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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Zombie' Fungus Caught Bursting From Host Bodies 99 Million Years Ago
Scientists have caught ancient parasitic fungi in the act of bursting from insect hosts, in dramatic scenes frozen in amber. Dating back almost 100 million years, these two specimens are among the oldest evidence of 'zombie' fungus, second only to one early-Cretaceous species discovered back in 2008. Amber forms over millions of years from the sticky resin of trees, and is renowned for the many bizarre, unique, and enlightening moments it has preserved. These two pieces, now in the hands of the London Natural History Museum, include the new fungus species Paleoophiocordyceps gerontoformicae, with its tiny spore stalks sprouting from the body of a pupating ant, and P. ironomyiae, in the form of a singular, phallic fruiting body protruding from a fly's head. Related: These newfound species appear to share traits with living relatives, Ophiocordyceps, that continue to infect insects as a means of spreading their spores. Scientists think the Paleoophiocordyceps species may have separated from Ophiocordyceps around 130 million years ago. "The fossil evidence shows that the infectious fungi were already adapted to two different insect hosts a hundred million years ago, an ant and a true fly," says paleoentomologist Edmund Jarzembowski from the Natural History Museum. "This suggests that the fungus made this jump to other insects as they diversified with the rise of flowering plants and new insect groups, especially moths and butterflies." The research is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 100-Million-Year-Old Rock Reveals 40 Never-Before-Seen Squid Species Sea Slugs Steal Body Parts From Prey to Gain Their Powers Earth Is Pulsing Beneath Africa Where The Crust Is Being Torn Apart
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists issue stark warning after harmful creatures breed to form hybrid species: 'We have confirmed the presence of hybrid swarms'
Invasive species can wreak havoc on your local ecosystem, but imagine two invasive insects coming to your area and breeding. That's exactly what's happening in Florida. According to News Channel 8, "The Formosan subterranean termites and Asian subterranean termites" are mating in southern areas of the Sunshine State. Associate Professor Thomas Chouvenc from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences had his suspicions about these two species breeding 10 years ago. He noticed both males and females from each species showing courtship behaviors. A study from the university, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, confirmed that these two invasive creatures have bred to form a hybrid species. Chouvenc's team began collecting termite samples "in the Fort Lauderdale area that didn't match the shape or form of either termite species," per News Channel 8. Chouvenc said, "Since then, we have confirmed the presence of hybrid swarms every year since 2021, including in April 2025." The team genetically tested the termites and found that they had genes from both species. The study found that "both termite species are prone to forming massive colonies and, once mature, the winged termites can be sent out to find a mate and establish a new nest as king and queen," per News Channel 8. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Formosan subterranean termites can cause more damage than U.S. termites due to their large colonies. Should the government be paying people to hunt invasive species? Definitely Depends on the animal No way Just let people do it for free Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While termites can cause extensive damage to buildings, Suburban Pest Management noted that they do play a role in helping the ecosystem. These tiny bugs "fertilize the soil," "improve soil quality," and "sequester carbon in the soil." Unfortunately, they also release a large amount of toxic gas, such as methane, which is one of the gases contributing to warming the planet. They also negatively affect agriculture. In general, invasive species have a dangerous impact on native ecology. They outcompete native species for vital resources and can decimate ecosystems. Native plants and animals are crucial for maintaining natural environments and processes, limiting the spread of diseases, and protecting our food supply. Although this particular hybrid invasive species is located in Florida, it could soon spread. Chouvenc told News Channel 8: "This may be a Florida story now, but it likely won't stay just in Florida. Give it time." The hybridization process is believed to have been ongoing for the last 10 years, and scientists cannot stop it. Scientists will continue to study this new species to understand its biology and weaknesses. Then, pest management solutions can be implemented to combat them. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
When Baboon Dads Stick Around, Their Daughters Live Longer
