The incidence of tickborne infections in the United States has risen significantly within the past decade. It is imperative, therefore, that public health officials and scientists build a robust understanding of pathogenesis, design improved diagnostics, and develop preventive vaccines, according to a new commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine from leading scientists at...
Amphibians face many challenges in Brazilian rain forest
Deforestation remains the biggest threat to animals that call the rain forest "home." However, even measured, sensible development projects can have unforeseen effects because there's no model to follow.
Now, thanks to new research published in Ecological Applications, there's a guide to help land-use development and efforts to conserve amphibians, which are rapidly declining worldwide.
"This research...
Unisexual salamander evolution: A long, strange trip
The reproductive history of the unisexual, ladies-only salamander species is full of evolutionary surprises.
In a new study, a team of researchers at The Ohio State University traced the animals' genetic history back 3.4 million years and found some head-scratching details -- primarily that they seem to have gone for millions of years without any DNA...
Bats harbor a gene swiped from an ancient Ebola-like virus — here's how they may use it
Some 18 million years ago, an ancestor of mouse-eared bats "stole" genetic material from an ancient virus related to Ebola.
The swiped genetic sequence -- a gene called VP35 -- has remained largely intact in the bats despite the passage of time, with few changes since it was co-opted, a new study finds. The research also...
Antibiotic resistance in a leech's gut
Plastic surgery patients were getting infections with antibiotic resistant bacteria, and no one knew why. UConn microbiologists found the answer in a leech's gut. Their research, published today in mBio, provides proof that tiny levels of antibiotics found in the environment can encourage bacterial resistance.
UConn microbiologist Joerg Graf from the Department of Molecular and Cell...
Paleontologists discover largest dinosaur foot ever
The Black Hills region of the United States is famous today for tourist attractions like Deadwood and Mount Rushmore, but around 150 million years ago it was home to one of the largest dinosaurs known. This dinosaur was a member of the sauropod family with long necks and tails. These giant plant-eating dinosaurs like Brontosaurus...