Q&A: Does noisy construction of offshore wind farms disturb marine animals?
Offshore wind farms can be an energy boon, but does their noisy construction bother marine animals? UMD's Arthur N. Popper, who studies underwater sounds and their ecological impacts, weighs in......»»
Q&A: Holobiont biology, a new concept for exploring how microbiome shapes evolution of visible life
Microorganisms—bacteria, viruses and other tiny life forms—may drive biological variation in visible life as much, if not more, than genetic mutations, creating new lineages and even new species of animals and plants, according to Seth Bordenstei.....»»
Experiments show backyard birds learn from their new neighbors when moving house
Scientists have found a trigger for social learning in wild animals. An experiment on great tits has pinpointed a single factor—immigration—that can cause birds to pay close attention to others, leading them to rapidly adopt useful behaviors......»»
Teen in critical condition with Canada’s first human case of H5 bird flu
The teen had no clear exposures to animals. No contacts have tested positive. A British Columbia teen who contracted Canada's first known human case of H5 bird flu has deteriorate.....»»
Bioluminescent proteins made from scratch enable non-invasive, multi-functional biological imaging
Bioluminescence is the natural chemical process of light creation in some living creatures that makes fireflies flicker and some jellyfish glow. Scientists have long been interested in borrowing the secrets of these animals' light-producing genes to.....»»
Researchers identify two primary tree movement patterns that help them survive high winds and prevent damage
Destructive winds during storms and cyclones often cause tree failures, especially through uprooting and stem breakage. However, how trees respond to wind under various forest configurations and weather conditions remains unclear......»»
Virtual fruity fly model can simulate sensory navigation
All animals, large or small, have to move at an incredible precision to interact with the world. Understanding how the brain controls movement is a fundamental question in neuroscience. For larger animals, this is challenging because of the complexit.....»»
European ocean research community calls for enhanced monitoring to improve ocean observation
European marine researchers are calling for an urgent improvement and standardization of ocean monitoring. The call is also addressed to the international community, which gathers in Baku starting today (Nov. 11) for the UN Climate Change Conference.....»»
New strategies needed to combat immune system-damaging poultry virus detected on UK farms
Researchers working to understand the prevalence of a virus that can severely damage the immune system of chickens have said that new strategies are needed to improve the control of the disease in the UK......»»
Elephant seal numbers drop after avian flu outbreak: First report of transmission between marine mammals
The sounds of barking elephant seals are again in the air along the breeding grounds of Península Valdés, Argentina—but it's quieter. Almost exactly a year after a massive outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza killed more than 17,000.....»»
Saturday Citations: Color vision created demand for colorful animals; observing black hole light echoes; deadlines!
This week, researchers hypothesized that human culture is distinguished from cultures of other species like whales by unique open-endedness—the ability to communicate and understand an infinite number of possibilities. An ancient unicellular organi.....»»
Research team investigates climate change impact on pecan orchards
How are U.S. agricultural crops affected by climate change? A research team from The University of Texas at El Paso aims to find out, starting with the region's pecan farms......»»
Encouraging quiet during zoo visits might lead to a better appreciation of the animals, say researchers
Encouraging quietness during zoo trips can help visitors better appreciate their inhabitants and lead to more fulfilling, respectful and informative experiences, a new paper argues......»»
The rise of color vision in animals: Study maps dramatic 100-million-year explosion in color signals
Colors are widely used in communication within and among animal species. For example, peacocks proudly display their vibrant tails, adorned with iridescent eyespots, to attract peahens for courtship. This is a classic example of sexual selection usin.....»»
New report sets out a route to transform environmental consenting in UK offshore wind
A report published this week by the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult lays out a new approach to environmental monitoring and consenting within the UK offshore wind sector......»»
Researchers discover genetic reason for the red, yellow and orange bills of Australian finches
What gives an Australian finch its brilliantly colored red, yellow or orange bill? A major new study has uncovered the genetic switches controlling these distinctive colors, revealing a key piece in the puzzle of how animals develop their coloration......»»
Wind-fanned wildfire burning out of control near Los Angeles
A "dangerously fast" wildfire fanned by hurricane-strength winds was burning out of control near Los Angeles on Wednesday, with thousands of residents ordered to evacuate and some taken to the hospital......»»
Evolutionary anthropologist presents hypothesis about why humans are dominating the world over other animals
Why is human culture—the shared body of knowledge passed down across generations—so much more powerful than animal cultures?.....»»
Australian dragon study reveals surprising link between motor systems control and sleep rhythms
Sleep is one of the most mysterious, yet ubiquitous components of our biology. It has been described in all major groups of animals, including worms, jellyfish, insects or cephalopods, and in all vertebrates, from fish to humans. Common characteristi.....»»
Ancient unicellular organism indicates embryonic development might have existed prior to animals" evolution
Chromosphaera perkinsii is a single-celled species discovered in 2017 in marine sediments around Hawaii. The first signs of its presence on Earth have been dated at over a billion years, well before the appearance of the first animals......»»
"Shallow" sports and "deep" social hierarchies: Not all pecking orders are created equally
University of Michigan researchers have added a new dimension to the mathematics used to predict the outcomes of all manner of competitions, including sports, games and social hierarchies in both humans and animals......»»