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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-year grants from the European Research Council. Stanley Heinze, a researcher at the Department of Biology, will study insect brains and their neural circuits. His proj

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/two-researchers-biology-receive-erc-consolidator-grants - 2025-10-29

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 Lund University in Sweden have found genetic keys that explain how plants respond so strongly to mechanical stimuli. Cracking this code could help lead to hig

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/what-happens-when-plants-have-stress-reactions-touch - 2025-10-29

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 that the ostrich is very sensitive to fluctuating temperatures in terms of whether it reproduces. If the temperature rises

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/ostriches-can-adapt-heat-or-cold-not-both - 2025-10-29

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 migrated during world history.The standard dating method since the 1950s has been radiocarbon dating. The method, whi

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/researchers-develop-first-ai-based-method-dating-archeological-remains - 2025-10-29

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 commercial ancestry tests. The study is published

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/study-reveals-flaws-popular-genetic-method - 2025-10-29

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 if bees have visited their flowers, but how strawberry growth is affected if the bees have been exposed to neonicotinoid ins

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/strawberries-were-smaller-when-bees-ingested-pesticides - 2025-10-29

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 Courtney! Can you tell us a little bit about your project?- If we look through a microscope at a single

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/two-lund-university-biologists-awarded-erc-starting-grants - 2025-10-29

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 competition. Congratulations Roberto, what does this award mean to you?– It’s very special! First, it links two powerful allies, science and photography. They are probably two of the best tools we have t

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/sharp-shooting-biologist-winner-international-photography-award - 2025-10-29

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 aerodynamic efficiency of flapping drones. Even the precursors to birds – extinct bird-like dinosaurs – benefited from folding their wings during the upstroke, as they develope

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/feathered-robotic-wing-paves-way-flapping-drones - 2025-10-29

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 that the surrounding environment affects the stress system in males and females differently. Some animals have evolved the ability to swiftly change appearance to defend themselves against predato

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/stress-may-trigger-male-defense-against-predators - 2025-10-29

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 flies across the Iberian Peninsula to western Africa, or across the Balkans to eastern and southern Africa. Researchers have long known that the behaviour that causes songbirds to migrate in a spe

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/genes-decide-willow-warblers-migration-routes - 2025-10-29

The size of dragonflies and damselflies varies around the globe. These insects are generally larger in temperate areas than in the tropics. According to a new study from Lund University in Sweden, this is caused by a combination of temperatures and the prevalence of predators. In a large global comparative study of this ancient order of insects, researchers have studied how body size varies geogra

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/size-insects-are-shaped-temperature-and-predators - 2025-10-29

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-related risk, but only for the solitary bee and bumble bee, species that forage over smaller areas than the honey bee. The

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bees-pesticide-risk-species-and-landscape-dependent - 2025-10-29

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 levels but also in order to boost their immune system. After a period of physical exertion, vertebrates, including humans, usually need a period of recovery. Apart from the obvious – lowe

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/migratory-birds-take-breaks-boost-their-immune-system - 2025-10-29

Seeds and fat balls do more than just fill small birds’ stomachs. New research from Lund University in Sweden shows that feeding during the wintertime causes birds to be healthier, since they do not have to expend as much energy fighting infections. A small change in body temperature can be fatal for humans. Small birds, meanwhile, lower their body temperature at night by several degrees during th

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bird-feeding-helps-small-birds-fight-infection - 2025-10-29

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 clues to the amazing paths of evolution. The evolution of multicellular life has played a pivotal role in shaping biological diversity. However, we have up until now known surprisingly little about

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/algae-swedish-lakes-provide-insights-how-complex-life-earth-developed - 2025-10-29

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 efficiency of migratory bats – a species that weighs about eight grams and is found in almost all of Europe. Efficiency, in this case, is the ability to convert supplied energy into something we need. F

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bats-ability-convert-energy-muscle-power-affected-flight-speed - 2025-10-29

A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to climate warming will slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil. In the study, researchers collected soil samples from across Europe in a wide range of temperatures, from minus 3.1 to 18.3 degrees Celsius. The samples revealed that microorganisms in soils – such as bacteria and fungi – are stron

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/microorganisms-climate-adaptation-can-slow-down-global-warming - 2025-10-29

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 to remarkable species diversification in some cases, according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. Insects are crucial for biodiversity and among the most successful species on the planet. However, until now, it has been unclear how

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/bacteria-are-vital-diversity-and-survival-insects - 2025-10-29

Great tits in urban environments have lower levels of stress hormone than those living in woodland habitats. This according to a new study from Lund University in Sweden. Certain animals are able to adjust well to environments that have been created or altered by human activity. We live in an age in which urbanisation is proceeding at an ever-faster rate, something that also affects fauna. The gre

https://www.biology.lu.se/article/urban-great-tits-less-stressed-their-countryside-cousins - 2025-10-29