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Categories: Biology: Zoology, Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published Researchers learn how nectar-laden honey bees avoid overheating
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source As temperatures rise, the bees change how they fly to decrease the heat they generate from metabolism, which helps the insects avoid overheating and save precious water.
Published Australia's most at-risk bird species share some common traits
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Australian birds that live on islands are among the species most at risk of extinction, a first-of-its-kind study has shown. Australia has over 750 native bird species. But many of them are facing an uncertain future.
Published Desert ants: The magnetic field calibrates the navigation system
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Desert ants find their way during an early learning phase with the help of the Earth's magnetic field. The associated learning process leaves clear traces in their nervous system.
Published Polar bears unlikely to adapt to longer summers
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source More time stranded on land means greater risk of starvation for polar bears, a new study indicates. During three summer weeks, 20 polar bears closely observed by scientists tried different strategies to maintain energy reserves, including resting, scavenging and foraging. Yet nearly all of them lost weight rapidly: on average around 1 kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, per day. Some have speculated that polar bears might adapt to the longer ice-free seasons due to climate warming by acting like their grizzly bear relatives and either rest or eat terrestrial food. The polar bears in this study tried versions of both strategies -- with little success.
Published Archaeologists discover oldest known bead in the Americas
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The bead found at the La Prele Mammoth site in Wyoming's Converse County is about 12,940 years old and made of bone from a hare.
Published The hidden rule for flight feathers -- and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists examined hundreds of birds in museum collections and discovered a suite of feather characteristics that all flying birds have in common. These 'rules' provide clues as to how the dinosaur ancestors of modern birds first evolved the ability to fly, and which dinosaurs were capable of flight.
Published Why insects navigate more efficiently than robots
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Engineers have studied how insects navigate, for the purpose of developing energy-efficient robots.
Published Surprisingly vibrant color of 12-million-year-old snail shells
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Snail shells are often colorful and strikingly patterned. This is due to pigments that are produced in special cells of the snail and stored in the shell in varying concentrations. Fossil shells, on the other hand, are usually pale and inconspicuous because the pigments are very sensitive and have already decomposed. Residues of ancient color patterns are therefore very rare. This makes a new discovery all the more astonishing: researchers found pigments in twelve-million-year-old fossilized snail shells.
Published Surprising behavior in one of the least studied mammals in the world
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Beaked whales are among the least studied mammals in the world. Now, a new study reveals surprising information about the Baird's beaked whale species.
Published Alien invasion: Non-native earthworms threaten ecosystems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Analysis reveals imported earthworm species have colonized large swaths of North America, and represent a largely overlooked threat to native ecosystems. The researchers warn of the need to better understand and manage the invaders in our midst.
Published Foul fumes pose pollinator problems
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered that nighttime air pollution -- coming primarily form car exhaust and power plant emissions -- is responsible for a major drop in nighttime pollinator activity. Nitrate radicals (NO3) in the air degrade the scent chemicals released by a common wildflower, drastically reducing the scent-based cues that its chief pollinators rely on to locate the flower. The findings show how nighttime pollution creates a chain of chemical reactions that degrades scent cues, leaving flowers undetectable by smell. The researchers also determined that pollution likely has worldwide impacts on pollination.
Published Scandinavia's first farmers slaughtered the hunter-gatherer population, study finds
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Following the arrival of the first farmers in Scandinavia 5,900 years ago, the hunter-gatherer population was wiped out within a few generations, according to a new study. The results, which are contrary to prevailing opinion, are based on DNA analysis of skeletons and teeth found in what is now Denmark.
Published Surprise discovery of tiny insect-killing worm
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Scientists have discovered a tiny worm species that infects and kills insects. These worms, called nematodes, could control crop pests in warm, humid places where other beneficial nematodes are currently unable to thrive.
Published How fruit flies control the brain's 'steering wheel'
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A newly discovered neural circuit mediates between navigational brain cells, acting as a sort of mental steering wheel.
Published Replacing animal-based foods with alternative proteins would unlock land for carbon removal
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source Researchers report that replacing 50% of animal products with alternative proteins by 2050 could free up enough agricultural land to generate renewable energy equivalent in volume to today's coal-generated power while simultaneously removing substantial CO2 from the atmosphere.
Published Spent hemp biomass: A feed use that supports milk production in dairy cows
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source A new study explores whether the plentiful, fibrous byproduct of CBD production holds potential promise as a nutritious, efficiency-boosting feed ingredient for the dairy sector
Published How kelp forests persisted through the large 2014-2016 Pacific marine heatwave
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source New research reveals that denser, and more sheltered, kelp forests can withstand serious stressors amid warming ocean temperatures.
Published Ancient Australian air-breathing fish from 380 million years ago
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The rivers of Australia, which once flowed across its now dry interior, used to host a range of bizarre animals -- including a sleek predatory lobe-finned fish with large fangs and bony scales. The newly described fossil fish discovered in remote fossil fields west of Alice Springs has been named Harajicadectes zhumini by palaeontologists.
Published Mystery of moths' warning sound production explained in new study
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source The workings of the ultrasonic warning sounds produced by the wings of a species of moth have been revealed.
Published Number of shark bites consistent with recent trends, with small spike in fatalities
(via sciencedaily.com) Original source There was an increase in the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide and an uptick in fatalities in 2023 compared to the previous year. A scientific database of global shark attacks, confirmed 69 unprovoked bites in 2023. Although this is higher than the most recent five-year average of 63 attacks, the data remain consistent with long-term trends.