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Identifying the factors that influence the citation of articles helps authors improve the impact and reach of their research. Analysis of publications in the Journal of Fish Biology between 2008 and 2021 revealed that variables such as the number of keywords, abstract length, number of authors, and page length were associated with higher impact papers. These trends applied to both review and regular papers. These findings suggest that papers that are more informative, have higher numbers of authors, and have more keywords are more likely to be cited. Adoption of some simple "best‐practice" behaviors can improve the likelihood that a paper is cited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Society for the Study of Species Biology has announced the recipient of the 17th Plant Species Biology Best Paper Award. The winning paper, titled "Environmental and genetic effects on phenotypic differences between Elaeocarpus photiniifolia ecotypes in dry and mesic habitats on a Japanese oceanic island," explores how different environmental conditions have led to reproductive isolation and genetic differentiation in a specific plant species. Another paper, titled "The epiphytic orchid Vanda falcata is predominantly associated with a single Tulasnellaceae fungus in adulthood, and Ceratobasidiaceae fungi strongly induce its seed germination in vitro," investigates the symbiotic relationships between orchids and mycorrhizal fungi at different stages of growth. Both papers are featured in recent issues of Plant Species Biology. [Extracted from the article]

Currently 1677 species are listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), yet only a small percentage have been delisted due to recovery. In the fall of 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed delisting 23 species due to extinction. Tracking changes in species 'recovery status over time is critical to understanding species' statuses, informing adaptive management strategies, and assessing the performance of the ESA to prevent further species loss. In this paper, we describe four key obstacles in tracking species recovery status under the ESA. First, ESA 5‐year reviews lack a standardized format and clear documentation. Second, despite having been listed for decades, many species still suffer major data gaps in their biology and threats, rendering it difficult if not impossible to track progress towards recovery. Third, many species have continued declining after listing, yet given the above (1 & 2), understanding potential causes (proximate and/or ultimate) can be difficult. Fourth, many species currently have no path to clear recovery, which represents a potential failing of the process. We conclude with a discussion of potential policy responses that could be addressed to enhance the efficacy of the ESA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper celebrates the life and legacy of psychiatrist and Jungian author Anthony Stevens, who passed away at age 90 on July 13, 2023. It outlines Stevens's origins as a research fellow in Greece, where his work on infant attachment led to a lifelong dedication to establishing the biological and evolutionary foundation of psychiatry. It details his instrumental role in the debate about the theory of archetypes and describes the current state of the literature including the responses and reactions to Stevens's biological innatist position. The paper concludes with a career retrospective in which Stevens's major works are introduced and briefly described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a tension at the heart of Aristotle's understanding of organic activities, created by his appeals to the productive activities of craftsmen and his use of normative language to characterize the goals of such activities. In this paper I discuss two ways of interpreting Aristotle's teleology aimed at resolving this tension, and discuss a closely analogous tension at the heart of a number of contemporary defenses of teleological reasoning in biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the rapid proliferation of online education, it is incumbent upon teachers to find ways to provide online students with science laboratory experiences. Existing research on online labs focuses heavily on computer‐supported inquiry learning environments, such as virtual laboratories and remote laboratories. There are limited studies on kitchen labs or home labs. Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of home labs using lab kits from two perspectives: students' perceptions and experiences of labs conducted in a home environment, as well as whether home labs help with students' knowledge acquisition. Methods: This study employed lab quizzes to assess students' performance and lab reports to evaluate students' ability to interpret the lab results accurately in the authentic home lab contexts. Surveys and semi‐structured interviews were used to collect students' perceptions and experience data regarding these hands‐on experiments at home. Results and Conclusions: We found that students' perceptions of home labs are similar to that of face‐to‐face labs, but they generally perceive home labs to be less complex. Students' performances on lab quizzes and lab reports indicate that the majority of them were able to apply the key scientific concepts to accurately interpret lab results in authentic home lab contexts. Students perceived that home labs provide flexibility and help in connecting learning to the real world. However, they also face challenges such as unexpected results and ambiguity during the process. Implications: Based on the key findings from this study and our reflections, four practice guidelines were provided for teaching hands‐on experiments online. