocean currents. This new knowledge about bluebottles will have a real-world impact for swimmers, as there could be differences with the venom of Australian species too. It will also help support an investigation into jellyfish behaviour that's funded by the Australian Research Council. 🌏 Secret hidden beneath Australia's 'most important' parcel of land 👙 Tourists oblivious to disturbing scene 500m off sunny Aussie beach 📸 Confronting picture showcases state of Aussie wildlife on world stage Pitt explained a PhD student is working to understand how winds and currents move the bluebottles towards beaches, as well as how they move in the water. 'Bluebottles can actually erect their float or lay it down, depending upon what the wind conditions are. And they can also expand and or extend and contract their tentacles, which might act a little bit like a sea anchor, so there might be a bit more of a drag,' she said. 'Now we know there are at least three species in Australia she may need to look at their behavioural differences.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
India Today
a day ago
- Health
- India Today
Just like fingerprints, your breath is unique: Study
Exciting and really groundbreaking research has shown that all of us breathe differently, just like we all have different fingerprints. The study published in Current Biology shows that individual patterns of inhalation and exhalation can be used as a personalised "breathprint", identified with almost 97 per cent from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel worked together to develop a small wearable device that could monitor airflow through the person's nose. They tested it on 97 adults for 24 hours. The device could even correctly identify people with 43 per cent accuracy in the first hour, increasing to 96.8 per cent after 24 seems so simple, but it is strongly tied to our brain," said Noam Sobel, a neuroscientist and one of the researchers. "We determined the pattern of breathing at the nose is individual to the person and part of the distribution of their emotions and health." The researchers utilised a unique protocol of analysis, called BreathMetrics, to investigate 24 distinctive characteristics of nasal breathing. In addition to being able to identify the nasal breathing phenotypes, the researchers were also able to indicate if the traits of breathing would reveal some psychopathology (i.e., if the person has anxiety) or indicate their body mass index (BMI) was lower or higher based on their breathing traits. For example, a person more prone to anxiety while asleep had breath cycles noted to be shorter, and breath patterns showed uneven Soroka, the lead scientist, explained that, beyond the mechanics of breathing, the integrative networking of the brain impacts breathing. "Breathing is not just a mechanical process but is impacted by brain function and activity. "So far, breath has shown potential for diagnosis," she the study findings, it appears that breathing patterns could potentially be used to diagnose psychopathologies like anxiety and physical issues like obesity without needing invasive the word 'breathprint' has been used within the research community for many years in respiratory science, the research team was unable to test the emerging theory due to a lack of technology. With the small wearable device they were able to use for this research, they can now present this theory using data for the first the future, scientists want to study how this technology can be applied to medical diagnostics and treatments. Can we avoid disease by looking at breathing? Can we enhance mental wellness by simply changing our breath?Time will tell - and research. But one thing seems certain: every breath we take may be telling a story that science is just beginning to decipher.
Observer
3 days ago
- Science
- Observer
First fossil proof found that long-necked dinosaurs were vegetarians
In the movie 'Jurassic Park,' a character proclaims there is nothing to fear from a towering Brachiosaurus, because it's a 'veggie-saurus' that eats only plants. Littlefoot, the 'Longneck' dinosaur in the 'Land Before Time' series, eats leaves, or 'tree stars.' But although pop culture and general scientific opinion have agreed for decades that the long-necked sauropod dinosaurs were herbivores, there was no definitive proof found in the fossil record. But there were hints of a diet full of green stuff. Fossils of sauropods, which stomped across the planet for 130 million years, are plentiful; additionally, herbivores tend to outnumber those of carnivores. The animals had small, peglike teeth, and their huge, lumbering bodies seemed ill equipped to chase down prey. 'Plants were pretty much the only option,' said Stephen Poropat, a paleontologist and the deputy director of the Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Center at Curtin University in Perth. A study published in the journal Current Biology provides what may be the first concrete proof to support this argument, in the form of fossilized plants discovered in the belly of a sauropod. 'It's the smoking gun, or the steaming guts, as it were — the actual direct evidence in the belly of the beast,' Poropat said. Poropat, along with scientists and volunteers from the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, encountered the fossil on a dig in Queensland, Australia, in 2017. — KATE GOLEMBIEWSKI ?NYT
Observer
4 days ago
- Science
- Observer
Ancient Trees, Dwindling in the Wild, Thrive on Sacred Ground
The Putuo hornbeam, a hardy tree that thrives in the damp air by the East China Sea, could be easily overlooked by visitors to the Huiji Temple on an island in Zhejiang province. The tree has an unremarkable appearance: spotty bark, small stature and serrated leaves with veins as neatly spaced as notebook lines. But as far as conservationists can tell, no other mature specimen of its species is alive in the wild. The holdout on the island, Mount Putuo, has been there for about two centuries. And according to a study published in the journal Current Biology, its setting may have been its salvation. The study found that religious sites in eastern China have become refuges for old, ancient and endangered trees. Buddhist and Taoist temples have long sheltered plants that otherwise struggled to find a foothold, including at least eight species that now exist nowhere else on Earth. 'This form of biodiversity conservation, rooted in cultural and traditional practices, has proved to be remarkably resilient,' said Zhiyao Tang, a professor of ecology at Peking University and one of the study's authors. The trees survived at religious sites partly because they were planted and cultivated there. The report noted that Buddhism and Taoism emphasize spiritual association with plants and the temples tended to be left undisturbed, shielding the areas from deforestation. — JACEY FORTIN / NYT
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Science
- South China Morning Post
Study shows China's temples act as rare sanctuaries for ancient trees
At the foot of Zhongnan Mountain in the Chinese city of Xian, the ancient Guanyin Chan Temple is home to a ginkgo tree with a history spanning over 1,400 years. Advertisement As autumn approaches each year, this ancient ginkgo tree bursts into a spectacular golden display. The tree is said to have been planted by Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang dynasty (618-907) during a visit to the temple. According to a new study, temples across China – both Buddhist and Taoist – have safeguarded tens of thousands of ancient trees , serving as an ark for at least 2,000 years, a phenomenon not observed elsewhere in landscapes heavily transformed by humans. The research by Chinese and Australian scientists was published in the journal Current Biology on June 4. Advertisement In China, trees over 100 years old are classified as 'ancient trees', with a total of 5.08 million registered nationwide.
