Morphology News and Research

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Integrative Taxonomy Uncovers Cryptic Daisy Species

Sometimes plants are sufficiently similar to one another that the procedures used by 18th-century scientist Carl Linnaeus for distinguishing species are insufficient.

14 Nov 2024

Research Pushes Back Asteriidae's Evolutionary Timeline Significantly

A study published in PeerJ Life and Environment has reshaped our understanding of the evolutionary history of sea stars, particularly the family Asteriidae. The study, titled Phylogenetic and taxonomic revisions of Jurassic sea stars support a delayed evolutionary origin of the Asteriidae, introduces new findings that challenge longstanding assumptions about the evolutionary timeline of these marine invertebrates.

1 Nov 2024

Integrating Multiple Scales to Understand Brain Function

A long-standing goal of neuroscience is to understand how molecules and cellular structures on a microscale give rise to communication between brain regions at the macroscale. A study published in Nature Neuroscience now identifies, for the first time, hundreds of brain proteins that explain inter-individual differences in functional connectivity and structural covariation in the human brain.

1 Nov 2024

Scientists Uncover the Hidden Order in Chaotic Embryonic Development

Pipetting liquids into tiny test tubes, analyzing huge datasets, poring over research publications-;all these tasks are part of being a scientist.

15 Oct 2024

Genetic Discovery Reveals Key to Beetle Head Shape Diversity

A research team led by Associate Professor Junji Konuma of Toho University and Professor Teiji Sota of Kyoto University has discovered the genetic background of the morphological variation in the snail-eating carabid beetle, Carabus blaptoides.

9 Sep 2024

Evolution of Blood Sugar Regulation in Neotropical Bats

Humans must regulate blood sugar concentrations to stay healthy and to fuel our cells. Too little or too much can cause serious health complications, and high blood sugar is a hallmark of the metabolic condition, diabetes. New research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research may enable potential solutions to metabolic disease by turning to evolution and to bats.

29 Aug 2024

Understanding Gibberellin's Dual Role in Legume Nodule Development

Researchers at the University of Cambridge demonstrate that the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is essential for the formation and maturation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules in legumes and can also increase nodule size.

24 Jul 2024

RNA Technology Enables Precise Control of Gene Networks

Scientists have created a smart RNA that can control networks in response to different signals by converting guide RNAs, which normally direct enzymes. The scholarly community is paying close attention to this ground-breaking study.

23 Jul 2024

Cell Dynamics Drive Dramatic Shape Changes in Insect Development

A small leg might uncover significant insights into how closely related insect species can exhibit dramatic differences in body shape, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Tokyo.

23 Jul 2024

High-resolution 3D maps of diseased tissues at the subcellular level

Molecular maps from patient tissue samples can be created with subcellular precision using an open-source platform created by researchers in the lab of Nikolaus Rajewsky at the Max Delbrück Center. This allows for in-depth analysis and may improve routine clinical pathology. The research was published in the journal Cell.

25 Jun 2024

New research identifies and mitigates bias in CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing

A phenomics approach to study proximity bias and the unrelated chromosomal truncations.

10 Jun 2024

Brain Organoids Emerge as Powerful Tool for Drug Discovery in Mitochondrial Disease

The use of brain organoids in screening for drugs against mitochondrial diseases, which have hitherto presented challenges in treatment.

4 Jun 2024

Herpesvirus Infection Reshapes Mitochondrial Architecture and Disrupts Metabolic Processes

Herpesvirus infection alters the host cell's mitochondria's normal structure and function, according to researchers from the University of Jyväskylä.

8 May 2024

Soil Bacteria Use Umbrella Toxins to Fight Back

Scientists have found that soil bacteria called Streptomyces secrete toxic protein particles in the shape of umbrellas that are meant to suppress competitors, particularly those that belong to their species.

18 Apr 2024

The Genetic Secret Behind Human Skull Morphology

Researchers at the Universities of Helsinki, Barcelona, and Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have discovered a single nucleotide alteration that is crucial to the evolution of human skull morphology and influences the expression of the TBX1 gene and the formation of the skull base.

18 Apr 2024

Role of Candidalysin in Gut Microbiome Dynamics

The fungus Candida albicans commonly inhabits the human gastrointestinal tract. This versatile species can switch between existing as single-celled yeast and multicellular hyphae to adjust to its surroundings.

22 Mar 2024

Strategies to Counter Postnatal Growth Retardation in Piglets

The metabolic basis of postnatal growth retardation (PGR) in piglets is not yet clear, but it is characterized by poor production performance, low feed conversion rate, and a high mortality rate.

4 Mar 2024

Paleogenomics Unveils the Evolutionary Journey of Modern Humans

Writing a commentary in the 50th anniversary issue of Cell, FU Qiaomei and E. Andrew Bennett, both of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explored the contribution of paleogenomics to our understanding of the evolution of modern humans.

1 Mar 2024

Pore Power: High-Speed Droplet Production In Microfluidic Devices

Over the last two decades, ongoing research in microfluidics has faced challenges in applications due to the restricted productivity of microdroplets.

7 Feb 2024