Posts Tagged ‘animals’
Earth & Environment - Apr 20, 2010 11:32 - 2 Comments
Tiny bat spotted for first time in U.K.
LEEDS / SHEFFIELD (UK)—A type of bat never seen before in the U.K. has been found swarming in caves in Yorkshire and Sussex. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Mar 24, 2010 16:51 - 0 Comments
Zebrafish mend hearts. Why can’t we?
DUKE (US)—Humans have very limited ability to regenerate heart muscle cells, which is a key reason why heart attacks and scar tissue are so dangerous. Now researchers are studying the highly regenerative zebrafish, searching for clues to better therapy. (more…)
Science & Technology - Mar 24, 2010 12:52 - 0 Comments
Identifying birds by sniff, not song
INDIANA U (US)—Two recently diverged populations of a southern California songbird produce unique odors, suggesting smell could contribute to the reproductive isolation that accompanies the origin of new bird species. (more…)
Society & Culture - Mar 15, 2010 11:17 - 3 Comments
Monkeys like to mix it up
DUKE (US)—Given a choice between spending a token to get their absolute favorite food or spending it to have a choice from a buffet of options, capuchin monkeys will opt for variety. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 26, 2010 13:54 - 5 Comments
Should killer whales be captive?
EMORY (US)—The death of killer whale trainer Dawn Brancheau in Florida this week—after a 12,000-pound orca named Tilikum pulled her into a tank—has raised new questions about the confinement of dolphins and whales in theme parks. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 25, 2010 12:24 - 1 Comment
Bigger animals sport stiffer ‘shoes’
DUKE (US)—The mechanical properties of the pads on the bottom of animals’ feet vary in predictable fashion as animals get larger. In short, bigger critters need stiffer shoes. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 18, 2010 16:17 - 1 Comment
Bird brains need tutors to learn to tweet
RUTGERS (US)—Songbirds, like humans, learn vocalizations by imitating their caregivers in infancy. New research shows songbirds need experience with tutoring—either from parents or surrogates—to develop a key brain function related to singing. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 18, 2010 12:05 - 1 Comment
Panda genome yields clues to bamboo diet
CARDIFF (UK)—An international team has successfully sequenced the panda genome for the first time. The project is shedding light on some of the giant panda’s unusual biological traits, including its famously restricted diet. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Feb 5, 2010 12:10 - 0 Comments
Sizable snail threatens endangered bird
U. FLORIDA (US)—A huge South American snail is wreaking havoc on its predator, the snail kite, an endangered Everglades bird of prey. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 4, 2010 12:36 - 1 Comment
Designer breeds shape dog genome
U. WASHINGTON (US)—Researchers have identified 155 regions on the canine genome that appear to have been influenced by selective breeding. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 25, 2010 17:13 - 1 Comment
Bats, whales bond on molecular level
U. MICHIGAN—Toothed whales and some bats zero in on prey by emitting pulses of sound and interpreting the echoes that bounce back. Surprisingly, researchers have discovered that this ability is guided by the same molecular process. (more…)
Society & Culture - Jan 18, 2010 11:50 - 10 Comments
Fido or Fluffy: What’s your pet personality?
U. TEXAS-AUSTIN—Dog people tend to be agreeable extroverts and cat people are more open and neurotic, new research shows. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Jan 15, 2010 17:53 - 0 Comments
Pest with an appetite for biofuel crops
U. ILLINOIS—The western corn rootworm beetle, a pest that feasts on corn roots and corn silk and costs growers more than $1 billion annually in the U.S., also can survive on the perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus, a potential biofuels crop that would likely be grown alongside corn, researchers report. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 5, 2010 14:56 - 3 Comments
Female duck wins screwy tit for tat
YALE—Female ducks have evolved an intriguing form of birth control: vaginas with clockwise spirals that thwart oppositely spiraled males.
Earth & Environment - Dec 18, 2009 17:18 - 11 Comments
Like humans, wild chimps ‘get’ fire
IOWA STATE (US)—Humans were thought to process a unique ability to use fire, but now anthropologist Jill Pruetz reports that savanna chimpanzees in Senegal have a near human understanding of wildfires and change their behavior in anticipation of fire’s movement. (more…)
Health & Medicine - Dec 17, 2009 12:47 - 1 Comment
Salamanders offer lesson in regrowing limbs
INDIANA (US)—A salamander that can regrow appendages may provide important clues to how similar regeneration could be induced in humans. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 14, 2009 17:29 - 7 Comments
Don’t blame cows for climate change
UC DAVIS (US)—Consuming less meat and dairy products will not help stop climate change, says Frank Mitloehner, despite claims by sources ranging from the United Nations to music star Paul McCartney. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Dec 14, 2009 14:43 - 8 Comments
Just your garden-variety poisonous catfish
U. MICHIGAN (US)—Venomous catfish are far more common than previously thought, a new study finds. (more…)
