We have probably all seen a soybean plant, about 1 meter high with leaves and pods compactly arranged on a main stem with a few short side branches. The wild relative of the domesticated soybean is a long vine with pods widely distributed on many side branches. Plant breeding by farmers thousands of years ago is to thank for this dramatic change.

In this Journal for Quality and Participation article (open access), learn how creating an environment that fosters the development of spiritual intelligence can be a key leadership strategy for encouraging individuals to not choose to become zombies.

A common theme on Something Wild is breeding. (Which is why we always sip our tea with our pinkies extended.) Seriously, though, we talk about the how, when and where because there are a lot of different reproductive strategies that have evolved in nature. Today we take a closer look at two such strategies through the lens of "how often": semelparity and iteroparity.

Mr. Douglas Alan Black is lauded for his distinguished tenure as the owner and operator at Blackstone Farm LLC

The Nonsuch Expeditions website provided an update on the 2024 breeding season of the critically endangered Cahow, saying that it has “entered what is arguably it’s most exciting phase, with the return of the breeding pairs.” Senior Terrestrial Conservation Officer Jeremy Madeiros said, “The 2024 breeding season of the Bermuda petrel or Cahow, which is critically endangered, […]

During a release of captive-bred snails in September, researchers discovered wild-born individuals from the Partula tohiveana species—which had been considered extinct in the wild—marking a huge milestone in a global effort to save them

Kiwis come to National Zoo. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo will be using a new kiwi pair donated by the New Zealand Embassy to establish a breeding science center. […]

The post New Zealand Embassy donates kiwi pair to National Zoo Breeding Science Center appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The National Zoo has received a breeding pair of Asian small-clawed otters at Asia Trail for the first time. Mac, a three-year-old male from the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Wash., and Smidge, a five-year-old female from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, arrived in April and are now in their exhibit.

The post Keepers are optimistic about Zoo’s new breeding pair of Asian small-clawed otters appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The limosa harlequin frog (Atelopus limosus), an endangered species native to Panama, now has a new lease on life. The Panama Amphibian Rescue and Conservation […]

The post Success in breeding endangered frogs! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Residents of the southeastern United States might occasionally come across an oddity along a barbed-wire fence: a series of insects, mice or even small birds […]

The post Tiny, fierce and disappearing: breeding program aims to help the loggerhead shrike appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new study has investigated the effects of interbreeding a genetically modified squash crop with its wild relative. The findings demonstrate that it could cause wild or weedy relatives to become more resistant to disease.

Climate change poses a large threat to African agriculture, but there is little research on how to respond. A recent study indicates that traditional adaptation methods are not enough and international collaboration is needed in ‘planned adaptation’ by collecting and conserving certain crops for the future.

A recent study confirms that some European ash trees are more genetically-resistant to the devastating ash dieback disease. These individuals could therefore be selected for gene conservation and/or start a breeding programme to save the European ash.

Researchers have pinpointed hotspots for birds in an agricultural region of Italy. These show that hotspots for wintering birds are different to those for breeding birds — yet it is often only breeding birds’ locations that are considered in the design of protected areas. The researchers say their research highlights the importance of crop-dominated land for birds in the Mediterranean region.

Wildfires are projected to become an increasingly common occurrence and are a major driver of habitat disturbance, yet little research to date has examined how the relationship between fire and landscape attributes affects large carnivores, such as the grey wolf (Canis lupus). The results of this study suggest that wolves are remarkably resilient to fire, persisting and breeding in a human-dominated landscape even under intensive fire regimes. However, burnt landscapes may induce higher exposure to human disturbance and persecution due to limited refuge conditions.

Thanks to an abundance of beech seeds, so far this year 150 orange-fronted parakeet chicks have been born in the wild in New Zealand.

Hill 'n' Dale Farm in Lexington, Ky., announced on Wednesday the purchase of undefeated Grade 1 winner Charlatan's breeding rights. “Horses with Charlatan's immense ability combined with superior pedigree, conformation, depth of female family, and star-quality appeal are a very rare commodity,” said John G. Sikura, president of Hill 'n' Dale. Charlatan's career to date […]

The post ‘A Very Rare Commodity’: Hill ‘N’ Dale Farms Buys Breeding Rights To Charlatan appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

The present invention is directed to a soybean plant with mutations in FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B. Moreover, the present invention is directed to seeds from said plants with altered ratios of monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats. In particular, the present invention is directed to plants where the plants exhibit elevated levels of oleic acid.

An improved plant breeding system for high throughput analysis of plant phenotype and genotype is provided. A method for analyzing the impact of genetic modifications on plants and selecting a plant with a genetic modification of interest is also provided. Also provided is a method for developing marketable information for improved plant breeding and a method for collecting data on a selected plant phenotype for rapid analysis of the effect of a genetic modification on the selected phenotype.

Drought sees Pilbara stations sell off their entire herds, but this manager says it's not the end.

Generations of Australia's prime breeding cows are heading to slaughterhouses as a lack of water and feed sees more producers opt to "cash in and get out".

