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Categories: Anthropology: General, Ecology: Animals

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Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species
Published

Contours that kill: Geometry influences prey capture in carnivorous pitcher plants      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have shown that the shape, size, and geometry of carnivorous pitcher plants determines the type of prey they trap.

Anthropology: General
Published

Study links epigenetic changes to historic trauma in Alaska Native communities      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers investigated the relationship between historical traumatic events experienced by Alaska Native communities and epigenetic markers on genes that previous studies have linked to trauma. The new study found a similar pattern among Alaska Native participants, with specific epigenetic differences observed in those who reported experiencing the most intense symptoms of distress when reflecting on historic losses.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Echoes of extinctions: Novel method unearths disruptions in mammal trait-environment relationships      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research explores the historical shifts in mammal traits and biodiversity loss in eastern Africa. The study reveals how environmental changes disrupted mammal communities and highlights the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts to protect vulnerable species.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Microbiology Ecology: Animals
Published

Dog diversity unveiled by international DNA database      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international consortium of scientists isĀ using an unprecedentedly large database of canine DNA to take an unbiased look at how our furry friends evolved into the various breeds we know and love.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

St Helena's 'liberated' Africans came from West Central Africa between northern Angola and Gabon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of enslaved Africans who had been 'liberated' from slave ships intercepted by the British Royal Navy were taken to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. But little is written in history books or otherwise known about the lives of these individuals. Now, ancient DNA analyses offer the first direct evidence for the origins of St Helena's liberated Africans.

Anthropology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

'Monstrous births' and the making of race in the nineteenth-century United States      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, 'monstrous births' -- malformed or anomalous fetuses -- were, to Western medicine, an object of superstition. In 19th-century America, they became instead an object of the 'modern scientific study of monstrosity,' a field formalized by French scientist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. This clinical turn was positioned against the backdrop of social, political, and economic activity that codified laws governing slavery, citizenship, immigration, family, wealth, and access to resources.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

Disease affects blackbirds more than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When humans are ill, we tend to be less active. This also applies to wild animals, but so far, it has not been known how long the reduced activity lasts or which activities are affected the most. New research shows that birds' activity decreases for up to three weeks when they become ill -- something that could mean the difference between life and death.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Animals Ecology: Trees Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Human shoulders and elbows first evolved as brakes for climbing apes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers report that the flexible shoulders and elbows that allow us to throw a football or reach a high shelf may have evolved as a natural braking system that let our primate ancestors get out of trees without dying. The researchers used sports-analysis software to compare the climbing movements of chimpanzees and small monkeys called mangabeys. While the animals climb up trees similarly, the researchers found that the shallow, rounded shoulder joints and shortened elbow bones that chimps have -- similar to humans -- allow them to fully extend their arms above their heads when climbing down, holding onto branches like a person going down a ladder to support their greater weight. When early humans left forests for the grassy savanna, these versatile appendages would have been essential for gathering food and using tools for hunting and defense. The findings are among the first to identify the significance of 'downclimbing' in the evolution of apes and early humans.

Anthropology: General Biology: Botany Biology: Evolutionary Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Pioneering research sheds surprising new light on evolution of plant kingdom      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the evolution of plant biology, effectively rewriting the history of how they evolved over the past billion years.

Biology: Botany Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Large herbivores keep invasive plants at bay      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Elephants, buffaloes and other heavy herbivores are effective against invasive plants. This is the conclusion of a new study that used Indian data, including data from the world's largest survey of wildlife based on camera traps. But smaller animals can do the same: you don't need elephants to get the same effect, the researchers point out.

Anthropology: General
Published

Causes of the Qing Dynasty's collapse: Parallels to today's instability      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Qing Dynasty in China, after over 250 years, crumbled in 1912. An international research team has pinpointed key reasons behind the collapse, revealing parallels to modern instability and offering vital lessons for the future.

Biology: Botany Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Trees Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Invasive spotted lanternfly may not damage hardwood trees as previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In 2012, when the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) arrived in the U.S. from its home in China, scientists, land managers, and growers were understandably concerned that the sap-feeding insect would damage native and commercial trees. New long-term research has discovered that hardwood trees, such as maple, willow and birch, may be less vulnerable than initially thought.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Paleontology: Early Mammals and Birds Paleontology: General
Published

Mutation rates in whales are much higher than previously reported      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of marine scientists has studied the DNA of family groups from four different whale species to estimate their mutation rates. Using the newly determined rates, the group found that the number of humpback whales in the North Atlantic before whaling was 86 percent lower than earlier studies suggested.

Biology: Biotechnology Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Genetics Ecology: Animals Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

The search for the super potato      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

As climate change continues to pose severe challenges to ensuring sustainable food supplies around the world, scientists are looking for ways to improve the resilience and nutritional quality of potatoes. Scientists have assembled the genome sequences of nearly 300 varieties of potatoes and its wild relatives to develop more nutritious, disease-free, and weather-proof crop. A team has now created a potato super pangenome to identify genetic traits that can help produce the next super spud.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

The scent of the afterlife unbottled in new study of ancient Egyptian mummification balms      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers has recreated one of the scents used in the mummification of an important Egyptian woman more than 3500 years ago.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Geoscience: Geography
Published

Rare 14-ft smalltooth sand tiger shark washes up on Irish coast      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists believe a huge 14ft smalltooth sand tiger shark, which washed up at Kilmore Quay, Co. Wexford, earlier this year, represents the first of its species to have been found in Ireland's waters. Two other individuals of the same species also washed up on the UK coastline, suggesting this species' geographic range has shifted. The scientists believe these rare finds may offer a window into the future, with more and more species traditionally confined to more tropical waters expected to visit Irish and British waters.

Ecology: Animals Environmental: Ecosystems
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After Chernobyl nuclear accident: The wild boar paradox, finally solved      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

While the contamination of deer and roe deer decreased over time as expected, the measured levels of radioactivity in the meat of wild boar remained surprisingly high -- higher than the half-life of cesium would suggest. For many years, this 'wild boar paradox' was considered unsolved. Now an explanation has been found: It is a late aftermath of the nuclear weapons tests from the 1960s.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Bat study reveals how the brain is wired for collective behavior      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers used wireless neural recording and imaging devices to 'listen in' on the hippocampal brain activity of groups of Egyptian fruit bats as they flew freely within a large flight room. The researchers were surprised to find that, in this social setting, the bat's 'place' neurons encoded not only the animal's location, but also information about the presence or absence of other bats, and even the identity of bats in their path.