Biology

By doubling their entire genome, organisms can evolve extremely rapidly — or they can lose it all. New studies reveal how to survive the high-risk, high-reward evolutionary event.

bloomberg.com Talking to Animals Is AI’s Next Ethical Minefield Morgan Meaker 11–13 minutes

Introduction:

Newborn Whale Sharks Are Almost Impossible to Find, But Scientists May Finally Know Where They Hide Luis Prada ~2 minutes

The photos are great, it’s a cute bird. An excerpt:

All living cells need energy, and most generate it through respiration, a series of chemical reactions normally confined to the cell membrane. Because this machinery takes up space, a cell’s energy-generating capacity has long been thought to depend on how much membrane it can build. Complex cells solve this problem using mitochondria packed with folded membranes, while some bacteria enlarge or reshape their own membranes. In each case, producing more energy requires changing the cell’s internal architecture.

“The majority of this knowledge was established after its disappearance in the late-17th century because, despite surviving the arrival of humans on Mauritius for several decades, only limited and often inaccurate information on its behavior and ecology were recorded when the species was still alive, and no skins were preserved.”

A study published in *Science*(opens a new tab) in May 2026 provides new insight into how organisms with no brain or musculoskeletal system can generate and regulate this process — and what happens when the water around them warms up. Warmer water naturally carries less oxygen, which prompts corals to move their cilia faster and faster, as if gasping for breath. Above a certain temperature, the system starts to work against itself; the furious beating of cilia uses up any oxygen the coral’s tissues can absorb, and then the polyps can suffocate in the less oxygenated water. Biophysicists, marine biologists, mathematicians, and modelers are now collaborating to better understand the physiological and hydrodynamic forces at work, and how they correlate with bleaching patterns, coral disease, and mass die-offs.

But recent research uncovered much larger magnetofossils. Sediments dating back as far as 56 million years ago revealed ‘giant’ magnetofossils thought to be biomineralised by an (unknown) organism that lived during that era.

Avoiding AI code in the homelab not a big issue, but if peeps are serious about this anti-vax and related bio-tech issue could become an issue

Don’t Get Too Attached to Jimothy Miles Klee 4–5 minutes

Author: LadyofHats Mariana Ruiz

Author: Chabacano

Author: Wapcaplet

The gastrointestinal tract, also called the digestive tract, alimentary canal, or gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals that takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste.

The respiratory system consists of the airways, the lungs, and the respiratory muscles that mediate the movement of air into and out of the body.

To understand Jon’s obsession, it helps to start with a peculiar biological constraint — a cruel joke, as one scientist put it — at the heart of all life on Earth. It goes like this: All living organisms need the element nitrogen to survive. It’s a key part of proteins, DNA, and RNA. But while our atmosphere is absolutely packed with nitrogen, the one enzyme that can pull nitrogen from the air so that living organisms can actually use it basically falls apart in the presence of oxygen. So even though plants, animals, and fungi are constantly surrounded by nitrogen in the air, they can’t get a hold of it on their own. 

Interactive map: https://podbrushkin.github.io/col-tree-of-life.html

Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.

Comments

Birds along elevation gradients serve as models for examining physiological adaptations, such as elevated hemoglobin concentrations at high altitudes due to lower oxygen availability. This study aimed to examine how various ecological traits influence the haemoglobin concentration responses of multiple bird taxa to an elevation gradient. This study aimed to examine how various ecological traits influence the haemoglobin concentration responses of multiple bird taxa to an elevation gradient.

A six-year project called “Elasmopower” examined how EMFs from subsea power cables in offshore wind farms affect bottom-dwelling sharks and rays. These species depend on natural electric and magnetic fields for key behaviors such as navigation, prey detection, habitat use and long-distance movement, particularly in low-visibility environments. The studies conducted as part of the Elasmopower project have been published in four papers, with three additional papers currently undergoing peer review.

Author: LadyofHats Mariana Ruiz