TacoButtPlug

Abstract: Evolution in profound darkness often leads to predictable, convergent traits, such as the loss of vision. Yet, the consequences of such repeated evolutionary experiments remain obscure, especially regarding fundamental regulatory behaviors like circadian rhythms. We studied circadian clocks of blind cave spiders and their sighted relatives. In the field, cave spiders exhibit low per expression and maintain constant activity levels. Curiously, their clocks are not permanently lost; exposure to monochromatic blue light restores both circadian gene expression and behavioral rhythms. Conversely, blocking blue light in sighted relatives induces an arrhythmic “cave phenotype.” Our RNA interference experiments suggest that clock genes regulate the rhythmicity of the huddle response, establishing a link between circadian gene networks and this behavioral rhythm. We demonstrate that circadian regulation is readily toggled and may play a latent role, even in constant darkness. Overall, our study expands understanding of circadian clock variations and paves the way for future research on the maintenance of silent phenotypes.

Abstract: Evolution in profound darkness often leads to predictable, convergent traits, such as the loss of vision. Yet, the consequences of such repeated evolutionary experiments remain obscure, especially regarding fundamental regulatory behaviors like circadian rhythms. We studied circadian clocks of blind cave spiders and their sighted relatives. In the field, cave spiders exhibit low per expression and maintain constant activity levels. Curiously, their clocks are not permanently lost; exposure to monochromatic blue light restores both circadian gene expression and behavioral rhythms. Conversely, blocking blue light in sighted relatives induces an arrhythmic “cave phenotype.” Our RNA interference experiments suggest that clock genes regulate the rhythmicity of the huddle response, establishing a link between circadian gene networks and this behavioral rhythm. We demonstrate that circadian regulation is readily toggled and may play a latent role, even in constant darkness. Overall, our study expands understanding of circadian clock variations and paves the way for future research on the maintenance of silent phenotypes.

How bad can a solar storm be? Just ask a tree. Unlike human records, which go back hundreds of years, trees can remember solar storms for millennia.

Nagoya University doctoral student Fusa Miyake made the discovery in 2012 while studying rings in the stump of a 1900-year-old Japanese cedar. One ring, in particular, drew her attention. Grown in the year 774–75 AD, it contained a 12% jump in radioactive carbon-14 (14C), about 20 times greater than ordinary fluctuations from cosmic radiation. Other teams confirmed the spike in wood from Germany, Russia, the United States, Finland, and New Zealand. Whatever happened, trees all over the world experienced it.

Abstract: Experiencing negative content through art has a unique power to transform our perceptions and foster engagement. While this idea has been widely discussed, empirical evidence is scarce, since experimental testing of art experiences poses significant challenges. Here, we aimed to fill this gap by quantifying and comparing individuals’ preference for engaging with art and nonart depicting matched negative content via two behavioral measures: the choice to engage vs. avoid and the duration of engagement.

Science Magazine: This RNA-pesticide targeting the Colorado potato beetle could offer a safer, more targeted alternative to chemical pesticides

However, the authors observed that some of these antibody responses in the skin originated from de novo germinal center–like structures that centered around hair follicles. Thus, the skin has the capacity to independently facilitate B cell maturation and generate an immune response to bacterial colonization.

North America’s largest bird disappeared from the wild in the late 1980s. Reintroduction work in the United States and Mexico has brought this huge vulture back to the skies. This is the story of its comeback.