Animals News

August 30, 2018

Animal Reflexes Surprisingly Slow

New Kind of Human Brain Cell Found

Beluga Whales and Narwhals Go Through Menopause

Florida's Invasive Pythons: Tangled Family Tree

Latest Headlines

updated 2:54pm EDT

A Better Way to Count Boreal Birds

Aug. 29, 2018 — Knowing approximately how many individuals of a certain species are out there is important for bird conservation efforts, but raw data from bird surveys tends to ... read more

Color Vision Makes Birds of Prey Successful Hunters

Aug. 29, 2018 — In many cases it is the color of the prey that helps predatory birds to detect, pursue and capture them. In a new study, biologists show that the Harris's hawk has the best ... read more

Ancient African Herders Had Lasting Ecological Impact on Grazed Lands

Aug. 29, 2018 — Ancient animal herders added to the ecological richness and diversity of the African savanna thousands of years ago -- an effect that persists to the present day, a new study ... read more

Beavers Have an Impact on the Climate

Aug. 29, 2018 — A rising water level affects the interaction between beaver ponds, water and air, as well as the carbon balance of the zone of ground closest to ... read more

An Ocean Apart, Carnivorous Pitcher Plants Create Similar Communities

Aug. 29, 2018 — Asian pitchers transplanted to Massachusetts bogs can mimic the living communities of natives so well that the pitcher plant mosquito -- a specialized insect that evolved to ... read more

Goats Prefer Happy People

Aug. 28, 2018 — Goats can differentiate between human facial expressions and prefer to interact with happy people, according to a ... read more

New Phase Proposed in the Relationship Between Figs and Wasps

Aug. 28, 2018 — A researcher describes 129 species of fig tree parasites which compete and even prey upon the fig wasps during the many phases of the fig-wasp mutualism that helped to shape ... read more

Remote Islands Harbor Higher Numbers of Non-Native Species

Aug. 28, 2018 — The effects of island remoteness from the mainland on the number of species found on islands differs strongly for non-native compared to native species. Numbers of native ... read more

How Eggplants Became Asian: Genomes and Elephants Tell the Story

Aug. 28, 2018 — The evolutionary context of the eggplant was until recently very poorly known. Historical documents and genetic data have shown that the eggplant was first domesticated in ... read more

Serial Criminals Could Help Save Tigers

Aug. 27, 2018 — A geographic profiling tool used to catch serial criminals could help reduce the casualties of human-tiger conflict, according to scientists. The results of their research ... read more

More Animals News

August 30, 2018

Summaries
Headlines

In the Race of Life, the Tortoise Beats the Hare Every Time

Aug. 27, 2018 — Researchers have discovered that, over the long-run, the race will indeed go to the slower, steadier animal. An analysis of the reported speeds of animals based on land, air and water shows that some ... read more

Red Light at Night: A Potentially Fatal Attraction to Migratory Bats

Aug. 26, 2018 — Night time light pollution is rapidly increasing across the world. Nocturnal animals are likely to be especially affected but how they respond to artificial light is still largely unknown. In a new ... read more

Meet the Virtual Pooch That Could Help Prevent Dog Bites

Aug. 25, 2018 — A virtual dog could soon be used as an educational tool to help prevent dog bites, thanks to an innovative project led by the University of Liverpool's Virtual Engineering Centre ... read more

From Guts to Glory: The Evolution of Gut Defense

Aug. 24, 2018 — A newly discovered gut 'missing link' shows how mammals evolved to live with their ... read more

Fresh and Raw Diets for Dogs May Have Health Benefits, Study Says

Aug. 23, 2018 — Many dog owners think of their furry companions as part of the family, and now products are available to feed them that way, too. Some owners are moving away from traditional extruded kibble ... read more

Martens Recolonized Isle Royale in the '90s, Showing Island's Dynamism

Aug. 23, 2018 — Researchers have traced the recolonization by martens of Isle Royale in Lake Superior to martens likely arriving in the 1990s, solving a mystery and showing the island's ... read more

