FLORA FAUNA

5,060 articles

Evolution used similar toolkits to shape flies, worms, and humans
Aug 29, 2014 (SPX)
Although separated by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, flies, worms, and humans share ancient patterns of gene expression, according to a massive Yal...
Worker bees 'know' when to invest in their reproductive future
Aug 28, 2014 (SPX)
When a colony of honeybees grows to about 4,000 members, it triggers an important first stage in its reproductive cycle: the building of a special type of comb ...
Chinese panda fakes pregnancy to get more food [UPDATED]
Aug 28, 2014 (UPI)
Earlier this summer, at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Center in China, the lights were on and the camera was rolling. Film crews and biologists had ...
New Zealand big trees number 10 different species
Aug 28, 2014 (SPX)
At the stroke of a pen a New Zealand endemic tree has for the last 31 years been incorrectly regarded the same as a group of 'weedy' Australian shrubs and small...
'Just right' plant growth may make river deltas resilient
Aug 28, 2014 (SPX)
Research by Indiana University geologists suggests that an intermediate amount of vegetation -- not too little and not too much -- is most effective at stabiliz...
From dandruff to deep sea vents, an ecologically hyper-diverse fungus
Aug 28, 2014 (SPX)
A ubiquitous skin fungus linked to dandruff, eczema and other itchy, flaky maladies in humans has now been tracked to even further global reaches-including Hawa...
Yawning among wolves just as contagious as among humans
Aug 27, 2014 (UPI)
Everybody knows yawning is contagious. It seems like folklore, but it's true. No matter whether an expression of tiredness or boredom, research has shown that a...
Earth can sustain more terrestrial plant growth than previously thought
Aug 27, 2014 (SPX)
A new analysis suggests the planet can produce much more land-plant biomass - the total material in leaves, stems, roots, fruits, grains and other terrestrial p...
Zambia lifts ban on safari hunting
Aug 27, 2014 (AFP)
Zambia has lifted a 20-month ban on safari hunting because it has lost too much revenue, but lions and leopards will remain protected, the government said Wedne...
Core mechanism for root growth identified
Aug 26, 2014 (SPX)
During plant growth, dividing cells in meristems must coordinate transitions from division to expansion and differentiation. Three distinct developmental zones ...
Bun in stomach, rather than oven for China panda 'mum'
Aug 26, 2014 (AFP)
Hopes that tiny panda paws would be seen in the world's first live-broadcast cub delivery were dashed Tuesday when Chinese experts suggested the "mother" may ha...
Monarch butterflies plummet 90 percent, need protection
Aug 26, 2014 (AFP)
Monarch butterflies are dying off fast, with 90 percent gone in the last 20 years, and they urgently need endangered species protection, a coalition of environm...
South American ant supports Alternate mechanism of species formation
Aug 25, 2014 (SPX)
A newly-discovered species of ant supports a controversial theory of species formation. The ant, only found in a single patch of eucalyptus trees on the Sao Pau...
Life Beneath the Ice
Aug 25, 2014 (SPX)
In a finding that has implications for life in other extreme environments, both on Earth and planets elsewhere in the solar system, LSU Associate Professor of B...
Bats bolster brain hypothesis, maybe technology, too
Aug 21, 2014 (SPX)
Amid a neuroscience debate about how people and animals focus on distinct objects within cluttered scenes, some of the newest and best evidence comes from the w...
Microbes can create dripstones
Aug 21, 2014 (SPX)
According to new research humble, microscopic organisms can create dripstones in caves. This illustrates how biological life can influence the formation of Eart...
Freeways as fences, trapping the mountain lions of Los Angeles
Aug 21, 2014 (SPX)
That mountain lions have managed to survive at all in the Santa Monica Mountains of California-in the vicinity of the megacity of Los Angeles-is a testament to ...
Cities help spiders grow bigger, multiply faster
Aug 20, 2014 (UPI)
Arachnophobic urbanites, you might want to pack it up and head for the suburbs -- safer yet, the countryside. New research suggests many spiders prefer the glit...
Power plant in Vermont serving host to 200 endangered bats
Aug 20, 2014 (UPI)
Some 200 little brown bats have made their home in Green Mountain Power's hydro power facility in Middlebury, Vermont. Officials with the state's Fish & Wildlif...
Disquieting times for Malaysia's 'fish listener'
Aug 19, 2014 (AFP)
One hand clinging to his boat's gunwale, Harun Muhammad submerges himself, eyes and ears wide open underwater as he "listens" for fish sounds emanating from the...
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