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Baby fish master early survival
skills

Even at just five days old, baby zebrafish are fast learners — especially when their lives depend on it. A recent study in Current Biology reveals that larval zebrafish can notice and steer clear of predators after just one brief contact

Using a robotic predator, researchers found that within 60 seconds of exposure to a moving threat, the tiny fish connected it to danger and adopted abiding avoidance behaviors.

Brain scans revealed that this rapid learning is driven by noradrenergic neurons and key forebrain circuits, including the habenula and telencephalon. When scientists fragment these regions, the fish lose their ability to learn. This displays evidence of their critical role in early threat detection.

The study results suggest that even in their earliest days, vertebrates’ instinct for survival is inherent.

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Zombie fungus hijacks British
cave spiders

During a 2021 BBC Winterwatch episode, researchers spotted a spider hanging from the ceiling of an abandoned gun powder store. It’s unusual to see a spider position itself in an exposed area before death, so the scientists decided to have a closer look.

The results, published in Fungal Systematics and Evolution, led to the identification of a new species of parasitic fungus — Gibellula attenbouroughii — named for David Attenborough, the voice of nature programs worldwide.

The fungus infects orb-weaving cave spiders in the British Isles, altering their behavior before death — comparable to the way Ophiocordyceps (zombie-ant fungus) manipulates its insect hosts. The Cordyceps fungi also inspired the fictional apocalyptic word of TV series and game “The Last of Us.”

The discovery enhances knowledge about fungi that infect insects and calls into question the ecological role and evolutionary history of unique pathogens like these.

Based on the diversity of Gibellula species in the area, the research also suggests that spider-infecting fungi might be more ample and widespread than previously known.

“The data unearthed during the herbarium and literature searches indicate that there is a hidden diversity in the British Isles and that many more species of Gibellula remain to be discovered,” the study says.

More: https://kustreview.com/its-not-alive/

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Real-muscle robot hand developed
in Japan

A biohybrid hand powered by lab-grown muscle tissues is marking a significant leap forward in robots and prosthetics.

The hand, from researchers at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University, features multiple muscle tissue actuators, bundles of thin strands of cultured muscle tissue, allowing it to contract its fingers to grip objects and form gestures.

These movements that were previously impossible for living tissue-based robots.

The muscle tissue is grown on a 3D-printed plastic base. Electrical currents stimulate the muscles to contract, mimicking natural movement realistically. For now, the hand has to remain suspended in liquid to prevent friction, which would otherwise hinder movement.

Future research will need to overcome this for real-world applications in prosthetics.

MORE: Build your own robot

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Seals are the unexpected sentinels
of the ocean’s twilight zone

The twilight zone, a vast layer of the ocean 200 to 1000 meters below the surface, is home to an enormous but largely unstudied fish population that plays a crucial role in the marine food web.

Research published in Science has found that elephant seals act as ecosystem sentinels, providing data on fish abundance and environmental changes in the oceans over decades.

By tracking how much weight the seals gain during hunting trips, scientists can estimate fish populations in the twilight zone.

Researchers from University of California-Santa Cruz tagged female seals with satellite-linked data loggers to monitor their foraging behavior, with each seal embarking on months-long journeys, diving to twilight zone depths over 140,000 times per year, covering millions of cubic kilometers of ocean.

They can provide real-time deep-ocean data, making them a natural biological survey tool for measuring fish populations in ocean conditions that cannot be studied using satellites or traditional buoys.  

MORE: Humanoid robots reach new depths

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New potential in the fight against
malaria

Researchers have identified a crucial protein, PfSnf2L, that regulates gene expression in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

The study, published in Nature, shows that PfSnf2L controls the parasite’s growth and differentiation, essential for its survival and transmission.

The study also found a potential drug, NH125, which blocks this protein’s function, disrupting parasite growth inside red blood cells and preventing the formation of gametocytes, needed for malaria transmission.

This discovery introduces a potential new class of anti-malarial drugs that could help combat the disease by targeting its ability to spread.

More: Zika makes your skin more attractive to mosquitos