Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: General Biology: Zoology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

How the fish got its shoulder      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new analysis of the bones and muscles in ancient fish gives new clues about how the shoulder evolved in animals -- including us.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Biotechnology Biology: General Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

The ringed seals in Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland are special      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Local hunters in the Icefjord near Ilulissat have long known about a special ringed seal -- the Kangia seal -- which is significantly larger and has a markedly different fur color and pattern than typical Arctic ringed seals. Now scientific studies have shown that the Kangia ringed seal has been isolated from other ringed seals for a long period of time -- more than 100,000 years.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Water
Published

Dam removals, restoration project on Klamath River expected to help salmon, researchers conclude      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The world's largest dam removal and restoration project currently underway on the Klamath River in Oregon and California will aid salmon populations that have been devastated by disease and other factors. However, it will not fully alleviate challenges faced by the species, a team of researchers conclude.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Shifting nesting timing not enough to prevent fewer sea turtle hatchlings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research shows that potential adaptive responses by sea turtles, such as shifting the timing of when they nest, may not be enough to counteract the projected impacts from climate change on hatchling production.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Environmental: General
Published

Climate-smart cows could deliver 10-20x more milk in Global South      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of animal scientists is set to deliver a potential game changer for subsistence farmers in Tanzania: cows that produce up to 20 times the milk of indigenous breeds.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Sea Life
Published

Researchers observe wolves hunting and killing sea otters and harbor seals on Alaska's Katmai coast      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Firsthand observations of a wolf hunting and killing a harbor seal and a group of wolves hunting and consuming a sea otter on Alaska's Katmai coast have led scientists to reconsider assumptions about wolf hunting behavior.

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

Australasia's hidden pollination crisis could threaten biodiversity and food security      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Australasia's hidden pollination crisis, mirroring global threats, could pose a significant risk to regional biodiversity and food security, new research has found.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: Nature Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Amphibians have one more thing to worry about--mercury      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The first widescale assessment of methylmercury in adult amphibians in the U.S. to date shows that, in amphibians, this toxic compound is common, widespread and, at least for some, can reach very high levels.

Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Low-income countries could lose 30% of nutrients like protein and omega-3 from seafood due to climate change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The nutrients available from seafood could drop by 30 per cent for low-income countries by the end of the century due to climate change, suggests new research. That's in a high carbon emissions and low mitigation scenario, according to the study. This could be reduced to a roughly 10 per cent decline if the world were to meet the Paris Agreement targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius -- which recent reports have shown we're not on track to achieve.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

New species of mosasaur named for Norse sea serpent      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have discovered a new species of mosasaur, large, carnivorous aquatic lizards that lived during the late Cretaceous. With 'transitional' traits that place it between two well-known mosasaurs, the new species is named after a sea serpent in Norse mythology, Jormungandr, and the small North Dakota city Walhalla near to where the fossil was found.

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

Cold War spy satellite imagery reveals Ancient Roman forts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study analyzing declassified Cold War satellite imagery reveals 396 previously undocumented Roman forts and reports that these forts were constructed from east to west, spanning from what is now western Syria to northwestern Iraq. The analysis refutes Father Antoine Poidebard's claim that the forts were located along a north-south axis.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Evolutionary Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

Evolutionary chance made this bat a specialist hunter      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It is generally believed that, for millions of years, bats and the insects they hunt at night have adapted to each other in an evolutionary arms race to become better at finding or avoiding each other. Now, a new study shows that this may not be the case at all.

Biology: General Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity
Published

'Robin Hood' approach for tracking biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a framework that can help scientists understand trends in biodiversity by using data from well-characterized species to provide insights on data-deficient species. The framework provides a how-to guide for researchers and practitioners to implement.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Roosters might recognize themselves in the mirror      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scrape, cluck, lay eggs -- that's it? Anyone involved in chicken farming knows that the animals are capable of much more. Researchers have found evidence that roosters could recognize themselves in a mirror. Whether this is successful, however, depends on the experimental conditions -- a finding that points beyond the experiment with roosters and could also be of importance for other animal species.

Biology: Developmental Biology: Microbiology Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals Environmental: Water
Published

To navigate the world, we all shimmy like these electric fish      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An electric knifefish shimmies in the water for the same reason a dog sniffs or a human glances around a new place -- to make sense of their surroundings. For the first time, scientists demonstrate that a wide range of organisms, even microbes, perform the same pattern of movements in order to sense the world.

Biology: Zoology Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Water
Published

On the trail of the silver king: Researchers reveal unprecedented look at tarpon migration      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research unveils a dataset, gathered over five years, that gives the finest-grained detail into the timing and spatial extent of tarpon migration. The work leveraged networks of thousands of acoustic receivers that tracked 200 tarpon over more than five years. One of the key findings is that there are two distinct subgroups of tarpon, which has immediate implications for efforts to conserve the fish, known to anglers as the 'Silver King.'

Biology: Zoology
Published

Something in the eyes: Java Sparrows in love show enhanced eye rings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Pair-bonded Java sparrows show enlarged eye rings to signal breeding readiness.

Biology: Zoology Environmental: General
Published

Pig welfare outweighs climate concerns for consumers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Consumers would rather pay more for higher-welfare pork than for pork with a reduced climate footprint, according to a new study.