A remarkable discovery of fossilised termites caught in the act of mating has provided insights into the behaviour of an extinct species that roamed the Earth approximately 38 million years ago. Led by Auburn University Assistant Professor Nobuaki Mizumoto, an international team of researchers unveiled their findings on this rare fossilised pair encased in amber.&nbsp;Amber is a fossilised tree resin, typically found in deposits ranging from millions to tens of millions of years old.&nbsp;

The insects believed to be engaged in a tandem run, were perfectly preserved in their mating position within the ancient tree sap turned into amber over millennia.

The tandem run mating position is a behaviour observed in certain insect species, including termites. It involves two mating individuals maintaining head-to-abdomen contact while moving together, often in a coordinated manner.

During a tandem run, the mating pair typically explores their surroundings, often in search of a suitable nest location or food source. This behaviour is important for reproduction and colony establishment in termites.

Mizumoto while highlighting the importance of such discoveries, stated, "Amber provides one of the most detailed and vivid records of extinct life." However, he cautioned that fossilisation processes could potentially distort the true nature of past organisms.

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To validate their findings, the team conducted experiments replicating the immobilisation&nbsp;process in a laboratory setting using modern-day termites.

Mizumoto explained, "We found that the posture of the fossilized pair matches trapped tandems and differs from untrapped tandems. Thus, the fossilised pair likely is a tandem running pair, representing the first direct evidence of the mating behaviour of extinct termites."

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Their groundbreaking research, published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, pointed at the ancient mating rituals of termites. The fossilised pair, identified as Electrotermes affinis, offered a unique glimpse into a long-extinct species' behaviour and lifestyle.

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The fossil's journey to scientific scrutiny began when co-author Ales&nbsp;Bucek stumbled upon it for sale online. Recognising its scientific value, Bucek acquired the fossil, which is now housed at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic.

(With inputs from agencies)

A remarkable discovery of fossilised termites caught in the act of mating has provided insights into the behaviour of an extinct species that roamed the Earth approximately 38 million years ago.

A remarkable discovery of fossilised termites caught in the act of mating has provided insights into the behaviour of an extinct species that roamed the Earth approximately 38 million years ago. Led by Auburn University Assistant Professor Nobuaki Mizumoto, an international team of researchers unveiled their findings on this rare fossilised pair encased in amber. Amber is a fossilised tree resin, typically found in deposits ranging from millions to tens of millions of years old. The insects believed to be engaged in a tandem run, were perfectly preserved in their mating position within the ancient tree sap turned into amber over millennia. The tandem run mating position is a behaviour observed in certain insect species, including termites. It involves two mating individuals maintaining head-to-abdomen contact while moving together, often in a coordinated manner. During a tandem run, the mating pair typically explores their surroundings, often in search of a suitable nest location or food source. This behaviour is important for reproduction and colony establishment in termites. Mizumoto while highlighting the importance of such discoveries, stated, "Amber provides one of the most detailed and vivid records of extinct life." However, he cautioned that fossilisation processes could potentially distort the true nature of past organisms. Also Read | James Webb Space Telescope probes binary asteroid system Mors-Somnus in Kuiper Belt to know Neptune's past To validate their findings, the team conducted experiments replicating the immobilisation process in a laboratory setting using modern-day termites. Mizumoto explained, "We found that the posture of the fossilized pair matches trapped tandems and differs from untrapped tandems. Thus, the fossilised pair likely is a tandem running pair, representing the first direct evidence of the mating behaviour of extinct termites." Also Read | Microplastics and nanoplastics in the human body can cause heart attacks, strokes and cancer, studies reveal Their groundbreaking research, published in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, pointed at the ancient mating rituals of termites. The fossilised pair, identified as Electrotermes affinis, offered a unique glimpse into a long-extinct species' behaviour and lifestyle. Watch | Top AI tools increase worries of deep fakes ahead of elections: Study × The fossil's journey to scientific scrutiny began when co-author Ales Bucek stumbled upon it for sale online. Recognising its scientific value, Bucek acquired the fossil, which is now housed at the National Museum in Prague, Czech Republic. (With inputs from agencies)

Ancient love preserved: Termites found frozen in amber while mating 38mn years ago

Northern muriquis are one of the most endangered species of monkeys in the world and are on the verge of extinction, which is why, rearing healthy offsprings is critical for their long-term existence.