More Than a Label: Shelter Dog Genotyping Reveals Inaccuracy of Breed Assignments

Aug. 23, 2018 — Scientists used genetic testing in over 900 shelter dogs to identify breed heritage in the largest study of its kind. The researchers found widespread genetic diversity: 125 breeds in the sample and ... read more

Rare Intermediate Fossils Give Researchers Insight Into Evolution of Bird-Like Dinosaur

Aug. 23, 2018 — An international team of researchers has discovered new species of alvarezsaurs, an enigmatic group of dinosaurs that share many characteristics with ... read more

Two New Truffle Species Discovered in Florida Pecan Orchards

Aug. 23, 2018 — Two new species of truffles were recently discovered on the roots of pecan trees in Florida orchards. The good news is that you can eat them - the bad news is that you wouldn't want ... read more

New Study Highlights Shark Protections, Vulnerability to Fishing

Aug. 23, 2018 — A new analysis shows that the habitats of three shark species (great hammerhead, tiger, and bull sharks) are relatively well protected from longline fishing in federal waters off the southeastern ... read more

Cryopreserving Ladybird Beetle Ovaries

Aug. 23, 2018 — A new study has found an effective way to cryopreserve -- preservation by cooling to very low temperature -- and subsequently transplant ovaries of the multicolored Asian ladybird beetle, Harmonia ... read more

Human/wildlife Conflict: Social and Ecological Theory

Aug. 22, 2018 — The researchers apply a new approach to understand human-black bear conflicts in Durango, ... read more

Want to Know What Ancient Koalas Ate? Check Modern Koalas' Teeth

Aug. 22, 2018 — New research confirms the shape of tooth wear best indicates the kind of food modern koalas and kangaroos ate, not whether it was covered in dust and ... read more

Fossil Turtle Didn't Have a Shell Yet, but Had the First Toothless Turtle Beak

Aug. 22, 2018 — There are a couple of key features that make a turtle a turtle: its shell, for one, but also its toothless beak. A newly-discovered fossil turtle that lived 228 million years ago is shedding light on ... read more

Ant-Y Social: Study of Ants Reveals the Evolutionary Benefits of Group Living

Aug. 22, 2018 — A new study in ants demonstrates that living in groups leads to improved fitness. The researchers show that, in larger groups, ants take on specialized roles and colony stability ... read more

When Confronted, a Single Neuron Helps a Fruit Fly Change Course

Aug. 22, 2018 — In the fruit fly, a single pair of brain neurons command backward locomotion in both larvae and adults, researchers report. The methodology behind the discovery provides a way for scientists to link ... read more

Study of Bird Migration Tricky Due to Hybridization

Aug. 22, 2018 — Hybridization, the inter-breeding of bird species, is a widespread phenomenon, which is best illustrated in Estonia by the lesser spotted eagle and the greater spotted eagle. However, due to the fact ... read more

For Exotic Pets, the Most Popular Are Also Most Likely to Be Released in the Wild

Aug. 22, 2018 — Among pet snakes and lizards, the biggest-selling species are also the most likely to be released by their owners -- and to potentially become invasive species, according to a new study. The study ... read more

New Type 1 Diabetes Therapy Shows Promise for Long-Term Reversal in Both Humans, Dogs

Aug. 21, 2018 — A collagen formulation mixed with pancreatic cells is the first minimally invasive therapy to successfully reverse Type 1 diabetes within 24 hours and maintain insulin independence for at least 90 ... read more

Enigmatic African Fossils Rewrite Story of When Lemurs Got to Madagascar

Aug. 21, 2018 — Research reveals that a 20-million-year-old African fossil, long thought to be a bat, actually represents one of the earliest branches of the lemur family tree. The reassessment challenges a ... read more

Monday, August 27, 2018