What we can learn from animals about death and mortality
Susana Monsó chats with Ars about her new book, Playing Possum: How Animals Understand Death. Human beings live every day with the understanding of our own mortality, but do anim.....»»
You get your energy from your mom. A new study explains why
It's one of the basic tenets of biology: We get our DNA from our mom and our dad. But one notable exception has perplexed scientists for decades: Most animals, including humans, inherit the DNA inside their mitochondria—the cell's energy centers—.....»»
Insects from the bodies of illegally hunted rhinoceroses may provide valuable forensic information
New research in Medical and Veterinary Entomology reveals that when rhinoceroses are found dead after being illegally killed by poachers, analyzing insects on the decomposing body aids in estimating the time since death. This information has been use.....»»
Your doctor’s office could be reading your blood pressure all wrong
54 million US adults may be misdiagnosed with high BP based on bad readings. Many people may be surprised to learn the proper procedure for taking a blood pressure reading—becau.....»»
The political, social and psychological toll of family deaths in war
The hardship of war does not end when the shooting stops, as every wartime death leaves behind family members whose struggle will go on for decades, if not generations. Millions of these bereaved survivors have lost their kin, including parents, chil.....»»
Injured comb jellies can fuse into a single organism
Ctenophores merge with neighbors at wound sites, making animals with duplicate parts. Comb jellies, technically known as ctenophores, are one of the weirdest creatures on Earth. T.....»»
Data analysis navigates lookalikes to try to pin down the true number of mouse lemur species
In some parts of the world, animals are going extinct before scientists can even name them. Such may be the case for mouse lemurs, the saucer-eyed, teacup-sized primates native to the African island of Madagascar. There, deforestation has prompted th.....»»
Macaques give birth more easily than women: Study finds no maternal mortality at birth
An international research team led by the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna has used long-term demographic data from Japanese macaques—a monkey species within the family of Old World monkeys—to show that unlike humans, the.....»»
Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have led to the invention of "ant agriculture"
The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn't all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time as plants and animals were.....»»
Low stream diatom biodiversity potentially decreases stream oxygen production in remote islands
Benthic diatoms are the most important and biodiverse primary producers in streams and comprise the basis for the food webs, fueling animals such as insects and stream fishes including trout......»»
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video (October 2024)
The best movies on Amazon Prime Video include Challengers, Killer Heat, Paddington 2, Drag Me to Hell, Everybody Wants Some!!, Nocturnal Animals, and more......»»
From Moo Deng to Pesto the Penguin, here are the cutest animals taking over our feeds
From Moo Deng to Pesto the Penguin, cute animals are taking over our social media feeds. Here are the animals you need to be following. Cute animals doing funny things have always ruled the internet — some of the first viral sensations, l.....»»
Study identifies compounds that extend longevity of Japanese morning glory flowers
The longevity of plant flowers is controlled by genetically programmed mechanisms. After a certain amount of time after flowering, the expression of genes associated with programmed cell death is induced and cellular components such as proteins and n.....»»
Study sheds light on limitations of zooplankton for inactivating pathogen contaminated water
Scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso and Stanford University were recently surprised to find that the natural community of zooplankton—tiny, aquatic animals known to graze on bacteria—present in freshwater and saltwater do not clean w.....»»
The medicines we take to stay healthy are harming nature. Here"s what needs to change
Evidence is mounting that modern medicines present a growing threat to ecosystems around the world. The chemicals humans ingest to stay healthy are harming fish and other animals......»»
Thanks to Squarespace Refresh website building has never been more intuitive
With Squarespace Refresh, a series of platform updates and new features, website building has never been more intuitive. Learn about it here......»»
Wildlife care varies by species, Finnish study finds
A joint study carried out at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, and SEY Animal Welfare Finland investigated the treatment of injured and sick wildlife as well as associated factors. The care of wild animals is a significant e.....»»
Monkey fossils found in cave shed light on the animals" extinction centuries ago
By studying rare fossils of jaws and other skull parts of a long-extinct Caribbean monkey, a team of researchers that includes a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine professor says it has uncovered new evidence documenting the anatomy and ecol.....»»
A leap in behavioral modeling: Scientists replicate animal movements with unprecedented accuracy
Scientists have developed a new method to simulate the complex movements of animals with exceptional accuracy. The research team set out to solve a long-standing challenge in biology—how to accurately model the intricate and seemingly unpredictable.....»»
Study links hurricanes to higher death rates for nearly 15 years after a storm
New research reveals hurricanes and tropical storms in the United States cause a surge of deaths for nearly 15 years after a storm hits......»»
Study finds Mexican free-tailed bats unlikely to spread Chagas disease in Texas
Bats are widely known around the world for their role in the spread of a number of zoonotic diseases—illnesses that can spread between humans and animals......»»