Want to Get Along With Robots? Pretend They’re Animals
Robotics ethicist Kate Darling surveys our history with animals—in work, war, and companionship—to show how we might develop similar relationships with robots......»»
Surfing NASA"s internet of animals: Satellites study ocean wildlife
Anchoring the boat in a sandbar, research scientist Morgan Gilmour steps into the shallows and is immediately surrounded by sharks. The warm waters around the tropical island act as a reef shark nursery, and these baby biters are curious about the ne.....»»
From robots and drones to sheep trackers, new tech can help farmers monitor and improve soil health
Twelve million hectares of agricultural soils are lost globally through soil degradation every year. As an ecologist, I work alongside farmers and growers in the field and have seen how farming can help solve this global soil crisis......»»
How a global collaboration is helping protect biodiversity
Ask a 10-year-old to name some extinct animals and they can usually rattle off ancient species such as the Tasmanian Tiger, Woolly Mammoth and Dodo. Some may even be able to tell you what the animals used to look like without searching online......»»
Global database reveals large gaps in our knowledge of four-footed animals
Researchers have developed TetrapodTraits—a global database of animals with four feet—which can now be applied for better ecology, evolution and conservation research. Mario Moura of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil, and Walter Jetz.....»»
Life underground suited newly discovered dinosaur, study finds
The age of dinosaurs wasn't conducted solely above ground. A newly discovered ancestor of Thescelosaurus shows evidence that these animals spent at least part of their time in underground burrows. The new species contributes to a fuller understanding.....»»
As ocean surfaces acidify, a deep-sea acidic zone is expanding, and marine habitats are being squeezed
In the deepest parts of the ocean, below 4,000 meters, the combination of high pressure and low temperature creates conditions that dissolve calcium carbonate, the material marine animals use to make their shells......»»
A wildlife crossing is proposed for Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains
People view highways as a way to move from Point A to Point B, but to the animals that inhabit either side of a busy roadway, the lanes are a potentially deadly barrier......»»
Brain size riddle solved as humans exceed evolutionary trend
The largest animals do not have proportionally bigger brains—with humans bucking this trend—a study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution has revealed......»»
How to fake the GPS location on your iPhone or Android phone
Want to pretend you're somewhere you're not? Check out our handy guide on faking out your iPhone or Android phone's GPS location......»»
Amazon is bricking $2,350 Astro robots 10 months after release
Amazon giving refunds for business bot, will focus on home version instead. (credit: Amazon) Amazon is bricking all Astro for Business robots on September 25. It first released the robot about eight months ago as a secur.....»»
Yes, some animals can have babies without a mate. Here"s how
A boa constrictor in the U.K. gave birth to 14 babies—without a mate......»»
How (apparently) identical animals can be completely different species
Logically speaking, you would think that animals who appeared to be the same—even if they were found in different parts of the world—would belong to the same species, and that they would share the same genome. However, our recent study has found.....»»
Blue and great tits deploy surprisingly powerful memories to find food, finds study
Blue and great tits recall what they have eaten in the past, where they found the food and when they found it, a new study shows. In the first experiment of its kind to involve wild animals, blue and great tits demonstrated 'episodic-like' memory to.....»»
Scientists are testing mRNA vaccines to protect cows and people against bird flu
The bird flu outbreak in U.S. dairy cows is prompting development of new, next-generation mRNA vaccines—akin to COVID-19 shots—that are being tested in both animals and people......»»
Tracing the evolution of ferns" surprisingly sweet defense strategy
Plants and the animals that eat them have evolved together in fascinating ways, creating a dynamic interplay of survival strategies. Many plants have developed physical and chemical defenses to fend off herbivores. A well-known strategy in flowering.....»»
Nectarivores: A world of sweet-toothed critters
If you have a sweet tooth, you'll be familiar with the burst of energy known as a sugar rush. But what if your survival depended on it? Would you love it as much? Animals get the nutrients they need from different sources......»»
Scientists develop computer vision framework to track animals in the wild without markers
Researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Collective Behavior have developed a computer vision framework for posture estimation and identity tracking that they can use in indoor environments as well as in the wild. This is an important step toward t.....»»
Global activity of seafloor biodiversity mapped for the first time
A team of scientists from the U.S. and the U.K. has used artificial intelligence (AI) to map the activities of seafloor invertebrate animals, such as worms, clams and shrimps, across all the oceans of the world......»»
Personalized phage therapy heals resistant wounds in Siamese cat
A new study has shown an advance in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections in animals. The research, focusing on a 5-year-old Siamese cat Squeaks with a multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection post-arthrodesis surgery, marks th.....»»
Animals self-medicate with plants—a behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists observing him......»»