FLORA FAUNA

5,060 articles

Evolution of our mammalian ancestor's ear bone
Jul 16, 2015 (SPX)
It has long been believed that the hearing bone called stapes, one of the smallest bones in ancestor of mammals, shows no differences between species. Now, Dr L...
You need this hole in the head - to be smart
Jul 16, 2015 (SPX)
University of Adelaide researchers have shown that intelligence in animal species can be estimated by the size of the holes in the skull through which the arter...
Ecologists predict impact of climate change on vulnerable species
Jul 16, 2015 (SPX)
If it seems like you're pulling more bass than trout out of Ontario's lakes this summer, you probably are. Blame it on the ripple effect of climate change and w...
Climate change threatens one of Lake Erie's most popular fish
Jul 16, 2015 (SPX)
Research has suggested yellow perch grow more rapidly during the short winters resulting from climate change, but a new study shows warmer water temperatures ca...
Hong Kong ivory trade 'major threat' to elephant survival: report
Jul 16, 2015 (AFP)
Hong Kong's booming ivory market is helping push elephants towards extinction, conservationists said Thursday, reporting more ivory items on sale there than in ...
Sri Lanka bans phones in safari park to save leopards
Jul 13, 2015 (AFP)
Sri Lanka's largest safari park banned the use of cell phones Monday to stop leopards and other wildlife being killed by speeding vehicles which have been tippe...
Deceptive flowers
Jul 10, 2015 (SPX)
Some pollinators not only provide fertilization services for flowering plants, they also lay their eggs on the plants' leaves after they have visited the flower...
Plant's sonar-bouncing leaves attract bats -- and their poo
Jul 09, 2015 (UPI)
The leaves of a pitcher plant species in Borneo serve as a sounding board for the sonar of resident bats, attracting the furry, flying mammals to hang out -- an...
Temperature a dominant influence on bird diversity loss in Mexico
Jul 08, 2015 (SPX)
A wide-ranging study of gains and losses of populations of bird species across Mexico in the 20th century shows shifts in temperature due to global climate chan...
Bats do it, dolphins do it - now humans can do it, too
Jul 08, 2015 (SPX)
University of California, Berkeley, physicists have used graphene to build lightweight ultrasonic loudspeakers and microphones, enabling people to mimic bats or...
Unraveling iridescence
Jul 07, 2015 (SPX)
Perhaps not the brightest of cephalopods, the California market squid (Doryteuthis opalescens) has amazing light-manipulating abilities. While this species shar...
Scientists warn of species loss due to man-made landscapes
Jul 07, 2015 (SPX)
Research led by the University of Exeter has found a substantial reduction in bird species living in cultivated mango orchards compared to natural habitats in S...
First comprehensive analysis of the woolly mammoth genome completed
Jul 07, 2015 (SPX)
The first comprehensive analysis of the woolly mammoth genome reveals extensive genetic changes that allowed mammoths to adapt to life in the arctic. Mammoth ge...
Tough tail of a seahorse may provide robotic solutions
Jul 07, 2015 (SPX)
One of the ocean's oddest little creatures, the seahorse, is providing inspiration for robotics researchers as they learn from nature how to build robots that h...
After a clean kill, African game-hunters defend the right to shoot
Jul 07, 2015 (AFP)
Adri Kitshoff aims her gun at the antelope and pulls the trigger. Killed in an instant, the animal collapses to the ground. The hunter rests her chin on the gun...
A single molecule in the building blocks of life
Jul 07, 2015 (SPX)
Have a look round your living room. Everything around you is made up of molecules - just as you are. When they are put together, the molecules act as the buildi...
Nearly 2,000 dried chameleons seized in Burkina: officials
Jul 06, 2015 (AFP)
More than 1,800 dried chameleons on their way to Asia have been seized in Burkina Faso, officials said Monday. The chameleons -- which are protected in Burkina ...
Roaring success: lions return to Rwanda, with rhinos next?
Jul 06, 2015 (AFP)
Groggy on their paws after waking from tranquillizers, lions have returned to Rwanda for the first time since the endangered animal was wiped out following the ...
Mozambique destroys over two tonnes of contraband ivory, rhino horn
Jul 06, 2015 (AFP)
Authorities in Mozambique on Monday burned more than 2.6 tonnes of ivory and rhino horns confiscated during various anti-poaching busts, demonstrating a tough s...
Dagger-like saber-toothed cat canines took years to grow
Jul 05, 2015 (SPX)
The fearsome saber-toothed cat teeth may have fully emerged later in life than those of modern big cats, but they grew at a rate about double that of their livi...
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