FLORA FAUNA

5,060 articles

Sri Lanka destroys seized bird nests destined for soup
Oct 18, 2016 (AFP)
Sri Lankan custom officers on Tuesday destroyed 45 kilograms (99 pounds) of rare bird nests that are considered a delicacy in China and have a street value of n...
Understanding how plants withstand harsh conditions remains major research challenge
Oct 17, 2016 (SPX)
Understanding how plants sense and cope with harsh conditions such as drought, too much salt in the soil or extreme temperatures could help researchers develop ...
David Attenborough calls for peepholes in zoos
Oct 17, 2016 (AFP)
Veteran British naturalist David Attenborough called Monday for gorillas in zoos to be kept behind walls with peepholes rather than glass panels, to respect the...
10,000 endangered frogs die in Peru
Oct 17, 2016 (AFP)
Peru is investigating what killed some 10,000 Titicaca water frogs, a critically endangered species affectionately known as the "scrotum frog," in a river that ...
Craze for hornbill 'ivory' pushes Borneo icon to the brink
Oct 16, 2016 (AFP)
A striking bird with monochrome plumage and a formidable "beak", the helmeted hornbill is being hunted to extinction, one of the latest victims of a thriving gl...
Elephants rescued from SW China water tank
Oct 13, 2016 (AFP)
Rescuers in China used helicopters and a digger to free three wild Asian elephants -- including one young calf -- from a water tank where they were helplessly t...
Researchers create technique for opening insects' exoskeletons to study living cells
Oct 12, 2016 (SPX)
Scientists believe that hearing in fruit flies and in humans is remarkably similar at the cellular level, which is why they'd like to explore the fruit fly's ea...
Hawaiian deep coral reefs home to unique species and extensive coral cover
Oct 12, 2016 (SPX)
NOAA-supported scientists working in the Hawaiian Archipelago are calling some of the deep coral reefs found in the region's so-called oceanic "twilight zone" t...
Warming temperatures can reduce marine diversity but increase freshwater species
Oct 10, 2016 (SPX)
In contrast to previous research, scientists have found that habitat warming can reduce the diversity of species in marine environments, but increase speciation...
Pets or pests? Quaker parrots invade Madrid
Oct 10, 2016 (AFP)
They may be cute, colourful and chatty, but South American quaker parrots have taken up residence in Madrid and other Spanish cities, irritating residents with ...
Large animals most vulnerable to impact of human expansion
Oct 07, 2016 (SPX)
Some of the most iconic giants of the animal kingdom, such as the imperious African elephant, are most vulnerable to the detrimental impact of human expansion, ...
Increase in plant photosynthesis revealed by seasonal carbon dioxide cycle
Oct 05, 2016 (SPX)
Doubling of the carbon dioxide concentration will cause global plant photosynthesis to increase by about one third, according to a paper published in the journa...
The 'big five' decisions at wildlife trade meeting
Oct 05, 2016 (AFP)
The world's largest wildlife meeting wrapped up late Tuesday with conservationists hailing progress in tightening rules on trafficking of endangered species inc...
North America's yellow-bellied kingsnake is actually three species
Oct 05, 2016 (UPI)
New genetic and ecological analysis suggests the yellow-bellied kingsnake, Lampropeltis calligaster, found throughout the eastern United States, is actually thr...
Oldest sea turtle ancestor hailed from southeastern U.S.
Oct 04, 2016 (UPI)
The grandfather of all modern marine turtles hailed from the Deep South. New research suggests the species Ctenochelys acris was the patriarch of the lineage th...
Scientists discover mechanisms of shape-shifting sea cucumbers
Oct 04, 2016 (SPX)
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have discovered for the first time how marine animals called sea cucumbers can rapidly change the stiffne...
World wildlife talks end with tighter conservation rules
Oct 04, 2016 (AFP)
A global conference on wildlife trade wrapped up on Tuesday after adopting a slew of decisions to curb rampant trafficking of threatened species such as sharks ...
One of two manatees in Caribbean repopulation scheme dies
Oct 03, 2016 (AFP)
One of two manatees released into the Caribbean in August under a pioneering repopulation scheme has died of a suspected kidney infection, the Guadeloupe Nation...
New model explains how veins grow in plants and animals
Oct 03, 2016 (UPI)
A variety of anatomical systems are governed by rules and ratios consistent throughout the animal kingdom. New research suggests one of those systems is the vas...
Thai water bug offers insights into human heart disease
Oct 03, 2016 (UPI)
Scientists don't have many opportunities to experiment on a living, beating human heart, which makes studying heart muscle defects quite difficult. To study hea...
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