Life sciences
14 May 2025
Chimpanzees use medicinal leaves to perform first aid
Scientists observed chimpanzees in Uganda apparently cleaning and treating their own and others’ wounds.
425 news posts in Life sciences
Life sciences
02 May 2025
Centuries-old Austrian mummy found to be exceptionally well preserved thanks to unusual embalming method
Researchers found a centuries-old mummy from Austria exceptionally well preserved – likely the result of a never-before reported embalming method using wood chips, twigs, fabric, and zinc chloride
Life sciences
25 Apr 2025
Some shark bites may be ‘survival instinct’ rather than planned attacks, contrary to media portrayal
Researchers examined shark bites in French Polynesia and found, for the first time, that some sharks may bite in self-defense when their survival instinct kicks in
Life sciences
16 Apr 2025
The bear in the (court)room: who decides on removing grizzly bears from the endangered species list?
In a new Frontiers in Conservation Science article, Dr Kelly Dunning discusses the politicization of wildlife management. The team analyzed hundreds of documents to track the case of grizzlies being taken off or staying on the list of endangered species. This editorial highlights some of the issues that come with wildlife management becoming ever more political.
Life sciences
10 Apr 2025
How to protect bumblebee colonies safe from killer moths? Keep honeybee hives away from them
Researchers have shown for the first time that bumblebee colonies are more likely to become infested with bumblebee wax moths as they are closer to nearby honeybee hives, which can likewise host these potentially devastating parasites. As the distance to the apiaries decreased, bumblebee colonies were less productive, while their workers showed a weaker general immune response to pathogens and parasites. The authors advise honeybee keepers to keep apiaries away from habitats rich in bumblebees, which are important pollinators but declining worldwide.
Life sciences
07 Apr 2025
Scientists link a phytoplankton bloom to starving dolphins in Florida
A phytoplankton bloom damaged habitats, deprived bottlenose dolphins of nutritious prey, and led to a sharp rise in strandings and deaths.
Life sciences
26 Mar 2025
Tadpoles try to flee dangerous virus in their pond by growing much faster than normal
Researchers from the US studied the plasticity in growth and development of wood frog larvae in response to the emerging disease ranavirus, which can kill off the entire population of ponds. They showed that tadpoles in infected ponds speed up the rate of growth and progression through the immature stages. They hypothesize that this plasticity boosts their physical condition and hence immune response to ranavirus, and allows them to metamorphose earlier and escape infection.
Life sciences
21 Mar 2025
Home sweet home: some great hammerhead sharks stick to the perfect neighborhood in the Bahamas instead of migrating
Scientists tracking endangered great hammerhead sharks show that Andros Island, in the Bahamas, is a year-round refuge for some individuals that choose not to migrate.
Life sciences
20 Mar 2025
Mere whiff of penguin poo pushes krill to take frantic evasive action
Scientists have shown for the first time that Antarctic krill show a stereotypical reaction in the presence of guano from Adélie penguins: they swim faster and make more turns over greater angles. It is unknown to what kind of water-borne chemical cues they respond, but the authors speculate that this behavior might be a universal escape response to the excreta of predators, irrespective of species.
Life sciences
05 Mar 2025
How one researcher equipped with a smartphone is creating detailed reports on the insides of stranded sea creatures
Q&A with Brendan Cottrell, who, with co-authors, investigated the practicality of using smartphones to create 3D scans of stranded marine life that can aid in postmortem examinations and help scientists and conservationists protect marine species.
Life sciences
28 Feb 2025
Why don’t pandas eat more meat? Molecules found in bamboo may be behind their plant-based diet
Researchers found miRNA – tiny bamboo molecules – could enter giant pandas’ bloodstream and facilitate the adaptation to a bamboo-based diet
Life sciences
27 Feb 2025
Taking sports science in her stride: how Dr Nerea Casal García aims to maximise performance on the track
Casal García is the corresponding author of a new article in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, which reveals a pronounced recent shift of stride patterns during elite women's 400 meters hurdle competitions. She has kindly taken the time to share some thoughts about her career and research as part of our Frontier Scientist series.
Life sciences
27 Jan 2025
Drones could be the ‘magic tools’ we need to chase bears away from people
Starting in 2017, Wesley Sarmento was the first prairie-based bear manager at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, a job that regularly put him right in between massive grizzly bears and people. He is also the author of a new Frontiers in Conservation Science article in which he describes the effectiveness of different methods that aimed to deter bears from human settlements, avoid conflicts between wildlife and locals, and help the successful conservation of the species. In the following guest editorial, he describes his seven-year-long search for the most effective hazing method.
Life sciences
16 Dec 2024
Completing the timetree of primates: a new way to map the evolutionary history of life on Earth
In a new article published in Frontiers in Bioinformatics, biologists Dr Jack M Craig, Dr Blair Hedges, and Dr Sudhir Kumar, all at Temple University, have built an evolutionary tree that encompasses 455 primates, every species for which genetic data are available. The tree, the most complete of its kind, shows the evolutionary timescale of the whole order of primates, including monkeys, apes, lemurs, lorises, and galagos. In the following guest editorial, Dr Craig describes the steps of obtaining an almost complete timetree for primates and explains the value of such data.
Life sciences
04 Dec 2024
Broken sleep a hallmark sign of living with this common liver disease, scientists find
Researchers from Switzerland have shown that patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) suffer poor sleep due to sleep fragmentation and wakefulness. Patients with the more severe form metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH) or with cirrhosis, but not healthy volunteers, experienced similar sleep disturbances. Whether poor sleep causes MASLD or vice versa isn’t yet clear. A single sleep hygiene education session proved insufficient to sustainably improve sleep quality and quantity.