Science, Space and Technology News 2024
An international research team has clarified the evolutionary history of the mock viper, a unique and mildly venomous snake that mimics more dangerous vipers. This discovery places the mock viper in its own new family, Psammodynastidae, acknowledging its distinct evolutionary path and contributing to both scientific understanding and conservation efforts. Credit: Rushen Jaihan
The evolutionary history of the mock viper, a mildly venomous, widely distributed Asian snake that mimics highly venomous vipers for self-defense, has been solved. The mock viper represents a completely unique branch in the tree of life of snakes, and hence, it has been allocated into its own new family namedThis small, feisty snake has long presented a puzzle to evolutionary scientists due to its unresolved evolutionary history.
probably the most challenging evolutionary scenario for a geneticist or evolutionary biologist to resolve”, says the lead researcher Sunandan Das from the University of Helsinki.Mock vipers not only look like tree-dwelling vipers but also act like them. Intriguingly, they have a fake ‘fang’ in the front of their mouth, which befools a predator into thinking that they possess venom fangs during an open-mouthed threat display.
“The discovery of a new family of any vertebrate animals is surprisingly rare, an almost once-in-a-century phenomenon. This is a lifetime achievement for an evolutionary biologist. You rarely, if ever, see descriptions of whole new families of well-studied vertebrate animals anymore.’’ says Sunandan.
日本 最新ニュース, 日本 見出し
Similar News:他のニュース ソースから収集した、これに似たニュース記事を読むこともできます。
Scientists traced roses’ thorny origins and solved a 400 million-year-old mysteryA new study has found how a rose and other plants like a tomato and eggplant came to get their prickles. The discovery could help engineer new thorn-free variants.
続きを読む »
Constant meteorite bombardment created moon’s atmosphere: MIT studyScientists have finally solved the mystery of the moon's tenuous atmosphere, identifying impact vaporization.
続きを読む »
Decades-Old Mystery Solved: Scientists Crack the Code of DNA RepairScience, Space and Technology News 2024
続きを読む »
Melting Mystery Solved: Why Ice Sheets Shrink Faster Than They GrowScience, Space and Technology News 2024
続きを読む »
Mystery of Moon's 'Tenuous' Atmosphere Solved'We give a definitive answer that meteorite impact vaporization is the dominant process that creates the lunar atmosphere,' researcher Nicole Nie said.
続きを読む »
Mystery Solved: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims he dumped bear carcass in Central Park in 2014The next day, it was on every television station and it was the front page of every paper - after all, dead bears don't just turn up in Central Park.
続きを読む »