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Science‐laboratory activities play a critical role in science education. The lack of best practices for teaching science laboratory activities online has become one of the most significant barriers to online education.Existing online labs research focuses heavily on computer‐supported inquiry learning environments, such as virtual laboratories and remote laboratories. There are limited studies on kitchen labs or home labs and some research has mainly an exploratory nature. What this paper adds: The value of authentic hands‐on learning experience is more than the acquisition of laboratory design skills, but also the acquisition of problem‐solving skills in real‐world.This study reported findings of the evaluation of hands‐on home laboratory activities in an online science course from both students' perception and their knowledge acquisition perspectives.This study also explored the benefits and challenges students faced in home labs. Implication for practice and/or policy: Practical guidance and implications for teaching and learning science online using laboratory activities were provided by sharing our experience and lessons learned through the whole process.We recommend that practitioners incorporate more scaffolding and peer collaboration opportunities as well as key concept reflection as teaching strategies to improve the effectiveness of home lab activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telomere biology disorder (TBD) can present within a wide spectrum of symptoms ranging from severe congenital malformations to isolated organ dysfunction in adulthood. Diagnosing TBD can be challenging given the substantial variation in symptoms and age of onset across generations. In this report, we present two families, one with a pathogenic variant in ZCCHC8 and another with a novel variant in TERC. In the literature, only one family has previously been reported with a ZCCHC8 variant and TBD symptoms. This family had multiple occurrences of pulmonary fibrosis and one case of bone marrow failure. In this paper, we present a second family with the same ZCCHC8 variant (p.Pro186Leu) and symptoms of TBD including pulmonary fibrosis, hematological disease, and elevated liver enzymes. The suspicion of TBD was confirmed with the measurement of short telomeres in the proband. In another family, we report a novel likely pathogenic variant in TERC. Our comprehensive description encompasses hematological manifestations, as well as pulmonary and hepatic fibrosis. Notably, there are no other reports which associate this variant to disease. The families expand our understanding of the clinical implications and genetic causes of TBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While the effectiveness of tutoring‐style videos has been reported in previous studies conducted in laboratories, how these types of videos facilitate students' learning experiences and achievement has not been much explored in prior studies, which prevents discussion on how to design such tutoring‐style videos. Objectives: In this study, we addressed the limitations reported in studies conducted in authentic classes and attempted to explore students' learning patterns and experiences with tutoring‐style videos involving interactions between the instructor and agents. In addition, we attempted to reveal what instructional strategies can be used in tutoring‐style videos to enhance students' engagement and achievement. Methods: The study took place in an undergraduate introductory biology class offered at a university located in the Midwest of the United States. The same instructor taught two sections of this course which lasted for 15 weeks during a Spring semester. The two sections were randomly assigned to an experimental group in which participants watched tutoring‐style videos and a control group with participants watching traditional videos. The experiment was administered in a module lasting two and a half weeks focused on microbiology. Surveys and tests were conducted to determine whether the tutoring‐style videos had a positive impact on student engagement and achievement. In addition, a video content analysis was carried out to elicit insights on how to design effective tutoring‐style videos. Results: For students' emotional engagement and perceived usefulness, no significant difference was found between the two groups, even though the descriptive statistics indicated slightly higher scores from the experimental group than the control group on both subscales. In terms of achievement, the participants reported significantly more learned concepts from watching rich‐interactions in the tutoring‐style videos than the participants in the control group; and they also reported a significantly smaller number of learned concepts from watching one‐interactions in the videos than the control group participants. We also found that instruction in the tutoring‐style videos used effective strategies for facilitating students' participation and cognitive processing. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that tutoring‐style videos can be effective learning materials by allowing students to engage in interactions between instructors and agents in the videos. The more instructional strategies used to facilitate the interactions between the instructor and the agents, the higher engagement can be expected from viewers. Our study would inform the design and development of effective tutoring‐style videos. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: One‐on‐one tutoring is the gold standard in teaching.Tutoring‐style videos are found to be effective in teaching as well. What this paper adds: Tutoring‐style videos that film rich interactions lead to better learning.Tutoring‐style videos that film limited interactions are ineffective.Students who see agents in tutoring‐style videos as helpful perform better. Implications for practice and/or policy: Tutoring‐style videos should film rich interactions of tutoring sessions.Strategies should be used in videos to facilitate perceived agents' usefulness.Tutoring sessions filmed in videos should encourage a participatory atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among biologists and philosophers, there is an ongoing debate over the Modern Synthesis and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. Some argue that our current evolutionary biology is in need of (at least) some substantial revision or nontrivial extension, while others maintain that the Modern Synthesis remains the foundational framework for evolutionary biology. It has been widely debated whether the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis provides a more promising