FLORA FAUNA

5,060 articles

Trap-jaw ants use spring-loaded jaws to jump from predators
May 13, 2015 (UPI)
The spring-loaded trap-jaw ants can kill or main prey in a matter of microseconds. The ants' mandibles are the fastest moving predatory appendages on earth. But...
Genetic changes to basic developmental processes evolve more frequently
May 13, 2015 (SPX)
Newly evolved genes can rapidly assume control over fundamental functions during early embryonic development, report scientists from the University of Chicago. ...
Just like humans, dolphins have social networks
May 12, 2015 (SPX)
They may not be on Facebook or Twitter, but dolphins do, in fact, form highly complex and dynamic networks of friends, according to a recent study by scientists...
Species' evolutionary choice: Disperse or adapt?
May 11, 2015 (SPX)
Dispersal and adaptation are two fundamental evolutionary strategies available to species given an environment. Generalists, like dandelions, send their offspri...
Vietnam arrests two over rhino horn haul worth $1 mn: state media
May 11, 2015 (AFP)
Vietnamese police have arrested two men for transporting rhino horn worth an estimated $1 million, state media said on Monday, in the latest seizure of the priz...
India's endangered lion numbers increase
May 11, 2015 (AFP)
Wildlife experts welcomed Monday census figures showing India's population of endangered Asiatic lions has increased in the last five years in the western state...
Proteomics identifies DNA repair toolbox
May 09, 2015 (SPX)
During each cell division, more than 3.3 billion base pairs of genomic DNA have to be duplicated and segregated accurately to daughter cells. But what happens w...
Scientists identify tissue-degrading enzyme in white-nose syndrome
May 09, 2015 (SPX)
Scientists at UC San Francisco and Brown University have figured out the likely way that white-nose syn-drome breaks down tissue in bats, opening the door to po...
Virginia Tech researcher shines light on origin of bioluminescence
May 09, 2015 (SPX)
In the mountains of Virginia, millipedes have bright yellow and black colors to warn enemies that they are toxic and not worth eating. Their cousins in Californ...
Viruses: You've heard the bad - here's the good
May 08, 2015 (SPX)
"The word, virus, connotes morbidity and mortality, but that bad reputation is not universally deserved," said Marilyn Roossinck, PhD, Professor of Plant Pathol...
Kenya gets forensic lab to help fight wildlife crime
May 08, 2015 (AFP)
Kenya opened a new forensic lab on Friday, supported by foreign donors, in a bid to improve the country's woeful record in prosecuting wildlife crimes. Scientis...
Fossils help identify marine life at high risk of extinction today
May 08, 2015 (SPX)
A detailed study of marine animals that died out over the past 23 million years can help identify which animals and ocean ecosystems may be most at risk of exti...
Puget Sound's clingfish could inspire better medical devices, whale tags
May 08, 2015 (SPX)
Scooting around in the shallow, coastal waters of Puget Sound is one of the world's best suction cups. It's called the Northern clingfish, and its small, finger...
Hitting the borders of expansion
May 06, 2015 (SPX)
Why does a species not adapt to an ever-wider range of conditions, gradually expanding its geographical range? In their paper published in PNAS (Proceedings of ...
Zimbabwe vows to export elephants despite criticism
May 06, 2015 (AFP)
Zimbabwe vowed on Wednesday to shrug off international pressure and forge ahead with the export of live elephants to raise funds for conservation and curb the a...
Slowdown after Ice Age sounds a warning for Great Barrier Reef's future
May 06, 2015 (SPX)
Environmental factors similar to those affecting the present day Great Barrier Reef have been linked to a major slowdown in its growth eight thousand years ago,...
Meet the beetle that packs a machine gun
May 05, 2015 (SPX)
If you thought that a beetle with a machine gun built into its rear end was something that only exists in sci-fi movies, you should talk to Wendy Moore at the U...
Nature paper describes revolutionary method of making RNAs
May 05, 2015 (SPX)
A biochemist from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is a co-author on a paper in Nature that describes a new, more efficient method o...
Botswana's marauding elephants trigger hunting ban debate
May 04, 2015 (AFP)
Surveying her destroyed cornfield in northern Botswana, Minsozie Kasaira wishes for a return to the days of elephant hunting. Until last year, villagers like Mi...
Backyard feeders invite aggressive bird breeds: study
May 04, 2015 (AFP)
Backyard bird feeders may ruffle some feathers, attracting aggressive breeds like house sparrows and doves while discouraging native species that eat insects an...
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, is Copyright 1995-2026 Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principles for news reporting and research purposes.