Researchers are now turning to the poop of these primates in order to gain a better understanding of how they choose their mates and to gain insights into their mating lives.

In a paper published on August 2 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the scientists combined genetic analysis with long-term behavioural observations so as to understand the reproductive patterns of the endangered species.

Unlike most primates, Muriquis, live in peaceful, egalitarian societies centred on related males and their mothers.

Karen Strier, a co-author of the paper and a professor of anthropology at UW-Madison, who has been studying the behaviour and ecology of these monkeys in a small, preserved section of the Brazilian forest for the past 40 years, said that she and her team can now identify each of the monkeys and also whose poop is whose.

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She and her colleagues collected the samples and handed them over to &nbsp;Anthony Di Fiore, an anthropology professor and director of the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab at UT Austin, and Paulo Chaves, Di Fiore's graduate student at the time. They further used these samples to study the DNA in order to understand the mating behaviour of muriquis.

The research team was able to ask unique genetic questions because Strier's field crew knew which samples belonged to whom.

“I knew from behavioural observations that there was a lack of competition in mating and that mothers didn't mate with their sons or close male relatives. But the only way to know who the fathers are is with genetics,” Strier said.

<h2>Females tend to mate and reproduce with males who have diverse set of genes coding</h2>

Chaves and Di Fiore, following their lab analysis confirmed that there were no mother-son pairings, which further suggested that the muriquis may recognize their family members, which helps them to avoid incestuous mating.

Their analysis also discovered that the female muriquis prefer to mate with males who have a more diverse set of genes coding for molecules that play an important role in the body’s immune response to pathogens and other environmental stressors.

This interesting class of genes is known as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and Chaves and Di Fiore were able to characterize genetic variation between individual monkeys.

“Our finding that male sires have higher MHC diversity than expected by chance is one of the things we would expect if that diversity contributes to male fitness or is one of the dimensions of female mate choice," Di Fiore said.

"Our study is one of just a handful that has looked at the relationship between MHC variation and reproductive patterns in wild primates and is the only one to do so for an egalitarian species like muriquis,” she added.

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Northern muriquis are one of the most endangered species of monkeys in the world and are on the verge of extinction, which is why, rearing healthy offsprings is critical for their long-term existence.

Northern muriquis are one of the most endangered species of monkeys in the world and are on the verge of extinction, which is why, rearing healthy offsprings is critical for their long-term existence. Researchers are now turning to the poop of these primates in order to gain a better understanding of how they choose their mates and to gain insights into their mating lives. In a paper published on August 2 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the scientists combined genetic analysis with long-term behavioural observations so as to understand the reproductive patterns of the endangered species. Unlike most primates, Muriquis, live in peaceful, egalitarian societies centred on related males and their mothers. Karen Strier, a co-author of the paper and a professor of anthropology at UW-Madison, who has been studying the behaviour and ecology of these monkeys in a small, preserved section of the Brazilian forest for the past 40 years, said that she and her team can now identify each of the monkeys and also whose poop is whose. Also read: Crocodile fatally attacks soccer player in Costa Rican river, swims away with body She and her colleagues collected the samples and handed them over to Anthony Di Fiore, an anthropology professor and director of the Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab at UT Austin, and Paulo Chaves, Di Fiore's graduate student at the time. They further used these samples to study the DNA in order to understand the mating behaviour of muriquis. The research team was able to ask unique genetic questions because Strier's field crew knew which samples belonged to whom. “I knew from behavioural observations that there was a lack of competition in mating and that mothers didn't mate with their sons or close male relatives. But the only way to know who the fathers are is with genetics,” Strier said. Females tend to mate and reproduce with males who have diverse set of genes coding Chaves and Di Fiore, following their lab analysis confirmed that there were no mother-son pairings, which further suggested that the muriquis may recognize their family members, which helps them to avoid incestuous mating. Their analysis also discovered that the female muriquis prefer to mate with males who have a more diverse set of genes coding for molecules that play an important role in the body’s immune response to pathogens and other environmental stressors. This interesting class of genes is known as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), and Chaves and Di Fiore were able to characterize genetic variation between individual monkeys. “Our finding that male sires have higher MHC diversity than expected by chance is one of the things we would expect if that diversity contributes to male fitness or is one of the dimensions of female mate choice," Di Fiore said. "Our study is one of just a handful that has looked at the relationship between MHC variation and reproductive patterns in wild primates and is the only one to do so for an egalitarian species like muriquis,” she added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Researchers use monkey poop to gain insight into mating strategies of critically endangered muriquis

A new study has revealed that air pollution is creating a hindrance in the mating of fruit flies because females are unable to recognise the males' scent.

