http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- Name all the venomous animals you can think of and you probably come up with snakes, spiders, bees, wasps and perhaps poisonous frogs. But catfish? http://www.physorg.com/news179688441.html Biology Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:27:50 EST news179688441 In contrast to the exhaustive research into venom produced by snakes and spiders, venomous fish have been neglected and remain something of a mystery. Now, a study of 158 catfish species, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, has catalogued the presence of venom glands and investigated their biological effects. http://www.physorg.com/news179133781.html Biology Fri, 04 Dec 2009 07:24:07 EST news179133781 Chemical identifiers secreted from the genital glands of lemurs, allow them to avoid incest and also to engage in nepotism. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have identified the smells used by both male and female ring-tailed lemurs to advertize their family ties. http://www.physorg.com/news179004415.html Biology Wed, 02 Dec 2009 21:00:01 EST news179004415 (PhysOrg.com) -- The Keelworm, widespread in the seas and tide-pools around Scotland and the rest of the UK, is unwittingly helping scientists at the University of St Andrews to understand the evolution of modern animals. http://www.physorg.com/news177927762.html Biology Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:23:13 EST news177927762 While nepotism may have negative connotations in politics and the workplace, being surrounded by your relatives does lead to better group dynamics and more cooperation in some animals. That certainly seems to be the case for spiders, according to a new study published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news175806397.html Biology Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:07:05 EST news175806397 A team of Spanish and Portuguese researchers has carried out molecular genetic analysis of the Y chromosome (transmitted only by males) of the aboriginal population of the Canary Islands to determine their origin and the extent to which they have survived in the current population. The results suggest a North African origin for these paternal lineages which, unlike maternal lineages, have declined to the point of being practically replaced today by European lineages. http://www.physorg.com/news175350099.html Biology Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:50:04 EST news175350099 A bizarre New Zealand bat that is as much at home walking four-legged on the ground as winging through the air had an Australian ancestor 20 million years ago with the same rare ability, a new study has found. http://www.physorg.com/news168083255.html Biology Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:02:44 EST news168083255 Genetic research indicates that Australian Aborigines initially arrived via south Asia. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have found telltale mutations in modern-day Indian populations that are exclusively shared by Aborigines. http://www.physorg.com/news167423399.html Biology Tue, 21 Jul 2009 19:30:43 EST news167423399 Declining bumblebee populations are at greater risk of inbreeding, which can trigger a downward spiral of further decline. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have provided the first proof that inbreeding reduces colony fitness under natural conditions by increasing the production of reproductively inefficient 'diploid' males. http://www.physorg.com/news165736486.html Biology Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:55:14 EST news165736486 Avoidance of inbreeding is evident amongst humans, and has been demonstrated in some shorebirds, mice and sand lizards. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology now report that it also occurs in a strictly monogamous species of bird, suggesting that the black-legged kittiwake possesses the ability to choose partners with a very different genetic profile. http://www.physorg.com/news165565521.html Biology Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:26:04 EST news165565521 Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered a family of green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) in a primitive sea animal, along with new clues about the role of the proteins that has nothing to do with their famous glow. http://www.physorg.com/news162053844.html Biology Wed, 20 May 2009 15:58:26 EST news162053844 Ant and bee colonies have long fascinated biologists because of their hierarchical social structure and the apparently altruistic behaviour of female workers in rearing the queen's young rather than reproducing themselves. In colonies headed by a single queen, this makes evolutionary sense in that the workers are as closely related to the princesses and princes they nurture as they would be to their own children. Thus the genes underlying this behaviour would be successfully transmitted through the generations due to "kin selection". http://www.physorg.com/news157733334.html Biology Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:49:36 EST news157733334 The evolutionary tendency of corals to alter their skeletal structure makes it difficult to assign them to different species. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have used genetic markers to examine coral groupings and investigate how these markers relate to alterations in shape, in the process discovering that our inaccurate picture of coral species is compromising our ability to conserve coral reefs. http://www.physorg.com/news154684953.html Biology Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:03:10 EST news154684953 Inbreeding can unexpectedly extend male lifespan. Insect experiments described in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology have shown that, in seed beetles, inbreeding causes males to live longer, while shortening female lifespan. http://www.physorg.com/news153147399.html Biology Fri, 06 Feb 2009 12:57:37 EST news153147399 The work of Forsyth scientist Peter Jezewski, DDS, Ph.D., has revealed that duplication and diversification of protein regions ('modules') within ancient master control genes is key to the understanding of certain birth disorders. Tracing the history of these changes within the proteins coded by the Msx gene family over the past 600 million years has also provided additional evidence for the ancient origin of the human mouth. http://www.physorg.com/news151141584.html Biology Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:46:24 EST news151141584 Animal species that sleep for longer do not suffer as much from parasite infestation and have a greater concentration of immune cells in their blood according to a study published in the open-access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. http://www.physorg.com/news150695460.html Biology Fri, 09 Jan 2009 03:51:00 EST news150695460