FLORA FAUNA

5,060 articles

Speedy evolution affects more than one species
Oct 26, 2015 (SPX)
The concept that biodiversity feeds upon itself is not uncommon in the world of evolution. The problem is a lack of hard data that shows this process to be natu...
Crocodiles actually do sleep with one eye open
Oct 22, 2015 (UPI)
The rumor is true. Crocodiles, in fact, do sleep with one eye open. The new research, published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology, suggests croco...
How plants turn into zombies
Oct 20, 2015 (SPX)
It begins as a fairy tale which later turns into a horror story: Lusciously flowering plants, surrounded by a large number of insects. Usually, both sides profi...
Fossils reveal humans were greater threat than climate change to Caribbean wildlife
Oct 20, 2015 (SPX)
Nearly 100 fossil species pulled from a flooded cave in the Bahamas reveal a true story of persistence against all odds - at least until the time humans stepped...
Tiny plant shows us how living things cope with big changes
Oct 16, 2015 (SPX)
A small freshwater plant that has evolved to live in harsh seawater is giving scientists insight into how living things adapt to changes in their environment. T...
Huge 50-year-old elephant killed by German tourist in Zimbabwe
Oct 16, 2015 (AFP)
A German tourist has killed one of the biggest elephants seen for years in Zimbabwe, wildlife groups said Friday, reviving the fierce debate over trophy hunting...
Endangered orangutans face a new threat
Oct 15, 2015 (SPX)
The loss of habitats is the greatest threat to the endangered orangutans, and now a new study says their existence could be further jeopardized if conservation ...
Dibblers get a second chance on Australian island
Oct 15, 2015 (UPI)
Pushed to the brink of extinction by land clearing and growing populations of feral cats and foxes, a rare marsupial in Western Australia is trying to make a co...
Re-thinking plant and insect diversity
Oct 15, 2015 (SPX)
New research by biologists at the University of York shows that plant and insect diversity is more loosely linked than scientists previously believed. Insects a...
Threat posed by 'pollen thief' bees uncovered
Oct 13, 2015 (SPX)
A new University of Stirling study has uncovered the secrets of 'pollen thief' bees - which take pollen from flowers but fail to act as effective pollinators - ...
Characteristics of mammalian melanopsins for non-visual photoreception
Oct 12, 2015 (SPX)
Researchers at Institute for Molecular Sciences reported that a mammalian photoreceptive protein melanopsin spontaneously releases the chromophore retinal. The ...
Evidence for functional redundancy in nature
Oct 12, 2015 (SPX)
One of biology's long-standing puzzles is how so many similar species can co-exist in nature. Do they really all fulfill a different role? Massive data on beetl...
Climate change clips wings of migratory birds
Oct 11, 2015 (AFP)
It takes the dexterity of a lacemaker to remove the tiny bird caught in nets strung between pine trees on Poland's Baltic coast, a veritable paradise for dozens...
Embrace the chaos: Predictable ecosystems may be more fragile
Oct 09, 2015 (SPX)
When it comes to using our natural resources, human beings want to know what we're going to get. We expect clean water every time we turn on the tap; beaches fr...
WWF: East Himalaya surveys yield more than 200 new species
Oct 08, 2015 (UPI)
Since 2009, more than 200 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas. According to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund, between 2009 and 2014...
Study sheds light on powerful process that turns food into energy
Oct 06, 2015 (SPX)
The way in which our cells convert food into fuel is shared by almost all living things - now scientists have discovered a likely reason why this is so widespre...
Sneezing monkey, 'walking' fish found in Himalayas: WWF
Oct 06, 2015 (AFP)
A monkey that sneezes when it rains and a "walking" fish are among more than 200 species discovered in the ecologically fragile eastern Himalayas in recent year...
Chinese team now develops a better understanding of microbes in the air
Oct 06, 2015 (SPX)
When people talk about air pollution, PM2.5 nowadays immediately comes into mind. Yet, we are often not aware that these tiny particles "flying" in the air coul...
Conservationists: Smog disrupting migratory birds in Malaysia
Oct 02, 2015 (UPI)
Conservationists say worsening haze in Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia is causing problems for animals, especially migratory birds. Now is the time whe...
New species of deadly snake discovered in Australia
Sep 29, 2015 (UPI)
Add another name to the list of odd and deadly creatures of Australia. Death is even in the name. Scientists from Australia and Britain have discovered a new sp...
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