This bird species was extinct in Europe. Now it"s back, and humans must help it migrate for winter
How do you teach a bird how, and where, to fly? The distinctive Northern Bald Ibis, hunted essentially to extinction by the 17th century, was revived by breeding and rewilding efforts over the last two decades. But the birds—known for their distinc.....»»
Invasive Species Are Threatening the Quality of New York’s Tap Water
Zebra mussels, hydrilla, and now a water flea have made their homes in New Croton Reservoir......»»
The US Has a Cloned Sheep Contraband Problem
After a Montana man illegally cloned and bred an endangered giant sheep species, government agencies must now contend with the illicit offspring......»»
Great Britain lags behind Europe on restricting gambling marketing, new research shows
A new study, by the University of Bristol and Ipsos, adds to mounting evidence showing gambling marketing needs much stricter national regulation......»»
People do care about extinct species, but not for long—new study
Lonesome George was discovered motionless in his enclosure, one morning in June 2012. Overnight, George had taken not only his final breath but the final breath of his entire species, the Pinta Island tortoise, as it faded into extinction......»»
Restricting cars in cities: A cost-benefit analysis of Low Emission Zones
Faced with unmanageable traffic and health-threatening air quality, hundreds of cities across Europe are adopting measures to reduce the number of vehicles clogging their streets, with the aim of lowering air pollution levels and improving the qualit.....»»
Leeches are making a medical comeback—here"s why we should celebrate it
As we tidy away the Dracula capes and glow-in-the-dark plastic fangs for another winter, one notorious blood sucker has had a particularly good year......»»
Meet Strawberry Claws—a new species of hermit crab
Say hello to Strawberry Claws, a large new-to-science species of hermit crab recently described by Queensland Museum scientists......»»
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.....»»
New insights into the Denisovans—the hominin group that interbred with modern day humans
Scientists believe individuals of the most recently discovered hominin group (the Denisovans) that interbred with modern day humans passed on some of their genes via multiple, distinct interbreeding events that helped shape early human history......»»
New tools give researchers hope for fungus-ravaged US bats
Standing at a woodland entrance to the world's longest cave system in Kentucky, a park ranger warns those about to enter of an extremely deadly fungus—not for humans, but for the bat populations it has devastated across North America......»»
"Storyline" simulations can gauge the role of global warming in extreme weather events
Only a few weeks ago, massive precipitation produced by the storm "Boris" led to chaos and flooding in Central and Eastern Europe. An analysis conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute shows that in a world without the current level of global warming.....»»
Power of aesthetic species on social media boosts wildlife conservation efforts, say experts
Facebook and Instagram can boost wildlife conservation efforts through public awareness and engagement, according to a study published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Communication......»»
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.....»»
Industrial companies in Europe targeted with GuLoader
A recent spear-phishing campaign targeting industrial and engineering companies in Europe was aimed at saddling victims with the popular GuLoader downloader and, ultimately, a remote access trojan that would permit attackers to steal information from.....»»
Mountaineering mice shed light on evolutionary adaptation
Teams of mountaineering mice are helping advance understanding into how evolutionary adaptation to localized conditions can enable a single species to thrive across diverse environments......»»
New giant particle collider "right option for science": Next CERN chief
The next head of Europe's CERN physics laboratory said Thursday that he favored moving forward with plans for a giant particle collider far more powerful than the collider that discovered the famous "God particle"......»»
Europe wants ministers at plastic pollution treaty talks
Europe is pushing for ministers to take part in UN talks this month to ensure that the world's first treaty on plastic pollution will be "highly ambitious"......»»
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......»»