"A parrot as a pet is like a toddler who never grows up": Suitability of endangered parrots as pets
"Say 'Polly wants a cracker!'" This classic catchphrase is actually quite an insult to the birds who are among the most intelligent creatures on Earth. One particularly famous example was Harvard-based African gray parrot Alex, who not only developed.....»»
Second critically endangered gorilla born at London Zoo in a month
A critically endangered western lowland gorilla has been born at London Zoo, the second of the apes to be born at the facility in a month, the zoo said on Tuesday......»»
Secrets of night parrot unlocked after first genome sequenced
Researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, have sequenced the first genome of the night parrot, one of the world's rarest and most elusive birds. The development will answer questions about population genetics and biology that could b.....»»
Permaculture showed us how to farm the land more gently. Can we do the same as we farm the sea?
As wild fish and other marine species get scarcer from overfishing and demand for 'blue foods' grows around the world, farming of the ocean is growing rapidly. Fish, kelp, prawns, oysters and more are now widely farmed. The world now eats more farmed.....»»
Wolves are back in Colorado"s wilderness: Here"s why that"s great for Earth
For the first time in U.S. history, a federally listed endangered species has been reintroduced to the wild by the efforts of a lone state. Wolves in Colorado were not a mandate from Washington, D.C.; Coloradans voted for them......»»
From growing roots, clues to how stem cells decide their fate
It might look like a comet or a shooting star, but this time-lapse video is actually a tiny plant root, not much thicker than a human hair, magnified hundreds of times as it grows under the microscope......»»
SynMoss project grows moss with partially synthetic genes
A Chinese team of life scientists, microbiologists, plant researchers and seed designers has developed a way to grow engineered moss with partially synthetic genes. In their project, reported in the journal Nature Plants, the group engineered a moss.....»»
A baby boom of African penguin chicks hatches at a San Francisco science museum
A bounty of 10 African penguin chicks has hatched in just over a year at a San Francisco science museum as part of an effort to conserve the endangered bird......»»
Endangered by the 49th Parallel: How political boundaries inhibit effective conservation
Canada is wasting scarce resources conserving species that are not endangered elsewhere......»»
We may now know who’s behind the lead-tainted cinnamon in toddler fruit pouches
At least 413 people, mostly young children, in 43 states have been poisoned. Enlarge / The three recalled pouches linked to lead poisonings. (credit: FDA) A spice grinder named Carlos Aguilera of Ecuador is the likely so.....»»
Is your pet exposed to secondhand smoke? Here are the (serious) health risks
Our pets share our homes, lifestyles, and sometimes even our food and beds. For many pets, this close contact with humans can include exposure to secondhand smoke from cigarettes and other air pollutants. This may have serious health consequences for.....»»
Printing plant-based pharmaceuticals—without plants
Rochester undergraduates have developed a 3D-bioprinting system to replicate chemicals found in plants, including those endangered by climate change......»»
Southern pygmy perch starts coming back from the brink
An endangered fish has returned to Bendigo, Victoria, thanks to the help of Flinders University research in collaboration with local community groups......»»
Training an animal? An ethicist explains how and why your dog, but not your frog, can be punished
People talk to their pets every day: offering praise when they're good, reassurance when they're confused and affection when they're cuddling. We also speak to animals when they misbehave. "Why did you do that?" someone might ask their dog. Or we mig.....»»
St. Louis Zoo helps oryx species come back from near-extinction
The status of one species has gone from "extinct in the wild" to "endangered," thanks in part to the efforts of the St. Louis Zoo. The scimitar-horned oryx, a member of the antelope family, had stopped existing in its native habitat as of 1991, accor.....»»
From moon "dust" to moon "soil": Graduate student grows chickpeas in amended moondust
A love for space exploration led Jessica Atkin, a Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduate student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, to produce the first-ever moondust-grown chickpeas......»»
Parrots found to use "beakiation" to traverse small perches
A trio of osteopathic researchers at the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine has found that one species of parrot uses its beak in a novel way to traverse small perches. In their project, reported in the journal Royal Soc.....»»
Nitrogen-based fertilizers differentially affect protist community composition in paddy field soils, finds study
The soil microbiome has far-reaching significance, particularly for rice production, which can be better explained with a Japanese proverb: "Rice grows with soil fertility, while upland crops depend on fertilization." Therefore, understanding the pad.....»»
Dahl Automotive grows in Wisconsin, reintroduces CDJR brands
Dahl Automotive, which has stores in Wisconsin and Minnesota, entered two markets in Wisconsin with its December purchase of four dealerships......»»
Endangered seabird shows surprising individual flexibility to adapt to climate change
How individual animals respond to climate change is key to whether populations will persist or go extinct. Many species are shifting their ranges as the environment warms, but up to now the mechanisms underlying this have been unclear. For Europe's m.....»»
Dogs in the middle ages: What medieval writing tells us about our ancestors" pets
In the middle ages, most dogs had jobs. In his book De Canibus, the 16th-century English physician and scholar John Caius described a hierarchy of dogs, which he classified first and foremost according to their function in human society......»»