A few males are enough to fertilize all the females. The number of males therefore has little bearing on a population s growth. However, they are important for purging bad mutations from the population. This is shown by a new Uppsala University study providing in-depth knowledge of the possible long-term genetic consequences of sexual selection. The results are published in the scientific journal Evolution Letters.
An inter-university research group has succeeded in constructing the gene expression network behind the vascular development process in plants. They achieved this by performing bioinformatics analysis using the VISUAL tissue culture platform, which generates vascular stem cells from leaf cells. In this network, they also discovered a new BES/BZR transcription factor, BEH3, and illuminated its role in vascular cell maintenance.
It is generally agreed that sperms swim by beating or rotating their soft tails. However, a research team led by scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered that ray sperms move by rotating both the tail and the head. The team further investigated the motion pattern and demonstrated it with a robot. Their study has expanded the knowledge on the microorganisms motion and provided inspiration for robot engineering design.
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IMAGE: A glasswing butterfly feeding at flowers in Costa Rica. The remarkable transparency of these butterflies allows them to be invisible , and the antiglare coating of their wings helps to. view more
Credit: Nipam Patel
WOODS HOLE, Mass. Many animals have evolved camouflage tactics for self-defense, but some butterflies and moths have taken it even further: They ve developed transparent wings, making them almost invisible to predators.
A team led by Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) scientists studied the development of one such species, the glasswing butterfly, Greta oto, to see through the secrets of this natural stealth technology. Their work was published in the