The mammal world is sorely lacking in good dads—at least by human standards. In most mammalian species, males saddle the mother with their offspring while they continue to galavant around and sire more. That's how male baboons typically operate. But although these primate patriarchs don't nurse young or gather food (or provide any other essential care), a new study suggests their presence does have a beneficial impact. In a paper published on Tuesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers report that female baboons who have strong relationships with their father—as measured by the amount of time a father-daughter pair spent grooming each other and living together—tend to outlive those who don't. Of the 216 females in the study (all from Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem, where the Amboseli Baboon Research Project has been running since 1971), those with an engaged father enjoyed an extra two to four years of life. This doesn't necessarily show that father-daughter bonding improves longevity; it may be that healthy young females, already destined for long lives, are more likely to bond with their father. But the paper's senior author Beth Archie, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Notre Dame, says her instinct is that baboon 'dads are more important than they seem at first glance.' [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] One possible explanation for these results is that fathers create a 'zone of safety' around their daughters, intervening to protect them in conflicts. Alternatively, fathers may serve as a gateway to baboon society, allowing young females to establish connections that will benefit them for a lifetime. Whatever the baboon dads are doing, 'it does seem to make a difference,' says Robert Seyfarth, a primatologist and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the study. The effect is probably similar for sons, Archie says, but they're harder to study because male baboons typically leave the group they were born into when they reach maturity. Researchers have tried to track their lifespan by putting radio collars on them, she adds, 'but the batteries died before the males did.' Why are some baboon fathers more involved in their daughters' lives than others? The answer may be linked to the studied species' promiscuous practices: in the Amboseli population, both sexes have multiple mating partners, so paternity isn't always clear-cut. As expected, the researchers found that males spent more time grooming young females when they were confident they were in fact the father. (That's a call male baboons can realistically make: females' genitals swell and turn red during ovulation, so if a male mates with one and fends off competitors until that sign of fertility disappears, he can be reasonably sure that any resulting offspring is his.) In the study, the males also seemed to play a more active parenting role when mating opportunities trailed off. Once you're too old to compete with the swaggering young bucks for mates, Archie says, 'the best strategy is to invest more in your offspring.' This 'dad mode,' as she calls it, is a powerful thing. Its significance in baboons resonates with our intuitions about the value of paternal care in our own species. Indeed, Archie thinks these findings from an evolutionary cousin may reveal something about the roots of human parenting. The big message, she says, is that 'having a strong relationship with your parents is important for leading a long, healthy life. That seems to be a primate universal.'
Scientific American
18-06-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
When Baboon Dads Stick Around, Their Daughters Live Longer
The mammal world is sorely lacking in good dads —at least by human standards. In most mammalian species, males saddle the mother with their offspring while they continue to galavant around and sire more. That's how male baboons typically operate. But although these primate patriarchs don't nurse young or gather food (or provide any other essential care), a new study suggests their presence does have a beneficial impact. In a paper published on Tuesday in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers report that female baboons who have strong relationships with their father—as measured by the amount of time a father-daughter pair spent grooming each other and living together—tend to outlive those who don't. Of the 216 females in the study (all from Kenya's Amboseli ecosystem, where the Amboseli Baboon Research Project has been running since 1971), those with an engaged father enjoyed an extra two to four years of life. This doesn't necessarily show that father-daughter bonding improves longevity; it may be that healthy young females, already destined for long lives, are more likely to bond with their father. But the paper's senior author Beth Archie, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Notre Dame, says her instinct is that baboon 'dads are more important than they seem at first glance.' On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. One possible explanation for these results is that fathers create a 'zone of safety' around their daughters, intervening to protect them in conflicts. Alternatively, fathers may serve as a gateway to baboon society, allowing young females to establish connections that will benefit them for a lifetime. Whatever the baboon dads are doing, 'it does seem to make a difference,' says Robert Seyfarth, a primatologist and emeritus professor at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the study. The effect is probably similar for sons, Archie says, but they're harder to study because male baboons typically leave the group they were born into when they reach maturity. Researchers have tried to track their lifespan by putting radio collars on them, she adds, 'but the batteries died before the males did.' Why are some baboon fathers more involved in their daughters' lives than others? The answer may be linked to the studied species' promiscuous practices: in the Amboseli