San Diego closes off a sea lion hot spot where selfie-taking humans are just too much
Point La Jolla, known as one of California's prime sea lion rookeries, will no longer be accessible to the public after a unanimous vote by the San Diego City Council......»»
Protective salt marshes along coasts are in danger across the globe but it"s not too late to act, researchers say
Salt marshes are among coastal habitats endangered by both rising sea levels and urban development......»»
Detecting the gravitational wave memory effect from core-collapse supernovae
Einstein's theory of gravity, general relativity, has passed all tests with predictions that are spot-on. One prediction that remains is "gravitational wave memory"—the prediction that a passing gravitational wave will permanently change the distan.....»»
Stem cell transplants could save the world"s corals, say researchers
Climate change is bleaching and killing off vast amounts of the world's coral due to rising sea temperatures. Dr. Benyamin Rosental of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and his colleagues have proposed an out of the box potential solution: transplan.....»»
Finding the "sweet spot": Marine animals save energy by swimming at optimal depths
Researchers from Swansea and Deakin Universities have found that marine animals across mammals, birds and reptiles swim at similar relative depths when traveling and not feeding to save energy......»»
Simple enrichment reduces boredom and boosts welfare in housed dairy cows
Understanding dairy cow behavior has been a hot topic of dairy science research in the last few decades. In a special issue of JDS Communications dedicated to behavior in dairy animals, a new study highlights the importance of environmental enrichmen.....»»
Sea sponge-inspired microlenses offer new possibilities in optics
Beneath the ocean's surface, simple marine animals called sea sponges grow delicate glass skeletons that are as intricate as they are strong. These natural structures are made of a material called silica—also known as bioglass—that is both lightw.....»»
Ancient genes pinpoint when humans and Neanderthals mixed and mingled
Neanderthals and humans likely mixed and mingled during a narrow time frame 45,000 years ago, scientists reported Thursday......»»
Like Netflix’s thriller Carry-On? Then watch these 3 movies right now
Netflix has an odd way of celebrating the holiday season. No, I’m not talking about Hot Frosty, a popular movie offering that sees Frosty the Snowman transformed into a hot human man with abs. I’m talking about , a thriller set during the.....»»
The secret to living to 110? Bad record-keeping, researcher says
Most of what we know about humans living to very old age is based on faulty data, including the science behind the "blue zones" famous for having a high proportion of people over 100, according to one researcher......»»
Buried landforms reveal North Sea"s ancient glacial past
An international team of researchers, including a glaciologist at Newcastle University, UK, has discovered remarkably well-preserved glacial landforms buried almost 1 km beneath the North Sea......»»
California researchers find sea otter population helps stop invasion of green crabs
Though sea otters are an unofficial mascot of Monterey County and popular among tourists and locals alike, they are also described as voracious predators that help keep problematic invaders out of coastal waters......»»
Video: A biologist explains how animals move
For millennia, humans have observed and have been inspired by the ways that animals move. Some researchers theorize that paintings in famous caves like Chauvet and Lascaux, made more than 30,000 years ago, were designed to show the ways a horse might.....»»
King tides are back and what they"re telling us
King tides return this weekend and with them a reminder of rising sea levels......»»
How much permafrost will melt this century, and where will its carbon go?
Among the many things global warming will be melting this century—sea ice, land glaciers and tourist businesses in seaside towns across the world—is permafrost. Lying underneath 15% of the northern hemisphere, permafrost consists of accumulating.....»»
Do animals get jealous like people? Researchers say it"s complicated
It's a question that has puzzled thinkers for centuries: Are we humans alone in our pursuit of fairness and the frustration we feel when others get what we want?.....»»
Southern states brace for water changes, report finds
Water is everywhere. It falls freely from the sky and flows across the earth. Humans are inextricably connected to water and to forests. Changes in land use, forest conditions, and climate affect water – with consequences for drinking water treatme.....»»
Neanderthal-human interbreeding lasted 7,000 years, new study reveals
A new analysis of DNA from ancient modern humans (Homo sapiens) in Europe and Asia has determined, more precisely than ever, the time period during which Neanderthals interbred with modern humans, starting about 50,500 years ago and lasting about 7,0.....»»
Ancient genomes link early Europeans to Neanderthal ancestry
After modern humans left Africa, they met and interbred with Neanderthals, resulting in around 2–3% Neanderthal DNA that can be found in the genomes of all people outside Africa today. However, little is known about the genetics of these first pion.....»»
Studies pin down exactly when humans and Neanderthals swapped DNA
We may owe our tiny sliver of Neanderthal DNA to just a couple of hundred Neanderthals. Two recent studies suggest that the gene flow (as the young people call it these days) betw.....»»
Montserrat"s wandering turtles highlight need for conservation without borders
Sea turtles that nest in Montserrat migrate and feed in the waters of multiple Caribbean countries and territories—according to a new study that highlights the need for international conservation efforts......»»