Why some of Darwin"s finch nestlings have yellow beaks
Carotenoids are the underlying pigment for much of the enormous variety of color found across birds and form the basis for the colors red, yellow and orange. In a study published in Current Biology, researchers from Uppsala University and Princeton U.....»»
Bike brands start to adopt C-V2X to warn cyclists about cars
More automakers will need to adopt C-V2X to see a real benefit, though. Enlarge / A C-V2X bicycle can alert a C-V2X-enabled car to its presence—note the large yellow icon on the screenshot of the Audi's digital instrument displ.....»»
Hadeda ibises" "sixth sense" works best in wet soil: New research is a wake-up call for survival of wading birds
Hadeda ibises (Bostrychia hagedash) are one of the most familiar species of birds across sub-Saharan Africa. They are large, long-legged birds with long, thin beaks for probing invertebrates out of soil, and though they appear dull brown at a glance,.....»»
Laser imaging could offer early detection for at-risk artwork
Look closely at Impressionist paintings in museums compared with photos of them taken 50 years ago, and you might notice something odd: Some are losing their bright yellow hues......»»
Unveiling the genetic blueprint of safflower
A research team has completed a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the Chuanhonghua 1 safflower genome. This work sheds light on the genetic underpinnings of crucial traits like linoleic acid (LA) and hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) production......»»
New study shows how quickly surface water moves to groundwater reservoirs across Australia
A new study from Charles Darwin University (CDU), Monash University and The University of Newcastle has presented almost 100,000 estimates of groundwater recharge rates across Australia, by far the largest known database of its kind......»»
Researchers find babbling by zebra finch chicks is important step to memorizing songs
When babies learn to talk or birds learn to sing, the same principle applies: listen and then imitate. This is how the first babble becomes the first word or vocalization. Male zebra finch chicks initially memorize the song of an adult bird. Later, t.....»»
Yellow-eyed grasses may have more insect visitors than previously thought
Scientists previously believed that a family of flowering plants called yellow-eyed grasses didn't attract many insect visitors, but the recent discovery of a fungus that hijacks the plant and forms fungal "pseudoflowers" has researchers rethinking t.....»»
Compulsory income management doing more harm than good, Australian study finds
Compulsory income management (CIM) in the Northern Territory is perceived to be ineffective in reducing harm, can contribute to situations of family violence and is incompatible with the needs of welfare recipients, a new study led by Charles Darwin.....»»
NY "trash revolution" targets overflowing waste, and the rats feasting on it
New York City is iconic for its yellow taxis, pizza slices, bright lights on Broadway and its rats......»»
Saharan dust smothers Switzerland, southeast France
An exceptionally rare haze of Saharan dust cloaked Switzerland and southeastern France on Saturday, sparking health warnings as a yellow hue tinged the sky......»»
Seven billion newly hatched chicks are killed every year—but a ban is not the solution, says study
With Easter just around the corner, we are surrounded by a ubiquity of eggs and adorable yellow chicks that symbolize life and resurrection. In stark contrast is the fact that around seven billion male layer chicks, are shredded or gassed alive by th.....»»
Darwin"s Galapagos island species, protected yet still at risk
Industrial fishing boats hover menacingly on the edges of Ecuador's Galapagos Marine Reserve, where schools of multicolored fish and hammerhead sharks frolic in the protected Pacific waters......»»
Scientists describe new orchid species related to famous Darwin"s orchid
Missouri Botanical Garden scientists and collaborators discovered and described a new orchid species in Central Madagascar with a record-setting nectar spur and close ties to the famous "Darwin's orchid." This novelty species needs urgent conservatio.....»»
Blue cheese shows off new colors, but the taste largely remains the same
Future varieties could be yellow-green, reddish-brown-pink, or light blue. Enlarge / Scientists at the University of Nottingham have discovered how to create different colors of blue cheese. (credit: University of Nottingham).....»»
Scientists reveal new lineages of giant sea anemones in Japan and their surprising associations with anemonefish
Anemonefish form mutualistic relationships with the sea anemones they live in and these associations are not random: some species such as the yellow-tail anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) are generalists and can live in almost any sea anemone, others.....»»
Study highlights urgency of parasitic wasp release to save native bird
Researchers with the University of Minnesota hope to release highly specialized parasitic wasps to serve as a biological control method to save Darwin's finches from a dire threat: the invasive avian vampire fly, Philornis downsi......»»
Fossil named "Attenborough"s strange bird" was the first of its kind without teeth
No birds alive today have teeth. But that wasn't always the case; many early fossil birds had beaks full of sharp, tiny teeth. In a paper in the journal Cretaceous Research, scientists have described a new species of fossil bird that was the first of.....»»
Modeling the origins of life: New evidence for an "RNA World"
Charles Darwin described evolution as "descent with modification." Genetic information in the form of DNA sequences is copied and passed down from one generation to the next. But this process must also be somewhat flexible, allowing slight variations.....»»
Study of slowly evolving "living fossils" reveals key genetic insights
In 1859, Charles Darwin coined the term "living fossils" to describe organisms that show little species diversity or physical differences from their ancestors in the fossil record. In a new study, Yale researchers provide the first evidence of a biol.....»»
From edge of extinction to Australia"s croc "paradise"
If you want a snappy death, one expert's advice is to leap into a river near the Australian city of Darwin—within minutes, you'll be in the jaws of one of the hundreds of crocodiles that stalk its murky waters......»»