Fredrik Andreasson, Arne Hegemann, Andreas Nord, and Jan-Ake Nilsson

The capacity to get rid of excess heat produced during hard work is a possible constraint on parental effort during reproduction [heat dissipation limit (HDL) theory]. We released hard-working blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) from this constraint by experimentally removing ventral plumage. We then assessed whether this changed their reproductive effort (feeding rate and nestling size) and levels of self-maintenance (change in body mass and innate immune function). Feather-clipped females reduced the number of feeding visits and increased levels of constitutive innate immunity compared with unclipped females but did not fledge smaller nestlings. Thus, they increased self-maintenance without compromising current reproductive output. In contrast, feather clipping did not affect the number of feeding visits or innate immune function in males, despite increased heat loss rate. Our results show that analyses of physiological parameters, such as constitutive innate immune function, can be important when trying to understand sources of variation in investment in self-maintenance versus reproductive effort and that risk of overheating can influence innate immune function during reproduction.

Irene Verhagen, Barbara M. Tomotani, Phillip Gienapp, and Marcel E. Visser

Phenotypic plasticity is an important mechanism by which an individual can adapt its seasonal timing to predictable, short-term environmental changes by using predictive cues. Identification of these cues is crucial to forecast the response of species to long-term environmental change and to study their potential to adapt. Individual great tits (Parus major) start reproduction early under warmer conditions in the wild, but whether this effect is causal is not well known. We housed 36 pairs of great tits in climate-controlled aviaries and 40 pairs in outdoor aviaries, where they bred under artificial contrasting temperature treatments or in semi-natural conditions, respectively, for two consecutive years, using birds from lines selected for early and late egg laying. We thus obtained laying dates in two different thermal environments for each female. Females bred earlier under warmer conditions in climate-controlled aviaries, but not in outdoor aviaries. The latter was inconsistent with laying dates from our wild population. Further, early selection line females initiated egg laying consistently ~9 days earlier than late selection line females in outdoor aviaries, but we found no difference in the degree of plasticity (i.e. the sensitivity to temperature) in laying date between selection lines. Because we found that temperature causally affects laying date, climate change will lead to earlier laying. This advancement is, however, unlikely to be sufficient, thereby leading to selection for earlier laying. Our results suggest that natural selection may lead to a change in mean phenotype, but not to a change in the sensitivity of laying dates to temperature.

A bright white antelope with long thin horns, the Arabian oryx is thought to have inspired early stories of unicorns. (Its two horns appear as one when viewed from the side.) And until

DANNY MURPHY: As a footballer, I heard a lot of things from fans they shouldn't be shouting. I caught a lot of stuff about my mum, my wife, my kids. But you still don't go into the crowd, full stop.

America's iconic mustang has reached a critical state of overpopulation prompting some ranchers to consider slaughter as a way of managing the crisis.

The sudden onslaught of floods and torrential rain brought by Matthew over the weekend to Florida's east coast has destroyed areas of contained water where the species which carry the disease thrives.

Production of The Bachelor Australia's eighth season is facing scrutiny amid fears the dating show's famous mansion setting could be an ideal breeding ground for the coronavirus.

NetflixFyre Festival organizers Ja Rule, left, and Billy McFarland.Thousands of inmates have been released from prison in recent weeks in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.Billy McFarland, the founder behind the infamous Fyre Festival, filed a request this week for early release from prison and instead serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement.In a letter to a federal judge, McFarland's lawyers said he has pre-existing conditions, including asthma, that make him more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus and suffering worsened symptoms.The prison where McFarland is being held, FCI Elkton in Ohio, has been called a "breeding ground" for the coronavirus. At least six inmates there have died, and the prison is currently in a class-action lawsuit accusing it of not

Frenchies, as they are known, have rocketed in popularity thanks to celebs posing with them on Instagram - but the rise in demand has led to them being over-bred in countries like Hungary.

DANNY MURPHY: As a footballer, I heard a lot of things from fans they shouldn't be shouting. I caught a lot of stuff about my mum, my wife, my kids. But you still don't go into the crowd, full stop.

New Delhi, July 25: Climate change does a lot more than just heat up our planet. This extreme weather can be trouble for birds, which are very sensitive their environment. Scientists have noticed that when extreme weather happens, fewer birds show

Cham, Switzerland : Springer, [2019]

University of Sydney. Post-Graduate Committee in Veterinary Science

This week we have stories on how we taste water, extracting ancient DNA from mummy heads, and the earliest evidence for dog breeding with Online News Editor David Grimm. Sarah Crespi talks to John Travis about postsurgical cognitive dysfunction—does surgery sap your brain power? Listen to previous podcasts. [Music: Jeffrey Cook]

Imagine having a rat clinging to your back, sucking out your fat stores. That’s similar to what infested bees endure when the Varroa destructor mite comes calling. Some bees fight back, wiggling, scratching, and biting until the mites depart for friendlier backs. Now, researchers, professional beekeepers, and hobbyists are working on ways to breed into bees these mite-defeating behaviors to rid them of these damaging pests. Host Sarah Crespi and Staff Writer Erik Stokstad discuss the tactics of, and the hurdles to, pesticide-free mite control. Also this week, Sarah talks to Philip Kragel of the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Colorado in Boulder about training an artificial intelligence on emotionally charged images. The ultimate aim of this research: to understand how the human visual system is involved in processing emotion. And in books, Kate Eichorn, author of The End of Forgetting: Growing Up with Social Media, joins books host Kiki Sanford to talk about how the monetization of digital information has led to the ease of social media sharing and posting for kids and adults. This week’s episode was edited by Podigy. Download a transcript (PDF)  Listen to previous podcasts. About the Science Podcast [Image: Steve Baker/Flickr; Music: Jeffrey Cook]

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Hill, J., author