The barred owl’s westward migration threatens other species and a whole ecosystem

Barred owls, native to the eastern United States and Canada but invasive to the west, prey on a wide range of species with special conservation status.
Photo Credit: Lane Wintermute/USFWS

A new study of nearly 800 barred owls on the West Coast shows the invasive predator feeds on 29 species given special conservation status by federal and state governments.

The list includes mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles, according to an analysis led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, who describe the wide-ranging pressure the owl’s advance into new territory is putting on native prey and predator species alike.

In 2024, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service adopted plans to reduce the number of barred owls in California, Oregon and Washington to protect a pair of threatened owls, the northern spotted owl and California spotted owl.

The new findings, published before peer review as a preprint on bioRxiv, suggest that the barred owl — which arrived recently in the western United States — is a danger to the survival of more than just competing owls, according to Daniela Arenas-Viveros, a lead author of the study.

Nanorobots transform stem cells into bone cells

Prof. Berna Özkale Edelmann, together with researchers at her Microrobotic Bioengineering Lab at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), developed a system in which stem cells can be transformed into bone cells through mechanical stimulation.
Photo Credit: Astrid Eckert / Technische Universität München

For the first time, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have succeeded in using nanorobots to stimulate stem cells with such precision that they are reliably transformed into bone cells. To achieve this, the robots exert external pressure on specific points in the cell wall. The new method offers opportunities for faster treatments in the future.

Prof. Berna Özkale Edelmann’s nanorobots consist of tiny gold rods and plastic chains. Several million of them are contained in a gel cushion measuring just 60 micrometers, together with a few human stem cells. Powered and controlled by laser light, the robots, which look like tiny balls, mechanically stimulate the cells by exerting pressure. “We heat the gel locally and use our system to precisely determine the forces with which the nanorobots press on the cell – thereby stimulating it,” explains the professor of nano- and microrobotics at TUM. This mechanical stimulation triggers biochemical processes in the cell. Ion channels change their properties, and proteins are activated, including one that is particularly important for bone formation.

Behavioral Science: In-Depth Description

Image Credit: Scientific Frontline / stock image

Behavioral Science is the systematic, interdisciplinary study of human and animal behavior, examining the cognitive, emotional, social, and biological drivers of action. Its primary goals are to empirically understand, explain, predict, and, in applied contexts, influence behavior at the individual, group, and societal levels.

Stranded Florida dolphins show Alzheimer’s-like brain changes linked to toxic algal blooms

Photo Credit: Oleksandr Sushko

A new study has discovered that dolphins living in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon show brain changes similar to Alzheimer’s disease. The collaborative study, which included scientists from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,  Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI), Brain Chemistry Labs, the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and Blue World Research Institute, found that dolphins exposed to harmful algal blooms carried high levels of a toxin in their brains and showed warning signs of neurodegeneration.

The study is one of the first to connect neurotoxins found in algal blooms directly to brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s-like disease in a wild marine mammal. It also illustrates how warm water and nutrient pollution, which fuel these blooms, may impact wildlife health.

Aviation: In-Depth Description

Image Credit: Scientific Frontline / stock image

Aviation is the interdisciplinary field encompassing the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, as well as the activities, industries, and organizations associated with mechanical flight and air travel. The primary goal of aviation is to enable safe, efficient, and reliable transportation and movement through the Earth's atmosphere.

Devilishly distinctive new bee species discovered in WA Goldfields

Photo Credit: Kit Prendergast

A new native bee species with tiny devil-like “horns” named Megachile (Hackeriapis) lucifer has been discovered in Western Australia’s Goldfields, highlighting how much remains unknown about Australia’s native pollinators.

The striking new bee was found during surveys of a critically endangered wildflower Marianthus aquilonarius that grows only in the Bremer Range region, which is between the towns of Norseman and Hyden.

Lead author Curtin Adjunct Research Fellow Dr Kit Prendergast, from the Curtin School of Molecular and Life Sciences, said the female bee’s unusual horned face inspired its name lucifer – Latin for “light-bringer,” but also a playful nod to the devilish look.

Scientists Removed Amino Acids From the Diet of Lab Mice — and They Lost Weight

Legumes are a diverse group of plants from the Fabaceae family, including beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts, that grow in pods. They are a highly nutritious food, rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and are often considered a plant-based alternative to animal protein. Legumes also have the unique ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, which benefits soil health.
Photo Credit: Shelley Pauls

It’s not pleasant to shiver from the cold, but for some, it has the appeal of making the body burn more energy as heat than when staying in a warmer environment. According to several studies, exposure to cold is a reliable way to boost energy expenditure in mice and humans. This process of burning energy through heat loss is called thermogenesis.

While scientists and pharmaceutical companies are exploring ways to trick the body into thinking it’s cold—so that it activates thermogenesis and burns energy without the need for ice baths or winter walks in a T-shirt—obesity researchers Philip Ruppert and Jan-Wilhelm Kornfeld from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) set out to investigate another route:

A form of thermogenesis triggered by eating specialized diets rather than temperature.

Research finds self-control runs in the family

A WVU study finds when parents model discipline in work, health and finances, their teens tend to follow suit.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Shephard/WVU 

When it comes to self-control, adolescents tend to follow the patterns their parents establish, according to West Virginia University psychology research.

Professor Amy Gentzler of the WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences led a six-month survey of 213 Appalachian adolescents and their parents, learning about their self-control in areas like health, work and school, money management, leisure activities and relationships.

She found that teens’ academic determination and the choices they made about wellness and money almost always reflected their mothers’, fathers’ or both parents’ self-control in similar areas.

The ability to resist immediate temptation in favor of long-term goals, self-control affects people’s academic achievement, physical health, financial stability and even the quality of their relationships, according to Gentzler.

SwRI-developed bioreactor replicates versatile induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Southwest Research Institute demonstrated its single-use 3D bioreactor to produce induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs), derived from adult skin, blood, and other somatic cells. Useful for personalized medicine, iPSCs offer an alternative to embryonic stem cells by differentiating into any other cell type in the body.
Photo Credit: Southwest Research Institute

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has demonstrated a new application for its cell-expansion bioreactor to advance tissue engineering and cell-based therapies for treatment of injuries and diseases. 

SwRI scientists used the bioreactor to replicate induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) derived from adult skin, blood, and other somatic cells. Their pluripotent state allows iPSCs to differentiate into any other cell type in the body, much like embryonic stem cells but without the same ethical ambiguity. Large quantities of iPSCs are needed for regenerative medicine and individualized healthcare, but current technology requires manual production. 

The Two Sides of Flood Protection

Flood waters in Rosenheim, Deutschland
Photo Credit: Julian Schneiderath

Climate change is leading to stronger flood disasters. TU Wien and Joanneum Research have developed a new model that shows how private and public protection measures interact.

In many regions of the world, people will have to prepare for more severe flood events in the coming decades. There are two ways to tackle this problem: individuals can protect themselves – for example, through insurance or home modifications – or communities can work together to reduce flood risks, for instance by building dams or retention basins.

The interaction between these approaches can be represented in mathematical models. A research team led by TU Wien used extensive data, that had surveyed thousands of Austrian households to study how natural conditions and human behavior interact in flood protection. Minimizing flood damage requires both approaches – individual and public.