Why Some Animals Can Tell More From Less
Researchers find that densely packed neurons play an outsize role in quantitative skill—calling into question old assumptions about evolution......»»
Spiny legged 308-million-year-old arachnid discovered in the Mazon Creek locality
More than 300 million years ago, all sorts of arachnids crawled around the Carboniferous coal forests of North America and Europe. These included familiar ones we'd recognize, such as spiders, harvestmen and scorpions—as well as exotic animals that.....»»
Sea otter study finds tool use allows access to larger prey, reduces tooth damage
Sea otters are one of the few animals that use tools to access their food, and a new study has found that individual sea otters that use tools—most of whom are female—are able to eat larger prey and reduce tooth damage when their preferred prey b.....»»
Fossil captures starfish splitting itself in two—showing this has been happening for 155 million years
One of the wildest wonders of nature is the ability of some animals to reproduce by splitting in half. There is still so much we don't know about this process. So the discovery of a 155-million-year-old starfish fossil frozen partway through this pro.....»»
Researchers uncover how jelly sea creatures might shape modern robotics
Scientists at the University of Oregon have discovered that colonies of gelatinous sea animals swim through the ocean in giant corkscrew shapes using coordinated jet propulsion, an unusual kind of locomotion that could inspire new designs for efficie.....»»
Avian flu detected in New York City wild birds
A small number of New York City wild birds carry highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, according to a study published in the Journal of Virology,. The work highlights that the interface between animals and humans that may give rise to zoonotic infe.....»»
Young whale"s journey highlights threats facing ocean animals
A young whale's journey across the Mediterranean highlights the many threats facing ocean animals, researchers say......»»
Nepal"s nature threatened by new development push: conservationists
Nepali conservationists condemned on Thursday new regulations permitting hydropower and hotel projects in protected nature reserves, saying they threatened to damage the habitats of tigers and other endangered animals......»»
Milking venom from Australia"s deadly marine animals
Imagine feeling like an elephant is sitting on your chest, you can't breathe, there's a sense of impending doom and the pain is so intense you want to die......»»
Mongolia"s wildlife at risk from overgrazing
The icy peaks of Jargalant Mountain are supposed to belong to snow leopards, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in Mongolia, but hard-pressed herders are increasingly pushing into the vulnerable animals' traditional habitat......»»
Deep sea mining could be disastrous for marine animals
In a recent study published in Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, researchers of Wageningen University & Research and the University of Bergen have shown that release of deep-sea mining particles can have severe detrimental effe.....»»
Why parrots sometimes adopt—or kill—each other"s babies
Infanticide and adoption in the animal kingdom have long puzzled scientists. While both males and females of many species are known to kill the babies of their rivals to secure sexual or social advantage, other animals have been observed caring for t.....»»
Unraveling isopods" culinary secrets and why it matters for ecosystems
New research on desert isopods' dietary preferences is the revelation of the complex factors influencing their food choices. By understanding how these animals meticulously regulate their nutrient intake and prefer biological soil crusts over plant l.....»»
Listening to giants: The search for the elusive Antarctic blue whale
Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, measuring up to 30 meters long and weighing up to 200 tons—as much as a Boeing 787. Yet it's the sound they make, not their size, which gives their location away......»»
Animal behavior research better at keeping observer bias from sneaking in—but there"s still room to improve
Animal behavior research relies on careful observation of animals. Researchers might spend months in a jungle habitat watching tropical birds mate and raise their young. They might track the rates of physical contact in cattle herds of different dens.....»»
Mice navigating a virtual reality environment reveal that walls, not floors, define space
New research published in Current Biology sheds light on how animals create and maintain internal spatial maps based on their surroundings......»»
London"s runaway horses remind us that animals are workers too
The extraordinary sight of five horses galloping through London, sweating and covered in blood, caused the hashtag #Apocalypse to trend briefly on social media last week......»»
First report of wound treatment by a wild animal using a pain-relieving plant
Even though there is evidence of certain self-medication behaviors in animals, so far it has never been known that animals treat their wounds with healing plants......»»
Robots can"t outrun animals. A new study explores why
The question may be the 21st century's version of the fable of the tortoise and the hare: Who would win in a foot race between a robot and an animal?.....»»
Missing link in species conservation: Pharmacists, chemists could turn tide on plant, animal extinction
As the world faces the loss of a staggering number of species of animals and plants to endangerment and extinction, one University of Michigan scientist has an urgent message: Chemists and pharmacists should be key players in species conservation eff.....»»
Fruit fly helps unlock clues about how organs, tissue and cancer grow
The fruit fly, Drosophila, has been used by scientists for more than 100 years to unravel key features of life on Earth, such as how animals respond to the sun and how the bodies of animals are patterned from head to tail......»»