Should animals have voting rights?
A new paper in Analysis argues that it may be time to extend voting rights to animals......»»
A new pandemic could ride in on animals we eat, study warns
Researchers warn the animals we eat could be the gateway to a pandemic in the form of antimicrobial resistance, unleashing a wave of deadly superbugs......»»
Eyes in the sky and on the ground: Enhanced dryland monitoring with remote sensing
While animals in drylands hone their natural senses to find vegetation, humans have developed "external eyes" to track these vital resources......»»
Tissue fluidization during skin repair is crucial for wound healing, study reveals
The ability to repair tissue following injuries is essential for the survival of all animals. Following wounding, the skin is repaired by activating, migrating, and dividing skin stem cells. Defects of wound healing in humans lead to chronic wounds t.....»»
Animals with higher body temperatures are more likely to evolve into herbivores, study finds
A University of Arizona study has uncovered a surprising relationship between an animal's body temperature and its likelihood of evolving into an herbivore. The study, published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, offers fresh insights in.....»»
Struggling pet owners feel pain of hard choices
Pet owners in financial difficulty can face "heart-wrenching" dilemmas about how to help animals that need unexpected veterinary care, a study suggests......»»
How "winner and loser effects" impact social rank in animals—and humans
Research has shown that in many animals, the winners of a fight are more likely to win subsequent contests, while the losers tend to lose their following fights. In experiments where male stickleback fish were randomly introduced to another fish, 65%.....»»
X-ray irradiation technique helps to control cancer-causing poison in corn
Corn, a staple food crop consumed by billions of people and animals worldwide, is frequently contaminated by the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1, a highly potent carcinogen produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus......»»
Tree mortality may lead to carbon tipping point in the Amazon by 2050s
The Amazon rainforest is home to a diverse cast of plants and animals. This vital, verdant landscape also plays a crucial role in managing the effects of climate change by storing significant amounts of carbon and helping regulate temperatures and ra.....»»
Islands in the sky: Could steep-sided hilltops offer safe haven to threatened species?
Species are disappearing at an alarming rate around the world. But Australia's extinction crisis is especially severe—since European colonization, we have lost about 100 species of animals and plants. The loss of 33 mammal species is largely due to.....»»
Study shows companies can profit by aligning financial goals with social aims
International research involving Monash University has shown that businesses can achieve financial success by embracing critical global issues such as climate change, poverty, human rights violations and medical breakthroughs as a core mission......»»
New generation of ecological models needed to safeguard future of biodiversity, says researcher
Protecting animals, ecosystems and biodiversity is one of the big challenges of our time. With climate change dramatically impacting the planet and transformations in society such as housing development and urbanization, protecting ecosystems and the.....»»
Studying the journey, not the destination, provides new insight into songbird migrations
Migration is an adaptive phenomenon, typically triggered by a change of season, that is vital to ecosystem health. Animals may journey thousands of miles, in some cases, in search of food, better living conditions, or to find a mate. Conversely, huma.....»»
How color shapes which animals we fear—and which we protect
Around the world, animals that exhibit rare color morphisms—including lighter-colored variants with albinism or leucism and dark-colored variants with melanism—are often the subject of both veneration and fear in humans......»»
The plight of the pig-nosed turtle, one of the unlucky 13 added to Australia"s threatened species list
Australia's unique biodiversity is under siege. The national list of species threatened with extinction is growing, with eight animals and five plants added just last month......»»
Unveiling the ancient Maya"s relationship to animals and nature
As the scorching May sun of Central Belize blazes down on us, temperatures soar to a staggering 106°F. Local farmers anxiously await the onset of the rainy season to sow their crops, but the much-needed first rain remains elusive. This property is o.....»»
French sheep farmers fret over bluetongue outbreak
French authorities reported Thursday more than 20 suspected cases of bluetongue virus in sheep, raising fears a potentially fatal outbreak after hundreds of animals were infected in neighboring Belgium......»»
A new mechanism for animal food caching behavior discovered
New research from Hebrew University proposes a novel, non-memory-based mechanism for how animals cache and retrieve food. Instead of relying on memory, the researchers suggest that animals use a neural mechanism similar to hash functions in computing.....»»
Ten years of research shows chlamydia vaccine can save lives of wild koalas
The largest and longest-ever survey of wild koalas has confirmed a chlamydia vaccine, developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast, can protect the animals from developing and dying from the disease......»»
Lemurs use long-term memory, smell, and social cues to find food
How do foraging animals find their food? A new study by New York University researchers shows that lemurs use smell, social cues, and long-term memory to locate hidden fruit—a combination of factors that may have deep evolutionary roots......»»
Plants offer fruit to insects to disperse dust-like seeds, botanist discovers
Fruit exist to invite animals to disperse the swallowed seeds. A Kobe University research team found that plants targeting insects rather than birds or mammals for this service are more common than previously thought. These plants produce dust-like s.....»»