Life sciences
02 Jun 2025
Dr Mary Elizabeth Livingston looks back on a life-long career in marine science. She is the author of a new Frontiers in Ocean Sustainability article in which she chronicles the highs and lows of her career, changes in the field, and what has remained the same.
Life sciences
29 May 2025
Oceanic whitetip and tiger sharks peacefully co-fed on a carcass close to Hawaii’s Big Island. Such extremely rare observations could help scientists understand shark ecology better.
Life sciences
23 May 2025
Dr Vladimir Dinets, a zoologist who studies animal behavior, ecology, and conservation, is the author of a recently published Frontiers in Ethology article that documents the impressive adaptation of an avian newcomer to the city. A Cooper’s hawk appears to have learned how to use traffic signals and strike at smaller birds precisely when cars at an intersection lined up.
Life sciences
21 May 2025
Researchers used high-throughput DNA sequencing to measure biodiversity along a transect – a succession from recently exposed to mature soil – in front of a glacier in Antarctica. To capture a detailed ecological ‘time sequence’ they distinguished between intracellular and extracellular DNA from living versus dead or locally extinct species. They found an abundance of previously unsuspected interactions between eukaryotes and prokaryotes, eg, algae with heterotrophic bacteria and fungi with actinobacteria. The results imply that novel mutualistic interactions play an essential role in shaping this system, and that biodiversity in Antarctica may be much greater than previously thought.
Life sciences
14 May 2025
Scientists observed chimpanzees in Uganda apparently cleaning and treating their own and others’ wounds.
Life sciences
02 May 2025
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Researchers found miRNA – tiny bamboo molecules – could enter giant pandas’ bloodstream and facilitate the adaptation to a bamboo-based diet
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