Vegetarian birds more sociable than insect eaters
Weaver birds that eat seeds flock together and nest in colonies more commonly than those species that eat insects, suggests new research by an international team of scientists led by the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath. For the.....»»
Unearthing the leaf miners of ancient times: 312-million-year-old fossil sheds light on insect behavior and evolution
Insects are fragile, soft-bodied animals whose remains are difficult to preserve. Wings are often fossilized, but insect bodies, if present, are usually bits and pieces of the original prehistoric animal, making it difficult for scientists to study t.....»»
Survival of the newest: The mammals that survive mass extinctions aren"t as "boring" as scientists thought
When an asteroid hit the Earth 66 million years ago, it set off a devastating mass extinction. The dinosaurs (except for a few birds) all died out, along with lots of the mammals. But some small mammals survived, laying the groundwork for all the mam.....»»
Unique voice prints in parrots could help birds be recognized in a flock, no matter what they say
Parrots are exceptional talkers. They can learn new sounds during their entire lives, amassing an almost unlimited vocal repertoire. At the same time, parrots produce calls so they can be individually recognized by members of their flock—raising th.....»»
"Invasion" of tropical birds known as limpkins reported in Illinois—invasive snails may be attractive food source
While on a recent visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden, Ann Harness spotted a creature she'd never seen before. The tall brown bird with a long bill looked like a cross between a rail and a heron......»»
Stars and inner compass guide moths and birds, say researchers
Gray-brown bogong moths may not be much to look at, but every year they perform a nocturnal journey worthy of attention. Billions of them fly as many as 1,000 kilometers from plains in eastern Australia to mountain caves to escape the summer heat......»»
Research: Electrons in a strange metal world
Imagine a flock of birds as they wheel across the sky: surging into a mass, flowing into ribbons that twist and turn again into fantastic shapes. If you follow one bird within the flock, you can describe its actions, the way it flaps its wings or use.....»»
Emperor penguins face a bleak future, but some colonies will do better than others in diverse sea-ice conditions
The long-term future looks bleak for Emperor penguins, but our new research shows some birds may be able to survive in certain conditions, depending on where they live, at least for the next few decades......»»
France to vaccinate millions of ducks against bird flu
France on Monday began Europe's only vaccination campaign against bird flu in ducks, hoping to avoid mass culls of millions of birds that have dearly cost the industry in recent years......»»
How Insect Brains Melt and Rewire During Metamorphosis
Do fruit flies remember their larval lives? To find out, scientists made the neurons inside larvae glow, then tracked how they reshuffled as they formed adult brains......»»
"New way of looking at nature": These naturalists explore queer ecology with geese, owls and more
As Raquel García-Álvarez guides hikers on a trail surrounding the Sand Ridge Nature Center, her remarks on flora and fauna are interrupted by geese honking. She explains, as curious onlookers admire the birds skirting the water, that there's more t.....»»
Spotted lanternfly has spread to Illinois, threatening trees and crops
Illinois is the latest state to find invasive spotted lanternflies, an winged insect that's spreading across the eastern U.S. and is subject to squish-on-sight requests in New York and elsewhere......»»
Cocoon review: mesmerizing indie will put you inside of a bug’s brain
Cocoon is unlike anything you've played before, turning the insect world into a mesmerizing puzzle adventure......»»
Study shows protecting lands slows biodiversity loss among vertebrates by five times
Protecting large swaths of Earth's land can help stem the tide of biodiversity loss—including for vertebrates like amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds, according to a study published in Nature Sept. 27......»»
Vega"s fuel-free CubeSats will use wings to keep in formation
Spain's trio of ANSER CubeSats, due to fly on Europe's next Vega launcher, will fly like a flock of birds in orbit—in more ways than one. Keeping in formation by following their leader, the three shoebox-sized satellite will image Iberian waters as.....»»
New insect genus discovered in one of the most biodiverse rain forest regions in the world
The Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve in Peru has often been described as the most biodiverse rainforest in the world. For example, in recent decades, scientist have discovered several new bird species from the region. Researchers at the University.....»»
Caribbean parrots thought to be endemic are actually relicts of millennial-scale extinction
In a new study published in PNAS, researchers have extracted the first ancient DNA from Caribbean parrots, which they compared with genetic sequences from modern birds. Working with fossils and archaeological specimens, they showed that two species t.....»»
Migratory birds can be taught to adjust to climate change, study shows
One result of climate change is that spring is arriving earlier. However, migratory birds are not keeping up with these developments and arrive too late for the peak in food availability when it is time for breeding. By getting the birds to fly a lit.....»»
Researchers" analysis of perching birds points to new answers in evolutionary diversification
When Charles Darwin traveled to the Galapagos Islands almost 200 years ago as a gentleman naturalist, he used the power of observation to develop his theory that species evolve over time......»»
AI could make studying birds easier
Artificial intelligence could make studying birds easier, thanks to the work of a University of Alberta student......»»
High-energy-density chemical fuel powers bug-sized robots to leap, lift and race
Cornell researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion and can outrace, outlift, outflex and outleap its electric-driven competitors......»»