Research Progress

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  Invasive species may combine with extreme weathers to threaten global biodiversity

  Invasive species and extreme weather events (EWEs) are posing high impacts to global biodiversity, but their combined threat remains unclear, which is firstly dependent on the responses of invasive species to EWEs. Compared with native counterparts, invasive species usually have higher phenotypic plasticity, growth rate, and population recovery to quickly adapt stressful environments. It is theoretically predicted that non-native species and native species may exhibit different responses to EWEs, which, however, has never been tested in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, covering various EWE types and response mechanisms across taxonomic groups and biogeographic regions worldwide.

  Nov 07, 2023
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  Scientists discover hidden barriers and signs of damage in the aging spinal cord of primates

  The spinal cord, a vital bridge connecting the brain and peripheral nerves, plays a pivotal role in governing motor functions and coordinating basic life activities of the body, which mainly through a rare and critical group of cells within the spinal cord called motor neurons.

  Nov 03, 2023
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  3D printing! A field monitoring device for preserving high-quality DNA from insects was invented

  Sep 19, 2023
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  ‘Sociability’ of Locusts: Social Interactions Promote Aggregation

  In a study published in PNAS on Sept. 5, researchers led by Prof. KANG Le from the Beijing Institutes of Life Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have provided a deep understanding of the “sociability” of individual locusts and explained how a pheromone influences locust group formation.

  Sep 12, 2023
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  Gregarious Locusts Wear Contrasting Black-brown ‘Clothes’ to Warn Predators

  The locusts we see are usually green. This coloration provides protection by allowing locusts to blend into their green surroundings to avoid predators. However, when locusts gather in high population densities and undergo transformation from a solitary to a gregarious phase, they cause severe plagues. With this transformation, their body color also changes dramatically from green all over to black backs and brown abdomens.

  Aug 29, 2023
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  Plateau pika holds “umbrella” for conservation of alpine grassland ecosystem under climate change

  How species cope with the on-going climate change is critical for avoiding an exacerbated loss of biological diversity .Studies of the interaction between ecological keystone species and those species that co-evolve with them can help the community to implement better-informed conservation policies for the future .Climate adaptation , dispersal with adaptation , habitat t suitability and landscape connectivity may act alone ( blue arrows ) or r interact with other processes ( red arrows ) to mitigate risks caused by y the climate change .

  Aug 14, 2023
• From Sea to Mountain: Legend of a Terrestrial Crustacean

  The prestigious Science Advances journal published a paper entitled “ Marine-montane transitions coupled with gill and genetic convergence in extant crustacean ” ？ on June 23 , 2023 .To investigate the marine-terrestrial transition and the resultant biological adaptations , the researchers studied a group of small crustaceans called talitrids found in various regions and habitats , including those living in the ocean .

  Jun 25, 2023
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  Researchers identify a novel role of RNA m6A modification in maintaining tissue homeostasis during primate aging

  As the most prevalent chemical modification on eukaryotic mRNAs , N6 - methyladenosine ( m6A ) is dynamically and reversibly regulated by corresponding methyltransferases ( writers ) , binding proteins ( readers ) and demethylases ( erasers ) .Why do we need such sophisticated regulation ? Imagine the cells in our body as a bustling city , with m6A acting as a versatile traffic controller , guiding the flow of information — RNA , for its splicing , transport , stability , translation .

  Apr 11, 2023
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  Aphid Salivary Protein Promote Virus Infection in Plants

  The risk for pandemic diseases caused by arboviruses is rising as the dispersal rate of their arthropod vectors increases .During probing and feeding of arthropod vectors , vector-borne viruses are delivered into vertebrate/plant hosts together with the vector ’ s saliva by stylet injection .In a new study entitled “ salivary carbonic anhydrase II in winged aphid morph facilitates plant infection by viruses ” published on March 28 in PNAS , a research group led by Professor SUN Yucheng of the Institute of Zoology .

  Mar 29, 2023
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  Scientists Discover Rare Superfast Muscles in Mouse Legs

  You might think that only DC Comics superhero The Flash could run at a speed of 200 strides per second. But in the animal world， special muscles—called “superfast muscles”—can move as fast as Barry Allen.

  Feb 05, 2023