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......»»
Q&A: How do animals react to a solar eclipse?
On April 8, many of us will be huddling behind protective glasses and feasting our eyes on a rare solar stunner. But the sun's eye-catching performance won't be the only thing on display. You may also notice our animal friends behaving oddly......»»
Research shows animals can live alongside humans by being experts at judging risk
New research suggests animals can thrive in human-dominated environments by being expert judges of risk. Alexis Breen from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, and Dominik Deffner from the Max Planck Institute for Human.....»»
Hundreds of animals were rescued after the Black Summer bushfires, but how many actually survived?
The horrific Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20 burned more than 8 million hectares of vegetation across southeastern Australia. An estimated 3 billion animals were caught in the fire zone......»»
New research reveals that chickens were widely raised across southern Central Asia from 400 BCE
Chickens are one of the most economically important animals in the world today. However, the story of their origins and dispersal across the ancient world is still poorly understood. In fact, new archaeological techniques have recently led to the rec.....»»
Ancient Adélie penguin DNA reveals that small repeats persist for hundreds of millions of years
Microsatellites are valuable tools for studying inheritance, genetic diversity, and population dynamics across a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi. These short, repeating sequence motifs are a common feature of bo.....»»
Q&A: Archaeologist"s fieldwork finds movement of crops, animals played a key role in domestication
Archaeologist Xinyi Liu at Washington University in St. Louis teamed up with Martin Jones of the University of Cambridge to write a new paper for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that explains how recent research is connecting the.....»»
Impact of synbiotic supplements on the gut microbiome and overall health of penguins
The gut microflora plays a pivotal role in the overall well-being of all living organisms. Like their multifaceted and beneficial role in humans, the role of the gut microbiome in maintaining health, behavior, and ecology of animals is unequivocal. N.....»»
Researchers discover key gene for toxic alkaloid in barley
All plants mediate their environmental interactions via chemical signals. An example is the alkaloid gramine produced by barley, one of the world's most widely-grown cereals. Gramine provides protection against herbivorous insects and grazing animals.....»»
Scientists warn that the Baltic Sea gray seal hunt is too large
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg warn that today's hunting quotas of about 3,000 animals pose a risk to the long-term survival of the gray seal in the Baltic Sea. The conclusions of this new study are based on statistics from 20th century.....»»
New roadmap to prevent pandemics centers on protecting biodiversity
An international team of 25 scientists has proposed a roadmap for how to prevent the next pandemic by conserving natural areas and promoting biodiversity, thereby providing animals with enough food, safe havens and distance to limit contact and the t.....»»
Genome study shows humans pass more viruses to animals than we catch from them
Humans pass on more viruses to domestic and wild animals than we catch from them, according to a major new analysis of viral genomes by UCL researchers......»»
Nevada"s first big-game moose hunt will be tiny as unusual southern expansion defies climate change
In what will be a tiny big-game hunt for some of the largest animals in North America, Nevada is planning its first-ever moose hunting season this fall......»»
Post-menopausal whales may help solve the mystery of female longevity
Although life can seem to go whizzing by, humans are actually weirdly long-lived animals. A new study helps explain why: menopause......»»
Orcas covered in scars left by "cookiecutter sharks" may be new population, study says
A group of killer whales spotted hunting off the coast of California and Oregon over two decades may actually be their own unique population of animals, a new study says......»»
Research team proposes a novel type of acoustic crystal with smooth, continuous changes in elastic properties
In dim light a cat sees much better than you do, as do dogs and nocturnal animals. That's because the structure of a cat's eye has a tapetum lucidum, a mirror-like layer immediately behind the retina. Light entering the eye that is not focused by the.....»»
Bedtime or go time? Observing what animals do during a total solar eclipse
When darkness falls on central Ohio during the total solar eclipse on April 8, will animals think it's time to go to bed? Will they be anxious? Will they care?.....»»
Novel microsatellite tags hold promise for illuminating sea turtles" cryptic lost years
In the new article "Novel Microsatellite Tags Hold Promise for Illuminating the Lost Years in Four Sea Turtle Species" published in Animals, researchers tested new prototypes of microsatellite tags on 160 juvenile sea turtles of four species in the N.....»»
Tudor era horse cemetery in Westminster revealed as likely resting place for elite imported animals
Archaeological analysis of a near unique animal cemetery discovered in London nearly 30 years ago has revealed the international scale of horse trading by the elites of late medieval and Tudor England......»»
Goat dies of bird flu for first time in US, Minnesota officials say: Why it"s "significant"
Minnesota has reported the U.S.'s first ruminant—a group of animals including cattle, sheep, and goats—to test positive for avian influenza......»»
Europe Is Struggling to Coexist With Wild Bears
A fatal bear attack in Slovakia reignited accusations that conservationists are protecting the animals at the expense of human safety. Experts argue it's a people problem, not a bear problem......»»