In 1902, three prominent Jewish biologists established the Biologische Versuchsanstalt (BVA) in then Austro-Hungarian Vienna. Now an international team led by Professor Oded Rechavi of Tel Aviv University (TAU) has been awarded a $1.2 million grant by the prestigious Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) to follow in their footsteps. HFSP is known for its highly… Read More
A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU) proves an acoustic interaction between plants and insects. The researchers found that female months decide where to lay their eggs based on ultrasonic sounds emitted by nearby plants. When plants emitted distress sounds, the female moths chose healthy plants that were not emitting such sounds. These sounds… Read More
The Jeremy Coller Foundation and Tel Aviv University (TAU) have announced the four finalists for the first annual $100,000 prize from the Coller Dolittle Challenge for Interspecies Two-Way Communication. Annual prizes of $100,000 will be awarded until a team “cracks the code” of interspecies communication, winning the $10 million Grand Prize. The four finalists have… Read More
A new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU) reveals that the Greater Mouse-Tailed Bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) uses its long tail as a natural tactile sensor to navigate backward in dark caves. The bat’s long tail functions as a dynamic sensing tool, enabling it to avoid obstacles and orient itself in complex environments while climbing backward,… Read More
An international team of researchers led by scientists from Tel Aviv University (TAU) has discovered that the pathogen responsible for the mass deaths of sea urchins along the Red Sea coast is the same one responsible for mass mortality events among sea urchins off the coast of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. This finding… Read More
Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) have found that spur-winged lapwings living in human settlements exhibited greater mobility than those in nearby fishponds and fields, especially during the nesting season. “We often see birds in populated areas and cities, demonstrating that some species habituate and even flourish in human environments,” the researchers say. “However, we… Read More
Researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) examined the mechanical wear on digging valves located at the tip of the female locust’s abdomen, used to dig pits for laying eggs, and found that, unlike organs with remarkably high wear resistance such as the mandible (lower jaw), the valves wear down substantially due to the intensive digging…. Read More
A new study by Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History has proven for the first time that bats can navigate in nature over many kilometers using only echolocation without relying on any of their other senses. The researchers say that it’s well-known that bats are equipped with a natural sonar,… Read More