framework than the Modern Synthesis. The nature and methodological implications of the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis were also examined. This paper offers an integrated historical and philosophical examination of the debate over the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis. It reviews the development of evolutionary biology of the twentieth century. It argues that there are substantial conceptual and theoretical differences between the Modern Synthesis and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis, but they are not incommensurable paradigms in the Kuhnian sense. It also argues for a functional approach to the debate over these two frameworks of evolutionary theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thomas Cavalier‐Smith, born in London, U.K., on October 21, 1942, was a Professor of Evolutionary Biology in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford at the time of his death on March 19, 2021. Credited with at least 235 research works and over 20,000 citations, Cavalier‐Smith was a well‐known and widely respected scientist who took a bold and detailed approach to understanding major transitions in evolution, including the role of endosymbiosis. He was noted for his willingness to question theories and constantly accumulate and evaluate data, motivated by science for the sake of science. This paper reviews Thomas Cavalier‐Smith's major accomplishments, examines his theoretical approaches, and provides highlights from the "Tree of Life Symposium" sponsored by the International Society of Protistologists (ISOP) and the International Society of Evolutionary Protistology (ISEP) on June 21, 2021, to celebrate Tom's life and work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the trends in submissions and publications for the Annals of Applied Biology journal. While there was a steady increase in submissions until 2021, there was a reduction in submissions in 2022 and 2023. However, the number of published papers remained consistent. The journal encourages researchers to consider submitting their work to Annals of Applied Biology and highlights the various types of publications they accept. The article also acknowledges the support of the Association of Applied Biologists and Wiley in promoting and publishing the journal. Special issues linked to AAB-organized events are also announced, and new editors are welcomed to the board. The article concludes by inviting readers to follow the journal on social media and providing links to the journal's website and the AAB website. [Extracted from the article]

Bluespotted seabream Pagrus caeruleostictus, a member of the family Sparidae, is one of the high‐priced seabream species in Ghana. Although the fish has been exploited in the Gulf of Guinea for over hundreds of years, there is scanty information on the state of the fish stock. Hence, we sought to investigate the exploitation status and aspects of the reproductive biology of the species by collecting monthly length and weight data for 18 months (February 2016 to July 2017). These data were fitted to growth and mortality models. The sexual maturity, fecundity and spawning seasons were also determined within the same period. The growth model of the fish revealed that the asymptotic length (L∞) and growth coefficient (K) values determined were 52.7 cm (total length) and 0.52 year−1, respectively. The mortality models also showed that the fishing mortality (F) of the fish was 2.20 year−1, whereas its natural mortality (M) was 0.83 year−1, with F/M > 0.5 indicating that the fish is over‐exploited. The lengths at first sexual maturity (Lm) of the males and females were 36.2 and 28.0 cm, respectively. Pagrus caeruleostictus, which was found to be highly fecund, had two spawning periods in a year, occurring in September and March, both with unimodal ova diameter frequency distributions. Based on these findings, we recommend that catch limits and other appropriate management measures (e.g. temporal and spatial closures) should be prescribed for the seabream fishery in the Gulf of Guinea to ensure the sustainability of the fishery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in single‐cell technologies have led to rapid developments in the construction of cell atlases. These atlases have the potential to provide detailed information about every cell type in different organisms, enabling the characterization of cellular diversity at the single‐cell level. Global efforts in developing comprehensive cell atlases have profound implications for both basic research and clinical applications. This review provides a broad overview of the cellular diversity and dynamics across various biological systems. In addition, the incorporation of machine learning techniques into cell atlas analyses opens up exciting prospects for the field of integrative biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submarine channels are key features for the transport of flow and nutrients into deep water. Previous studies of their morphology and channel evolution have treated these systems as abiotic, and therefore assume that physical processes are solely responsible for morphological development. Here, a unique dataset is utilised that includes spatial measurements around a channel bend that hosts active sediment gravity flows. The data include flow velocity and density, alongside bed grain size and channel‐floor benthic macrofauna. Analysis of these parameters demonstrate that while physical processes control the broadest scale variations in sedimentation around and across the channel, benthic biology plays a critical role in stabilising sediment and trapping fines. This leads to much broader mixed grain sizes than would be expected from purely abiotic sedimentation, and the maintenance of sediment beds in positions where all the sediment should be actively migrating. Given that previous work has also shown that submarine channels can be biological hotspots, then the present study suggests that benthic biology probably plays a key role in channel morphology and evolution, and that these need to be considered both in the modern and when considering examples preserved in the rock record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]