population, both sexes have multiple mating partners, so paternity isn't always clear-cut. As expected, the researchers found that males spent more time grooming young females when they were confident they were in fact the father. (That's a call male baboons can realistically make: females' genitals swell and turn red during ovulation, so if a male mates with one and fends off competitors until that sign of fertility disappears, he can be reasonably sure that any resulting offspring is his.) In the study, the males also seemed to play a more active parenting role when mating opportunities trailed off. Once you're too old to compete with the swaggering young bucks for mates, Archie says, 'the best strategy is to invest more in your offspring.' This 'dad mode,' as she calls it, is a powerful thing. Its significance in baboons resonates with our intuitions about the value of paternal care in our own species. Indeed, Archie thinks these findings from an evolutionary cousin may reveal something about the roots of human parenting. The big message, she says, is that 'having a strong relationship with your parents is important for leading a long, healthy life. That seems to be a primate universal.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
27-05-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Fossils Show Unexpected Last Refuge of Ferocious Land-living Crocs
Jorge Machuky / Handout via Reuters A terrestrial crocodile relative from a lineage called sebecids is seen in this image released on April 29. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — After the demise of the dinosaurs following an asteroid strike 66 million years ago, mammals became Earth's dominant land animals. But that does not mean they went unchallenged. In South America, for instance, nightmarish land-living crocs — cousins of today's crocodiles and alligators — became apex predators. This lineage of terrestrial crocs, called sebecids, lasted longer than previously believed, according to researchers who described fossils recently unearthed in the Dominican Republic that reveal that the islands of the Caribbean served as an unexpected last refuge for these ferocious predators. Until now, the most recent fossils of sebecids were found in Colombia and dated to about 10.5-12.5 million years ago. The Dominican Republic fossils date to about 5-7 million years ago. The largest of the sebecids reached roughly 6 meters long, though the partial remains from the Dominican Republic indicate an animal up to about 2 meters long. 'These were the type of predators that one thinks were from the dinosaur times,' said Lazaro Vinola Lopez, a graduate student in paleontology at the University of Florida and lead author of the research published last month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Instead, Vinola Lopez said, sebecids were at the top of the food chain in South America during the age of mammals alongside terror birds, giant flightless birds up to about 3 meters tall with massive hooked beaks, and saber-toothed marsupials, counterparts to the saber-toothed cats of North America and elsewhere. Various types of crocs have inhabited Earth dating back to the Triassic Period more than 200 million years ago. Most, like the ones alive today, lived a semiaquatic lifestyle. But some conquered the marine realm and others lived exclusively on land, like the sebecids. The sebecids were built differently than the usual semiaquatic crocs. They had longer legs and a more upright stance, capable of running quickly to chase down prey. They had a narrow and deep skull — superficially resembling that of a meat-eating dinosaur and much different from modern crocs that have a wider and shallower skull. And the teeth of sebecids were tall and narrow with fine serrations running along the edges for cutting through meat, also similar to carnivorous dinosaurs. Like many other crocs, they had protective armor made of bony plates called scutes embedded in their skin. The fossils found in the Dominican Republic in 2023 were a single tooth that closely resembled those of South American sebecids and two vertebrae with characteristics that enabled the researchers to definitively conclude that these remains belonged to a sebecid. 'It is amazing to think that these fast-moving, dinosaur-like terrestrial crocs with serrated teeth specialized for cutting meat survived in the Caribbean hunting sloths, rodents and whatever else was around up until just a few million years ago,' said study coauthor Jonathan Bloch, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida. The researchers said that fossils of two teeth apparently from a sebecid dating to about 18 million years ago that were previously discovered in Cuba and a similar one dating to around 29 million years previously found in Puerto Rico suggest that this lineage was widespread in the islands of the West Indies. But how did land-living crocs from South America manage to get there? The researchers said their presence on the islands is another clue indicating there may have been a pathway of temporary land bridges or a chain of islands that permitted land animals to travel from South America to the Caribbean around 32-35 million years ago. 'The distance between the islands and northern South America was significantly shorter than what it is today. This likely facilitated the dispersal of sebecids from South America,' Vinola Lopez said. 'This shows how important islands can be as a biodiversity museum, preserving the last members of some groups that have gone extinct everywhere.'
