Summary: New research suggests that fluoxetine, commonly used as an antidepressant, may also help protect against infections and sepsis. Scientists found that the drug has antimicrobial properties and helps regulate…
Category: Life
Leaf phenology may be physiologically regulated by carbon sink-source dynamics & non-structural carbohydrates – Functional Ecologists
In this post Yunpeng Luo, an ecologist at The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape WSL, shares insights from his recent work “Internal physiological drivers of leaf development…
How a mushroom coral goes for a walk without legs
A coral walks into a (sand) bar. This may sound like a joke. But new time-lapse photography shows new details of how a squishy, loner coral polyp without legs manages…
Viewpoint: Biotechnology rejectionists and many regenerative farming advocates maintain that the Green Revolution caused more harm than good. Here are the facts.
After the Second World War, regional famines began to occur. Believing that increasing agricultural performance can be the solution to the problem, individuals and organizations have rolled up their sleeves…
Contrasting responses of naturalized alien & native plants to native soil biota & drought – Functional Ecologists
In this new post Rutger Wilschut and Hanna Ruppert from University of Wageningen present their work ‘Contrasting responses of naturalized alien and native plants to native soil biota and drought’.…
In a first, zebra cams reveal herds on the move with giraffes
In the opening scene of The Lion King, animals of every stripe, spot and tusk march in unison across the African plains, bound by an unseen thread of connection. This…
No, black newborns under the care of white doctors do not die at twice the rate of whites, as some controversial studies have attempted to claim. The difference is zero
The racial gap in infant mortality is a pressing public health concern … [However, we] find that the magnitude of the concordance effect is substantially reduced after controlling for diagnoses…
Perfect Pitch Can Be Learned: Study Challenges Long-Held Beliefs
Summary: Absolute pitch, once thought to be an innate ability or only attainable through early childhood training, may be learnable in adulthood. Researchers trained 12 adult musicians in an eight-week…
AI vs. Human Therapists: Study Finds ChatGPT Responses Rated Higher
Summary: A new study suggests that ChatGPT’s responses in psychotherapy scenarios are often rated higher than those written by human therapists. Researchers found that participants struggled to distinguish between AI-generated…
A bacteria-based Band-Aid helps plants heal their wounds
Got a plant with a boo-boo? Try a plant Band-Aid. A pure form of cellulose produced by bacteria can act as a plant bandage, researchers report, significantly boosting healing and…
