By Johan [dot] Joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 17 March 2022 Black swift (Photo: Zak Pohlen) An international research team led by Lund University in Sweden has managed to study the flight behaviour of the mysterious black swift. They found, among other things, that the black swift rises to extreme heights during a full moon, seemingly catching insects in the m

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/black-swifts-descended-rapidly-during-lunar-eclipse - 2025-03-09

By Johan [dot] Joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 18 March 2022 Stanley Heinze and Anna Runemark. Photo: Johan Joelsson and private. Brain cells that control the behaviour of insects, extreme gene expression in Italian sparrows and how radiotherapy alters the microenvironment in aggressive brain tumours. Three researchers at Lund University have been awarded five-

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/two-researchers-biology-receive-erc-consolidator-grants - 2025-03-09

By johan [dot] joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 24 May 2022 Olivier Van Aken and Essam Darwish. Photo: Johan Joelsson. A 30-year-old genetic mystery has been solved. It has previously been established that touch can trigger stress reactions in plants. However, the molecular models for explaining this process have been quite spartan so far. Now researchers at Lun

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/what-happens-when-plants-have-stress-reactions-touch - 2025-03-09

By johan [dot] joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 31 May 2022 Photo: Charlie Cornwallis The ostrich is genetically wired to adapt to rising or falling temperatures. However, when the temperature fluctuates more often, as it does with climate change, the flightless bird with a 40-gram brain finds it much more difficult. A research team at Lund University has shown

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/ostriches-can-adapt-heat-or-cold-not-both - 2025-03-09

Published 23 August 2022 Researchers at Lund University have developed a new method for dating human remains. Photo. By analyzing DNA with the help of artificial intelligence (AI), an international research team led by Lund University in Sweden has developed a method that can accurately date up to ten-thousand year-old human remains. Accurately dating ancient humans is key when mapping how people

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/researchers-develop-first-ai-based-method-dating-archeological-remains - 2025-03-09

Published 30 August 2022 Photo: Unsplash The most common analytical method within population genetics is deeply flawed, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. This may have led to incorrect results and misconceptions about ethnicity and genetic relationships. The method has been used in hundreds of thousands of studies, affecting results within medical genetics and even commercia

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/study-reveals-flaws-popular-genetic-method - 2025-03-09

By johan [dot] joelsson [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Joelsson) - published 16 September 2022 Photo: Albin Andersson Solitary bees that ingested the pesticide clothianidin when foraging from rapeseed flowers became slower. In addition, the strawberries pollinated by these bees were smaller. This is shown by a new study from Lund University in Sweden. Strawberries are known to become bigger

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/strawberries-were-smaller-when-bees-ingested-pesticides - 2025-03-09

Published 29 November 2022 Courtney Stairs and Sissel Sjöberg (Photo: Emma Wallenlöw/Anders Örtegren) Biology researchers Courtney Stairs and Sissel Sjöberg have been awarded just over SEK 15 million each in starting grants from the European Research Council, ERC. Their five-year projects will study marine interactions between microorganisms and complex migratory bird behaviour. Congratulations Co

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/two-lund-university-biologists-awarded-erc-starting-grants - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 2 December 2022 The winning picture: The eyes of a Helena's treefrog seem to glow in the dark. Photo: Roberto García-Roa Roberto García-Roa, postdoc at the department of Biology has won yet another prestigious photo award. This time he’s the overall winner of “Capturing Ecology”, the British Ecological Society photo

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/sharp-shooting-biologist-winner-international-photography-award - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 24 January 2023 Christoffer Johansson with the robotic wing. Photo: Anders Örtegren. Birds fly more efficiently by folding their wings during the upstroke, according to a recent study led by Lund University in Sweden. The results could mean that wing-folding is the next step in increasing the propulsive and aerodyna

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/feathered-robotic-wing-paves-way-flapping-drones - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 24 January 2023 The male crucian carp can change appearance in the presence of predators. Photo: Jörgen Wilklund. Only males among the fish species crucian carp have developed a strategy to protect themselves from hungry predators, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. The explanation could lie in

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/stress-may-trigger-male-defense-against-predators - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 2 February 2023 The songbirds’ direction of travel is determined by two areas in the genome. Photo: Harald Ris Since antiquity, humans have been fascinated by birds’ intercontinental migratory journeys. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that two areas in their genome decide whether a willow warbler fl

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/genes-decide-willow-warblers-migration-routes - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 10 February 2023 Many bird species in the tropics catch and eat damselflies and dragonflies. Here is a Rufous-tailed Jacamar that has caught a large dragonfly in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. Photo: Erik Svensson. The size of dragonflies and damselflies varies around the globe. These insects are generally larger in

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/size-insects-are-shaped-temperature-and-predators - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 27 February 2023 Photo: Theresia Krausl There is newfound evidence of how bees' pesticide exposure depends on their interaction with the environment. According to scientists from Lund University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, more agricultural land surrounding the bees increases their pesticide

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bees-pesticide-risk-species-and-landscape-dependent - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 13 March 2023 The dunnock is one of the migratory bords covered in the study. Photo: Kathy Blücher. Exercising too much and not getting enough rest is bad for your health. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the same is true for migratory birds. They need to rest not only to renew their energy leve

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/migratory-birds-take-breaks-boost-their-immune-system - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 19 April 2023 Small birds that are fed during the winter do not need to lower their body temperature at night as much as birds without access to feeders. Photo: Johan Nilsson. Seeds and fat balls do more than just fill small birds’ stomachs. New research from Lund University in Sweden shows that feeding during the w

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bird-feeding-helps-small-birds-fight-infection - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 25 April 2023 Swedish lakes contain answers to important questions about evolution. Photo: Charlie Cornwallis. By studying green algae in Swedish lakes, a research team, led by Lund University in Sweden, has succeeded in identifying which environmental conditions promote multicellularity. The results give us new clu

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/algae-swedish-lakes-provide-insights-how-complex-life-earth-developed - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 9 May 2023 Scientists used modern technology to study the tiny bat in a wind tunnel. Photo: Anders Hedenström Small bats are bad at converting energy into muscle power. Surprisingly, a new study led by Lund University reveals that this ability increases the faster they fly. The researchers have studied the efficienc

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bats-ability-convert-energy-muscle-power-affected-flight-speed - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 22 May 2023 Using samples from all across Europe, the researchers were able to show that microorganisms in soil can adapt to changes in temperature. Photo: Carla Cruz Paredes. A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/microorganisms-climate-adaptation-can-slow-down-global-warming - 2025-03-09

By anders [dot] ortegren [at] biol [dot] lu [dot] se (Anders Örtegren) - published 29 May 2023 Weevils – one of the most specious clades of insects in the world – relies on bacteria for B vitamins that are missing from their plant-based diets. Insects heavily rely on bacteria for essential nutrients that are lacking in their diet. This has allowed insects to access a wide variety of food, leading

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bacteria-are-vital-diversity-and-survival-insects - 2025-03-09