2017 delivered amazing biology finds from organisms large and small
From elephants to tardigrades, lizards and larvaceans, Science News covered it all
I WILL SURVIVE Scientists discovered some surprising biology among a diverse cadre of critters this year. Thanks to its impressive adaptations, one minuscule member, the tardigrade, may just outlive us all.
2017 revealed some surprising biology of organisms large and small, from quick-dozing elephants to sex-changing lizards and carbon-dumping sea creatures.
Bearded dragon lizards ARTHUR GEORGES/UNIV. OF CANBERRASwitch it up
Toasty temperatures trump genetics when it comes to the sex of a bearded dragon lizard. Now researchers have found how RNA editing helps turn overheated male embryos into females (SN Online: 6/14/17).
Giant larvaceans don’t have noses, but they sure know how to blow snot bubbles. The sea invertebrates live in disposable “mucus houses” that, based on recent observations, collect food fast. When these larvaceans ditch a dirty house and “sneeze” themselves a new one, they might send a lot of carbon to the deep sea (SN: 6/10/17, p. 13).
Antarctic sea spiders TIMOTHY DWYER (POLARTREC 2016), COURTESY OF ARCUSBlood and guts
Antarctic-dwelling sea spiders use their long legs for more than creepy-crawling below the ice. Stretches of digestive tract in the creatures’ legs do double duty — not only digesting meals, but also pumping an arthropod version of blood and oxygen through the rest of the body (SN: 2/4/17, p. 13).
Polka dot tree frogs C. TABOADA ET AL/PNAS 2017Fluorescent fashion
South American polka dot tree frogs are the first amphibians known to naturally fluoresce. The frogs’ intense blue-green glow might play a role in complex courtship and fighting behaviors, biologists propose (SN: 4/15/17, p. 4).
African elephants Bernard DUPONT/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)Pachyderm power nap
For some wild elephants, a good night’s sleep ends soon after it starts. Electronic monitoring of two African elephants found that the animals snooze about two hours per day — the shortest sleep requirement recorded for mammals (SN: 4/1/17, p. 10).
Hydra PROYECTO AGUA/FLICKR (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)Heads up
Chop off a hydra’s head, and two more grow in its place — or so the ancient Greek myth goes. By fiddling with the cytoskeletons of real-life hydras, researchers found that the pond polyps rely on mechanical forces as well as molecular cues to regenerate head and tentacles in the right places (SN: 3/4/17, p. 19).
Flamingos CLINT/ISTOCKPHOTOBalancing act
Flamingos may be more stable standing on one leg than two, especially when asleep, researchers reported (SN: 6/24/17, p. 15). The blushing bird’s center of gravity is located near its tucked-in knee, which helps with stability. A one-legged stance requires little muscular effort, the scientists say, but others caution that it may not be an energy saver.
Tardigrades K. ARAKAWA AND H. HIGASHIYAMAUltimate survivor
Tardigrades are known for withstanding extreme temperatures, intense radiation and even the vacuum of space. Those adaptations could help this hardy lineage survive until Earth is engulfed by the sun in several billion years, researchers estimate (SN Online: 7/14/17). An analysis of the microscopic water bears’ genetic blueprints offers clues to their survival strategies, and challenges claims that tardigrades are extreme gene swappers (SN: 8/19/17, p. 13).
Blue chrysanthemums N. NODA/NAROPaint it blue
Scientists borrowed a gene each from Canterbury bells and butterfly peas to breed the world’s first true blue chrysanthemums. The method could be used to give other flower species the blues (SN: 8/19/17, p. 12).
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