Mating anchovies stir up the sea as much as a major storm – and it’s good for the environment too

Anchovies cause a stir as they mate – getting the oceans moving.

Bieito Fernandez Castro, Lecturer in Physical Oceanography, University of Southampton • conversation
Jan. 10, 2024 • ~6 min

Why you should care about anchovies having sex

Anchovies cause a stir as they mate – getting the oceans moving.

Bieito Fernandez Castro, Lecturer in Physical Oceanography, University of Southampton • conversation
Jan. 10, 2024 • ~6 min

Noninvasive technique reveals how cells’ gene expression changes over time

MIT researchers can now track a cell’s RNA expression to investigate long-term processes like cancer progression or embryonic development.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Jan. 10, 2024 • ~7 min

I set out to investigate where silky sharks travel − and by chance documented a shark's amazing power to regenerate its sabotaged fin

After scientists’ GPS tracking tag was violently removed from one shark’s dorsal fin, they were in for a surprise: The wound didn’t just heal, but the missing tissue grew back.

Chelsea Black, Ph.D. Candidate in Marine Ecosystems and Society, University of Miami • conversation
Jan. 9, 2024 • ~8 min

Why don't fruit bats get diabetes? New understanding of how they've adapted to a high-sugar diet could lead to treatments for people

Fruit bats can eat up to twice their body weight in fruit a day. But their genes and cells evolved to process all that sugar without any heath consequences − a feat drug developers can learn from.

Nadav Ahituv, Professor, Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences; Director, Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco • conversation
Jan. 9, 2024 • ~7 min

What happens to the ocean if we take out all the fish? A marine ecologist explains the complex roles fish play in their ecosystem

There are so many fish in the ocean that if you took them out, important habitats and food sources for many creatures would be lost.

Kory Evans, Assistant Professor of BioSciences, Rice University • conversation
Jan. 8, 2024 • ~6 min

Women more likely to suffer drug side effects, but reason may not be biology

Studies debunk prevailing belief, highlight series of gender-based social factors.

Anne J. Manning • harvard
Dec. 20, 2023 • ~4 min

Using AI, MIT researchers identify a new class of antibiotic candidates

These compounds can kill methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterium that causes deadly infections.

Anne Trafton | MIT News • mit
Dec. 20, 2023 • ~9 min

Shipwrecks teem with underwater life, from microbes to sharks

When ships sink, they add artificial structures to the seafloor that can quickly become diverse, ecologically important underwater communities.

Avery Paxton, Research Marine Biologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • conversation
Dec. 19, 2023 • ~9 min

How a Victorian trip to Palestine spurred modern ornithology – and left it with imperial baggage

H.B. Tristram was a Victorian clergyman and ornithologist who categorised a list of birds he’d found in Palestine.

Jasmine Donahaye, Professor in English Literature and Creative Writing, Swansea University • conversation
Dec. 18, 2023 • ~7 min

/

138