Male wasps use genitalia to sting their predators
Female bees and wasps use modified ovipositors, formerly used in egg laying, to sting their attackers, including people. Now, a study in Current Biology on December 19 shows that male mason wasps use sharp genital spines to attack and sting predatory.....»»
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......»»
In study of police, female officers perceived more danger, were more suspicious of civilians than male colleagues
How do female police officers, who are often excluded from the traditional masculine occupational culture of policing, feel about their working environment and how the public perceives them? A new study has used survey data from officers in a large,.....»»
When searching for light and a mate in the deep, dark sea, male dragonfish grow larger eyes, scientists discover
A small but ferocious predator, the male dragonfish will apparently do anything for love. Or at least to find a mate. A study by researchers at Boston College found that the eyes of the male dragonfish grow larger for mate-seeking purposes, making th.....»»
Fruit fly post-mating behavior controlled by male-derived peptide via command neurons, finds study
Scientists have succeeded in pinpointing the neurons within a female fruit fly's brain that respond to signals from the male during mating......»»
High school girls" club offers support for peers taking male-dominated automotive classes
The Girls Get It Done Club is aimed at providing support for girls interested in being auto technicians but who don't feel all that comfortable — or confident — in the male-dominated classes they attend at Sabin-Schellenberg Professional Technica.....»»
One more way to die: Tremors when Vesuvius erupted collapsed shelter walls
Two male skeletons showed signs of severe fracture and trauma injuries. Enlarge / Two skeletons found in the ruins of a Pompeii building may have been crushed by wall collapses triggered by earthquakes. (credit: Pompeii Archaeolo.....»»
Ladybugs: Understanding the beneficial predators among us
Lady beetles, also known as ladybugs, are distinct, varied and abundant, with approximately 500 species in North America and 6,000 worldwide. Their oval, dome-shaped bodies can be colorful and decorative, but the "lady" designation has nothing to do.....»»
Researchers listen to the hearts of bats in flight
Researchers from Konstanz have measured the heart rate of bats over several days in the wild, including complete flights—the first time this has been done for a bat species. To record the heart rate of male common noctule bats during flight, the sc.....»»
A pregnant stingray with no male companion now has a "reproductive disease," aquarium says
A North Carolina aquarium that said it had a pregnant stingray with no male companion now says the fish has a rare reproductive disease......»»
Study reveals maintenance of male-related genes after loss of males in stick insects
Traits are often lost during evolution, either because they are no longer beneficial or because they are too costly to maintain. When this happens, it is generally believed that the genes underlying the trait will eventually degrade as well, making i.....»»
DNA analysis reveals that there are more species of parasitoid wasps than anticipated
When Charles Darwin first encountered parasitoid wasps, he was horrified. In an 1860 letter to American botanist Asa Gray, he wrote: "I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the.....»»
Animals self-medicate with plants—a behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists observing him......»»
New findings on fertility: Sperm can adapt to sexually transmitted microbes
Researchers from Dresden University of Technology (TUD) and the University of Sheffield have discovered that male fertility can adapt to microbes. These findings shed new light on the importance of sperm ecology and might have significant implication.....»»
Bigger is better: Male proboscis monkeys" enhanced noses evolved to attract mates, says study
When it comes to the animal kingdom, bigger is better, at least for proboscis monkeys, famously known for their long, large and droopy noses......»»
AI model accurately predicts male fruit flies" courtship behavior in response to sight of a female
We've been told, "The eyes are the window to the soul." Well, windows work two ways. Our eyes are also our windows to the world. What we see and how we see it help determine how we move through the world. In other words, our vision helps guide our ac.....»»
Biologists discover caterpillars are able to sense electrostatic fields generated by predators
Sam England and Daniel Robert, biologists at the University of Bristol, report that at least three types of caterpillars are capable of sensing and responding to an electrostatic field generated by a predator......»»
New research suggests diverse headgear in hoofed mammals evolved from common ancestor
From the small ossicones on a giraffe to the gigantic antlers of a male moose—which can grow as wide as a car—the headgear of ruminant hooved mammals is extremely diverse, and new research suggests that despite the physical differences, fundament.....»»
A penguin with an unconventional call inspires researchers to change how they study penguins
An emperor penguin's sex determines the nature of their courtship call—male vocalizations are composed of long, slow bursts with lower frequency tones than the female version. But calls of SeaWorld San Diego male penguin E-79 caught the attention o.....»»
New candidate genes for human male infertility found by analyzing gorillas" unusual reproductive system
Despite their formidable bodies, male gorillas are lacking in one particular area of their anatomy......»»
Dice snakes found to use a variety of techniques to more effectively fake their own deaths
A pair of biologists at the University of Belgrade, in Serbia, has found that dice snakes use a variety of techniques to fool predators into believing they have died. In their paper published in the journal Biology Letters, Vukašin Bjelica and Ana G.....»»