[unable to retrieve full-text content]Research shows that the dye methylene blue is a safe antimalarial that kills malaria parasites at an unprecedented rate. Within two days, patients are cured of the disease and no longer transmit the parasite if they are bitten again by a mosquito....
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Lactation hormone cues birds to be good parents
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Toppling a widespread assumption that a “lactation” hormone only cues animals to produce food for their babies, researchers have shown the hormone also prompts zebra finches to be good parents....
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Controlling fire ants with natural compounds
New research published in eNeuro has identified natural, plant-derived that repel fire ants. These compounds, including one found in cinnamon, work by activating a type of ion channel highly expressed in the antennae and leg of one of the world's most invasive insect species.
Native to South America, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) has...
Cichlids: Paler in the face of the enemy
Male cichlids that are constantly threatened by predators grow faster and postpone the full expression of conspicuous breeding coloration for longer. This is shown by a study by biologists from the University of Bonn. Thereby, the animals reduce their risk of becoming prey. However, at the peak of their sexual maturity the animals give up...
Polar bears finding it harder to catch enough seals to meet energy demands
A new study finds polar bears in the wild have higher metabolic rates than previously thought, and as climate change alters their environment a growing number of bears are unable to catch enough prey to meet their energy needs.
The study, published February 2 in Science, reveals the physiological mechanisms behind observed declines in polar bear...
Even small changes within an ecosystem can have detrimental effects
[unable to retrieve full-text content]A mutualistic relationship between species in an ecosystem allows for the ecosystem to thrive, but the lack of this relationship could lead to the collapse of the entire system. New research reveals that interactions between relatively small organisms are crucial to mutualistic relationships in an ecosystem dominated by much larger organisms,...
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