A new model developed at Tel Aviv University (TAU) offers a possible solution to the scientific question of why neutral sequences, sometimes referred to as “junk DNA,” are not eliminated from the genome of living creatures in nature and continue to exist even millions of years later. The researchers say that junk DNA is often… Read More
An extensive study from the School of Zoology at Tel Aviv University (TAU) finds a disturbing impact of prolonged low-intensity light pollution on two species of desert rodents: the diurnal golden spiny mouse and the nocturnal common spiny mouse. On two different occasions, entire colonies exposed to artificial light at night (known by the acronym… Read More
A new Tel Aviv University (TAU) study has identified about 100,000 new types of previously unknown viruses, a ninefold increase in the amount of RNA viruses known to science until now. These viruses were discovered in global environmental data from soil samples, oceans, lakes, and a variety of other ecosystems. The researchers believe that their… Read More
A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the University of Haifa offers an original solution to the biological challenge of wind turbine operation and helps prevent harm caused to flying animals, in particular bats. The researchers’ new development is a unique drone-mounted technology that transmits a combination of ultrasonic signals and lights. This… Read More
A new Tel Aviv University (TAU) study has found that the female locust’s central nervous system has elastic properties, allowing her to stretch up to two or three times her original length when laying her eggs in the ground, without causing any irreparable damage. “We are not aware of a similar ability in almost any… Read More
A new Tel Aviv University (TAU) study has demonstrated that the magical phenomenon in which deep-reef corals display glowing colors (fluorescence) is intended to serve as a mechanism for attracting prey. The study shows that the marine animals on which corals prey recognize the fluorescent colors and are attracted to them. The research was conducted… Read More
A joint study by researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Hebrew University has unraveled the earliest evidence for domestication of a fruit tree. The researchers analyzed remnants of charcoal from the Chalcolithic site of Tel Zaf in the Jordan Valley and determined that they came from olive trees. Since the olive did not… Read More
Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the University of Naples have examined the mass extinction of large animals over the past tens of thousands of years and found that extinct species had, on average, much smaller brains than species that survived. The researchers link the size of the brain (in relation to the body… Read More