Mammals were not the first to be warm-blooded
Endothermy, or warm-bloodedness, is the ability of mammals and birds to produce their own body heat and control their body temperature......»»
Large mammals shaped the evolution of humans in Africa, says ecologist
That humans originated in Africa is widely accepted. But it's not generally recognized how unique features of Africa's ecology were responsible for the crucial evolutionary transitions from forest-inhabiting fruit-eater to savanna-dwelling hunter. Th.....»»
No spread of H5N1 bird flu between mammals found
Mammals can become infected with the highly pathogenic (HPAI) avian influenza H5N1 virus when they feed on infected sick or dead wild birds. Studies by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR) show that there is no spread of the virus between the mam.....»»
France under pressure to save dolphins from trawlers
Hundreds of dolphins are washing up on France's Atlantic coast and thousands more are believed killed in fishermen's nets each year, as environmentalists and Brussels pressure the government to protect the marine mammals......»»
Split-second of evolutionary cellular change could have led to mammals, suggests new hypothesis
A newly-published hypothesis, led by a UCL researcher, suggests a momentary leap in a single species on a single day millions of years ago might ultimately have led to the arrival of mammals—and therefore humans......»»
Offshore wind farm construction is noisy—but gadgets used to protect marine mammals are working
The European Union had 14.6 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy installed in 2021, and this is projected to increase by at least 25 times in the next ten years. While an expanding renewable energy sector is necessary to replace fossil fuels and sl.....»»
Are the fish in your aquarium happy? Five things to look out for
If 1,500 captive mammals suffocated to death in a zoo, their suffering would spark an outcry. So when a Berlin hotel aquarium exploded at the end of 2022, why did so few people comment on the welfare of the fish? Aquatic species don't seem to induce.....»»
The role of a novel long non-coding RNA in the immune escape of pathogenic Vibrio in fish
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate almost all biological processes, protein production, inflammatory responses, immune regulation, tumorigenesis and infection. In mammals, the classic formation of miRNA needs to transcribe a lo.....»»
Most humans haven"t evolved to cope with the cold, yet we dominate northern climates—here"s why
Humans are a tropical species. We have lived in warm climates for most of our evolutionary history, which might explain why so many of us spend winter huddled under a blanket, clutching a hot water bottle and dreaming of summer......»»
Evolution of uniquely human DNA was a balancing act, study concludes
Humans and chimpanzees differ in only one percent of their DNA. Human accelerated regions (HARs) are parts of the genome with an unexpected amount of these differences. HARs were stable in mammals for millennia but quickly changed in early humans. Sc.....»»
Feds release bleak 2022 climate change data: Oceans warm, global temps among hottest on record
In one announcement after another this week, a grim accounting emerged of the world's extreme weather and climate disasters in 2022......»»
How do customers feel about algorithms?
Customers feel good about a company when its representatives make decisions in their favor, such as approving their loan application or gold member status. But when an algorithm reaches the same favorable conclusion, those warm and fuzzy feelings ten.....»»
2022 was once again one of the warmest years on record
Final tallies contain no surprises—it was a warm one. Enlarge / Average 2022 temperatures compared to the average of 1991-2020. (credit: NOAA) They say history repeats, but usually they don’t mean it quite this liter.....»»
Climate change puts brakes on speedy corals
Scientists at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) have found some fast-growing coral species on the Great Barrier Reef slow down their growth rates when exposed to warm water......»»
Corridors between Western US national parks would greatly increase the persistence time of mammals
National parks are the backbone of conservation. Yet mounting evidence shows that many parks are too small to sustain long-term viable populations and maintain essential, large-scale ecological processes, such as large mammal migrations and natural d.....»»
Here today, gone tomorrow: How humans lost their body hair
Orangutans, mice, and horses are covered with it, but humans aren't. Why we have significantly less body hair than most other mammals has long remained a mystery. But a first-of-its-kind comparison of genetic codes from 62 animals is beginning to tel.....»»
Spain sees hottest year on record in 2022
Spain in 2022 experienced the hottest year since records began, the country's national weather service said Monday, adding that several northern cities were also unseasonably warm on New Year's Day 2023......»»
Apple data center town heating plan may finally happen, six years later
It’s been more than five years since plans were announced for an innovative Apple data center town heating plan. The idea was to harvest excess heat, and use it to help warm nearby homes. That plan still hasn’t been implemented, but there is now.....»»
Honeybees at risk, along with the crops they pollinate: Scientists think the solution lies in the insects" brains
The honeybees looked perfectly healthy, buzzing about their boxy wooden hive on a warm autumn day in central Pennsylvania......»»
Successful hypothermia in nonhuman primate paves the way for future application in human torpor during spaceflight
Hibernation is a state adopted by certain mammals as an adaptation to adverse winter conditions. Typical features of hibernation include greatly reduced metabolic activity and lowered body temperature......»»
Drying process could be key step in development of life
One-hundred fifty years ago, Charles Darwin speculated that life likely originated in a warm little pond. There, Darwin supposed, chemical reactions and the odd lightning strike might have led to chains of amino acids that, over time, became more and.....»»