Purple-crowned fairy wrens exhibiting unusual breeding behaviour
What gets birds in the mood to knock feathers? It's the unexpected question ecologists and researchers in central Kimberley have been faced with after witnessing an increase in purple-crowned fairy wrens breeding outside of their traditional season......»»
Scientists unlock key to breeding "carbon gobbling" plants with a major appetite
The discovery of how a critical enzyme "hidden in nature's blueprint" works sheds new light on how cells control key processes in carbon fixation, a process fundamental for life on Earth......»»
First mother-daughter burial from Roman times in Austria discovered
When a grave was discovered in Wels 20 years ago, the find was thought to be an early medieval double burial of a married couple and a horse due to its unusual features. Only now could the biological gender and family relationships of those buried be.....»»
Weak magnetic field may have supported diversification of life on Earth
An unusual reduction in the strength of Earth's magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago coincided with a significant increase in the oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, according to a paper published in Communications Earth & Env.....»»
iPad at war: How the iPad is crucial to the Ukraine war effort
The iPad is being used for an unusual purpose in the Ukraine-Russia conflict — they're helping the Ukraine Air Force use modern weapons on older fighter jets.An iPad in a jet [X/OSINTtechnical]One of the problems of using older vehicles in war is t.....»»
Tidal disruption event ASASSN-19bt experiences unusual radio evolution, observations show
An international team of astronomers has conducted detailed radio and X-ray observations of a tidal disruption event (TDE) designated ASASSN-19bt. Results of the observational campaign, presented April 18 on the pre-print server arXiv, shed more ligh.....»»
Orion"s erupting star system reveals its secrets
An unusual group of stars in the Orion constellation have revealed their secrets. FU Orionis, a double star system, first caught astronomers' attention in 1936 when the central star suddenly became 1,000 times brighter than usual. This behavior, expe.....»»
When does a conductor not conduct? Switching a 2D metal-organic framework from an insulator to a metal
An Australian-led study has found unusual insulating behavior in a new atomically-thin material—and the ability to switch it on and off......»»
Tiny rubber spheres used to make a programmable fluid
The spheres collapse under pressure, giving the fluid very unusual properties. Enlarge / At critical pressures, the fluid's spheres become a mixture of different states. (credit: Adel Djellouli/Harvard SEAS) Building a r.....»»
How creating less-gassy cows could help fight climate change
A Curtin University study has revealed breeding less-flatulent cows and restoring agricultural land could significantly reduce rising methane emission levels, which play a considerable role in climate change......»»
Flat faces and difficulty breathing: How pet trends have harmed animal health—and what we can we do about it
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes. We've molded some of them to have large protruding eyes, sloping backs and shortened legs through selective breeding......»»
Development of organic semiconductors featuring ultrafast electrons
Scientists have created conducting two-dimensional polymers exhibiting electron mobility comparable to graphene. Their research has been featured in the online edition of Chem......»»
Wild turkey numbers are falling in some parts of the US—the main reason may be habitat loss
Birdsong is a welcome sign of spring, but robins and cardinals aren't the only birds showing off for breeding season. In many parts of North America, you're likely to encounter male wild turkeys, puffed up like beach balls and with their tails fanned.....»»
Team finds direct evidence of "itinerant breeding" in East Coast shorebird species
Migration and reproduction are two of the most demanding events in a bird's annual cycle, so much so that the vast majority of migratory birds separate the two tasks into different times of the year......»»
Migratory birds are on the move and nature-friendly farms can help them on their way
Every spring, hundreds of thousands of birds leave their winter habitat on Poyang, the largest freshwater lake in China, and fly north over the most densely populated region on Earth to reach their breeding grounds in Siberia. As with any long-distan.....»»
Fairy-wrens are more likely to help a mate in the harsh of winter, ornithologists find
Monash University ornithologists have shed light on the intricate relationship between social structure, environmental conditions, and cooperative behavior in superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus)......»»
Cut light pollution and treat glass to help migrating birds, say researchers
Spring bird migration has begun. Under cover of darkness, 2.5–3.5 billion birds will fly northward to their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, now is one of the most important times of yea.....»»
Older male blue tits out-compete young males when it comes to extra-marital breeding
Young male blue tits are less successful in fathering offspring outside their breeding pair, not because of a lack of experience, but because they are outcompeted by older males, Bart Kempenaers and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Biolog.....»»
Researchers discover new clues to how tardigrades can survive intense radiation
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have discovered that tardigrades—microscopic animals famed for surviving harsh extremes—have an unusual response to radiation......»»
The great tits in this Oxford wood are adapting their breeding times as climate changes
As part of a team of ecologists, I've been studying aspects of great tit biology at Wytham Woods near Oxford. One aspect of our research is how climate change affects their breeding behavior. So far, our research suggests that these great tits have b.....»»
Digging up new species of Australia and New Guinea"s giant fossil kangaroos
Paleontologists from Flinders University have described three unusual new species of giant fossil kangaroo from Australia and New Guinea, finding them more diverse in shape, range and hopping method than previously thought......»»