Are lightning bugs a threatened species? No one knows
They glow like fading stars and have made memories of shimmering summertime backyards for generations......»»
Spider exploits firefly"s flashing signals to lure more prey
Fireflies rely on flashing signals to communicate to other fireflies using light-emitting lanterns on their abdomens. In fireflies of the species Abscondita terminalis, males make multi-pulse flashes with two lanterns to attract females, while female.....»»
Rainfall may be a better predictor of sea turtle hatchling size than ambient temperature, research suggests
Baby sea turtles respond even more to fluctuating precipitation than to changes in air temperature during their development in the egg. The effects of precipitation differ depending on the species—or even the population......»»
Will climate change lead to the extinction of a newly discovered tarantula species?
A new species of tarantula spider, Aphonopelma jacobii, has been discovered from the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona. This small, black and gray tarantula species has fiery red hairs on its abdomen and can be found in the high-elevation.....»»
New insights on how bird flu crosses the species barrier
In recent years, public health measures, surveillance, and vaccination have helped bring about significant progress in reducing the impact of seasonal flu epidemics, caused by human influenza viruses A and B. However, a possible outbreak of avian inf.....»»
Crackles, clicks and pops—now we can monitor the "heartbeat" of soil
Healthy soil is teeming with life. An astonishing 59% of Earth's species live in soil. They play crucial roles in maintaining soil health and, by extension, the health of our planet......»»
Scientists discover phenomenon impacting Earth"s radiation belts
Two University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists have discovered a new type of "whistler," an electromagnetic wave that carries a substantial amount of lightning energy to the Earth's magnetosphere......»»
Review of 400 years of scientific literature corrects the Dodo extinction record
Researchers are setting out to challenge our misconceptions about the Dodo, one of the most well-known but poorly understood species of bird......»»
Elongated tortoises exhibit minimal genetic variation, aiding conservation efforts
The genetic homogeneity of the endangered elongated tortoise aids the species' protection, as demonstrated in a study by Senckenberg researchers and an international team, published in the journal Salamandra......»»
Islands in the sky: Could steep-sided hilltops offer safe haven to threatened species?
Species are disappearing at an alarming rate around the world. But Australia's extinction crisis is especially severe—since European colonization, we have lost about 100 species of animals and plants. The loss of 33 mammal species is largely due to.....»»
A new advanced framework to assess the impact of invasive plants on ecosystems
Researchers from the University of Freiburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen have developed a framework to better assess the impact of invasive plant species on ecosystems......»»
Researchers propose method to manage the invasive weed congress grass
The invasive North American plant species Parthenium hysterophorus, commonly known as Santa Maria feverfew and famine weed, is now present in Africa, Australia, and India, where it is locally known in English as congress grass......»»
Rare butterfly only found on Pa. military base should be listed as endangered, feds say
The eastern subspecies of the regal fritillary butterfly, marked by orange forewings and dark hindwings, is found in only one location in North America and is threatened with extinction......»»
AMD Ryzen 9000 review: Impressive efficiency, with bugs and so-so speed boosts
High prices on an already-expensive AM5 platform make them a hard sell, though. Enlarge / AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) Nearly two years after the release of the first Ryzen 7000 CPUs, AMD has returne.....»»
You definitely want to install these 90 Windows security patches
Microsoft release huge amount of fixes to fix a jaw-dropping 90 security flaws that include nine critical bugs......»»
"Monster plants": An expert guide to alien invasive species and the epic battles they win
A lot of people think of plants as pretty to look at, but defenseless and passive as far as organisms go. However, the many alien species—or "monster plants"—around us show we should never underestimate plants and the fascinating battles that go.....»»
First biogeographic map of ants reveals nine global realms
The distribution of species around the globe is not a random process but an outcome resulting from several evolutionary mechanisms as well as past and current environmental limitations. As a result, since the mid-19th century, biologists have identif.....»»
Unraveling modern bread wheat from the genes up
A genomic resource for the wild grass species Tausch's goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii) has been developed by a team of international researchers led by KAUST. This new understanding will accelerate gene discovery research and shed new light on the stor.....»»
Some solitary mammals have surprisingly social lives: What one researcher has learned from a tiny south African rodent
We probably all know someone who lives a solitary life. But not everyone realizes that there are solitary individuals in the animal kingdom, too. Examples of solitary species are some shrews, and large predators, such as black bears (Ursus americanus.....»»
Study reveals urban trees suffer more from heat waves and drought than their rural counterparts
A recently published study in Ecological Applications details how trees in New York City and Boston are more negatively impacted by heat waves and drought than trees of the same species in nearby rural forests. The finding, made by researchers at the.....»»
The plight of the pig-nosed turtle, one of the unlucky 13 added to Australia"s threatened species list
Australia's unique biodiversity is under siege. The national list of species threatened with extinction is growing, with eight animals and five plants added just last month......»»