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Predators are not only a deadly threat to many animals, they also affect potential prey negatively simply by being nearby. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have studied what happens to the prey’s immune system when they are forced to expend a large amount of their energy on avoiding being eaten.
To protect themselves, certain animals switch colour, while others change their body shape. An example of the latter is the fish species crucian carp, which changes shape when coexisting with their natural predator, the northern pike. Instead of its normal oblong body shape, the crucian carp increases in height and resembles a discus. This makes it considerably more difficult for the pike to eat it, and increases the carp’s chances of survival.
The researchers in Lund studied whether this type of body change for protection against predators affects the prey’s immune system. The results are clear: animals at risk of being attacked by predators generally have an weaker immune system compared with animals that are not threatened.
The presence of predators can thus have hidden but potentially important effects on the prey’s chances of survival.
UC Riverside scientists have decoded the genome of black-eyed peas, offering hope for feeding Earth’s expanding population, especially as the climate changes.
Understanding the genes responsible for the peas’ drought and heat tolerance eventually could help make other crops tougher too.
Black-eyed peas are small beans with dark midsections. They’ve been a global dietary staple for centuries due to their environmental toughness and exceptional nutritional qualities, such as high protein and low fat. In sub-Saharan Africa they remain the number one source of protein in the human diet.
A genome is the full collection of genetic codes that determine characteristics like color, height, and predisposition to diseases. All genomes contain highly repetitive sequences of DNA that UCR Professor of Computer Science and project co-leader Stefano Lonardi likens to “hundreds of thousands of identical jigsaw puzzle pieces.”
Combining data from a new generation of satellites with a sophisticated algorithm, a new monitoring system developed by researchers at the University of Bath with NASA could be used by governments or developers to act as a warning system ensuring large-scale infrastructure projects are safe.
The team of experts led by NASA’s JPL and engineers from Bath verified the technique by reviewing 15 years of satellite imagery of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, a section of which collapsed in August 2018, killing 43 people. The review, published in the journal Remote Sensing, showed that the bridge did show signs of warping in the months before the tragedy.
Dr Giorgia Giardina, Lecturer in the University’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, said: “The state of the bridge has been reported on before, but using the satellite information we can see for the first time the deformation that preceded the collapse.
“We have proved that it is possible to use this tool, specifically the combination of different data from satellites, with a mathematical model, to detect the early signs of collapse or deformation.”
Read more at University of Bath
Image: The Morandi Bridge before its collapse. New satellite radar imaging can show the movement of structures with millimetre accuracy.