Extinct birds on the ballot for New Zealand"s avian beauty contest
Five extinct species have been included on the ballot to find New Zealand's most popular feathered friend as competition organizers hope to draw attention to endangered birds......»»
Researchers calculate up to a billion birds may die in the US each year due to collisions with windows
A team of ornithologists from the Fordham University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the NYC Bird Alliance, Inc, and the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology has found evidence that far more birds are killed by window collisions than previo.....»»
Three forgotten women who wrote fairytales that subverted the Grimms" gender norms
Rapunzel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty—these well-known stories and others, first published by the Brothers Grimm in Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales, 1812), have become shorthand for what we collectively think of as fairytal.....»»
New 400-year temperature record shows Great Barrier Reef is facing catastrophic damage, researchers warn
The Great Barrier Reef is under critical pressure, with warming sea temperatures and mass coral bleaching events threatening to destroy the remarkable ecology, biodiversity, and beauty of the world's largest coral reef, according to new research......»»
Plants offer fruit to insects to disperse dust-like seeds, botanist discovers
Fruit exist to invite animals to disperse the swallowed seeds. A Kobe University research team found that plants targeting insects rather than birds or mammals for this service are more common than previously thought. These plants produce dust-like s.....»»
Study shows renewables raise food prices
As countries including Aotearoa New Zealand embrace renewable energy production, a recent study sheds light on some overlooked impacts of this transition......»»
How large turkey vultures remain aloft in thin air
Mountain hikes are invigorating. Crisp air and clear views can refresh the soul, but thin air presents an additional challenge for high-altitude birds. "All else being equal, bird wings produce less lift in low density air," says Jonathan Rader from.....»»
Penguin wing fossil shows importance of Zealandia in penguin evolution
Three small fossil penguin bones, collected in South Canterbury in 1987, are now shedding new light on how penguin wings have evolved. A new study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, describes a new species of penguin that.....»»
Scientists using new sound tech to save animals from extinction
Research, conducted by The University of Warwick and the University of New South Wales in Australia, analyzes animal sounds from endangered species including types of elephants, whales and birds......»»
Mass extinction 66 million years ago triggered rapid evolution of bird genomes, study finds
Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began......»»
Researchers explore cancer susceptibility in birds
In one of the largest studies of cancer susceptibility across bird species, researchers at Arizona State University describe an intriguing relationship between reproductive rates and cancer susceptibility......»»
The first farmers often made landscapes more biodiverse, providing lessons for rewilding today
You don't need to read the news or scroll through Instagram for long to stumble across the latest example of a rare and beautiful species that has gone extinct. Since AD1500, at least 705 vertebrate species and 571 plant species have died out......»»
Paris Olympics: Canada"s soccer drone scandal highlights the need for ethics education
The Canadian women's soccer team has become the center of controversy after reports from the 2024 Paris Olympics revealed the team used a drone to observe the New Zealand soccer team's training sessions. That has led to New Zealand's team lodging a f.....»»
Birds of a feather flock together but great white sharks have swum apart "forever"
Great white sharks separated into three distinct population groups up to 200,000 years ago and continue to mix only within these separate groups, new research has found......»»
Ghosts of species past: Shedding new light on the demise of NZ"s moa can help other flightless birds
New Zealand was once home to giant flightless birds called moa. They had grown accustomed to life without predators. So the arrival of humans in the mid-13th century presented a massive—and ultimately insurmountable—challenge to their existence......»»
Developing a nano-treatment to help save mangroves from deadly disease
Mangroves and palm trees are hallmarks of the Sunshine State not just for their beauty but for their immense importance to Florida's coastlines......»»
3D models show dolphins already used narrow-band sound waves for orientation 5 million years ago
Senckenberg researcher Dr. Rachel Racicot and her former student Joyce Sanks from Vanderbilt University have examined the inner ear of the extinct dolphin genus Parapontoporia. In their study, published in the journal The Anatomical Record, they show.....»»
Scientists figure out why there are so many colorful birds in the tropics and how these colors spread over time
The color palette of the birds you see out your window depends on where you live. If you're far from the Equator, most birds tend to have drab colors, but the closer you are to the tropics, you'll probably see more and more colorful feathers......»»
New Zealand “deeply shocked” after Canada drone-spied on its Olympic practices—twice
Two Canadians have already been sent home over the incident. Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images) On July 22, the New Zealand women's football (soccer) team was training in Saint-Étienne, France, for its upcom.....»»
Transgender athletes face an uncertain future at the Olympics as reactionary policies gain ground
At the last Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard made history as the first openly transgender athlete in Olympic history. American transgender and non-binary runner Nikki Hiltz recently qualified for the 2024 Paris G.....»»
Want to cook like a Neanderthal? Archaeologists are learning the secrets
There were distinct patterns of cut marks, bone breakage in cooked vs. uncooked birds. Enlarge / A scientist defeathers one of the birds used in hands-on experiments to replicate Neanderthal butchering and cooking methods. (cred.....»»