Female fruit flies use the scent of pheromones which is emitted by males to select them for mating, however, ozone pollution has disrupted the ability of males to emit their characteristic odour, researchers stated.

The study reflects how contaminated air is becoming a hindrance in the reproduction of fruit flies and other insects, and may lead to a decline in population.

“Everyone knows that we are facing insect decline, and so far the reason was pesticide use and habitat loss. But we think that we should also consider oxygen pollutants,” said Markus Knaden, who is an evolutionary neuroethology researcher at the Max Planck Institute as well as the study's lead author, which was published in the journal Nature Communications.

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This study is based on how the smell of the flower is perceived differently by the insects when they are exposed to elevated levels of ozone.

The team of Knaden tested Drosophila fruit flies' nine different species by exposing half the males from every species to clean air and the other half to an atmosphere in which ozone levels are at 100 parts per billion.

The scientists discovered that the males kept in the atmosphere with higher ozone levels began emitting lesser pheromones and faced trouble in attracting female partners.

“When we expose male flies to ozone, then suddenly it took them much longer to convince the female to mate,” Knaden said.

“What’s more, emitting pheromones also helps males fend off other males from trying to reproduce with them. But being exposed to ozone led to males smelling less like males, and a rise in the number of attempts to mate between males,” he added.

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“In the lab, it doesn’t matter whether the male has to wait one or two minutes longer to mate, or whether the male accidentally courts another male. But in the field, there is a lot of selection pressure and the flies have to be efficient, so they have to give everything to find the female as soon as possible, copulate and fertilise her eggs before they’re killed by a predator,” the researcher further stated.

Knaden said that nature will be hugely affected by this as ozone is just one among the different pollutants present in the environment which can do this.

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A new study has revealed that air pollution is creating a hindrance in the mating of fruit flies because females are unable to recognise the males' scent. Female fruit flies use the scent of pheromones which is emitted by males to select them for mating, however, ozone pollution has disrupted the ability of males to emit their characteristic odour, researchers stated.

A new study has revealed that air pollution is creating a hindrance in the mating of fruit flies because females are unable to recognise the males' scent. Female fruit flies use the scent of pheromones which is emitted by males to select them for mating, however, ozone pollution has disrupted the ability of males to emit their characteristic odour, researchers stated. The study reflects how contaminated air is becoming a hindrance in the reproduction of fruit flies and other insects, and may lead to a decline in population. “Everyone knows that we are facing insect decline, and so far the reason was pesticide use and habitat loss. But we think that we should also consider oxygen pollutants,” said Markus Knaden, who is an evolutionary neuroethology researcher at the Max Planck Institute as well as the study's lead author, which was published in the journal Nature Communications. ALSO READ | Mice with two biological dads: Scientists do the unthinkable This study is based on how the smell of the flower is perceived differently by the insects when they are exposed to elevated levels of ozone. The team of Knaden tested Drosophila fruit flies' nine different species by exposing half the males from every species to clean air and the other half to an atmosphere in which ozone levels are at 100 parts per billion. The scientists discovered that the males kept in the atmosphere with higher ozone levels began emitting lesser pheromones and faced trouble in attracting female partners. “When we expose male flies to ozone, then suddenly it took them much longer to convince the female to mate,” Knaden said. “What’s more, emitting pheromones also helps males fend off other males from trying to reproduce with them. But being exposed to ozone led to males smelling less like males, and a rise in the number of attempts to mate between males,” he added. WATCH | Gravitas: Scientists claim superconductor breakthrough “In the lab, it doesn’t matter whether the male has to wait one or two minutes longer to mate, or whether the male accidentally courts another male. But in the field, there is a lot of selection pressure and the flies have to be efficient, so they have to give everything to find the female as soon as possible, copulate and fertilise her eggs before they’re killed by a predator,” the researcher further stated. Knaden said that nature will be hugely affected by this as ozone is just one among the different pollutants present in the environment which can do this. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Air pollution is causing decline in mating of fruit flies, study reveals

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