How flowers sweeten their nectar when they ‘hear' friendly bees
However, research suggests this scenario may be closer to reality than previously imagined.
Scientists have discovered that snapdragon plants can 'hear' the buzz of their preferred pollinators and respond by boosting the sugar content of their nectar.
They also seem able to tell friend from foe. When the plants were exposed to the sounds of 'freeloader' insects that planned to sip their nectar without providing pollinating services in return, they withheld the sugary reward.
This acoustic sensitivity, the researchers said, may help snapdragons and other flowers attract the right visitors — and keep 'nectar thieves'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
The Interview Captain Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 commander.
Captain Jim Lovell, commander of the doomed Apollo 13 space mission to the Moon. Jim, who died this month at the age of 97, tells how he helped guide his stricken craft safely back to Earth after it suffered a near catastrophic explosion in an interview first broadcast in April 2020 on the BBC series 13 Minutes to the Moon. He talks to Kevin Fong about the doomed Nasa mission, from the shocking moment of the explosion to the enormous relief of splashdown. Lovell shares the story of the lunar landmark he named in honour of his wife. And he reflects on survival, the global impact of Apollo 13, and what it meant to finally come back to Earth. (Image: Jim Lovell, Credit: Nasa)
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Forever toxins' found in everything from cosmetics to waterproof clothing linked to weight struggle
Toxins found in everything from cosmetics to waterproof clothing could hinder weight loss, a study has shown. Researchers have discovered that levels of so-called 'forever' chemicals in the blood may, in the long term, lead to people piling the pounds back on after shedding them. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are in hundreds of everyday products because of their durability. But last year a review of 500 studies found they were linked to 'serious health implications', including weakening the immune system and cancer. The Government is set to receive recommendations from a panel of experts later this year on how levels of PFAS can be reduced. Now researchers say the chemicals may also affect the body's metabolic process – which is how it converts food into nutrients. In the study, published in the Journal Of Obesity this week, researchers assessed 186 teenagers who had bariatric surgery – which works by making the stomach smaller and the patient feel fuller quicker. After the surgery, patients are at risk of slowly putting weight back on, and the researchers found people with high levels of PFAS were at a greater risk. They tested the participants' blood for levels of PFAS before the surgery and found that those with the highest levels of the chemicals put on twice as much weight in the five years after the surgery compared to those with the lowest levels. 'With the growing use of weight loss interventions around the world, it's critical for us to understand the association between PFAS and successful weight loss management, including what this means for long-term outcomes,' said Dr Brittney Baumert, a researcher at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine who led the study. 'PFAS are a modifiable risk, which is why protective policies are so important to reduce exposure and safeguard public health – especially for vulnerable populations.' Experts say that while their research looked specifically at bariatric surgery, the findings may also be relevant for people on fat jabs. 'We're also interested in exploring whether PFAS exposure is relevant to other weight loss interventions, including GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic,' said Dr Baumert.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Using AI to analyse ultrasound scans lets parents pinpoint exact due date of babies, study claims
Using artificial intelligence to analyse ultrasound scans could give parents the exact day their child will be born with 95 per cent accuracy, a study has claimed. Doctors currently estimate a foetus's due date by adding 40 weeks to the first day of the mother's last menstrual period. This rough calculation is known as Naegele's rule and assumes the woman has a 28-day menstrual cycle and ovulates on day 14, which, for many, is not true. In the UK, just four per cent of babies are born on their due date. But a group of US researchers say using AI to analyse ultrasounds could predict a child's date of birth with 95 per cent accuracy. Using a software developed and trained using more than two million ultrasound images from women who gave birth at the University of Kentucky from 2017 to 2020, the scientists measured how well AI could estimate whether a baby would be carried to term or not. The program, called Ultrasound AI, was able to predict whether a baby would be born early with 72 per cent accuracy, without relying on external information such as maternal history or clinical measurements. It was 95 per cent accurate in predicting the due date of babies carried to full term, and 92 per cent accurate for all births combined. 'AI is reaching into the womb and helping us forecast the timing of birth, which we believe will lead to better prediction to help mothers across the world and provide a greater understanding of why the smallest babies are born too soon,' said Dr John O'Brien, director of maternal-foetal medicine at the University of Kentucky. 'AI will eventually provide greater insights into how to target and prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes 'This work is an important first step in the start of a powerful advance in technology for the field of obstetrics.' Preterm birth is currently the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the world, and one in every 12 babies is born prematurely. It comes after the UK Government last year announced a plan to reduce the number of preterm births from 8 per cent to 6 per cent.
