Odd Creatures News

August 20, 2016

Rewriting the Genome of Living Bacteria

Calls to Eggs Help Birds Adapt to Warmer World?

Pre-Hispanic Mexicans Bred and Managed Rabbits

Down to the Wire: GM Bacteria Carry Electricity

Latest Headlines

updated 11:41am EDT

Big Fish, and Their Urine, Are Key Parts of Coral Reef Ecosystems

Aug. 16, 2016 — Large, carnivorous fish excrete almost half of the key nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen, that are essential for the survival of coral reefs, report scientists, making them ... read more

An Ancient Mayan Copernicus

Aug. 16, 2016 — Ancient hieroglyphic texts reveal Mayans made major discovery in math and astronomy, a researcher suggests. This study blends the study of Mayan hieroglyphics (epigraphy), ... read more

On the Prowl for an Elusive Rodent Called 'the Ultimate Pokémon'

Aug. 16, 2016 — Researchers are on a real-life search for what one calls 'the ultimate Pokémon': Zenkerella, an elusive scaly-tailed squirrel that has never been spotted alive by ... read more

Female Fish Can Favor Sperm from Preferred Males Despite External Fertilization

Aug. 16, 2016 — Biologists studying a small, colorful fish in the Mediterranean Sea have discovered a new way in which a female can choose ... read more

Luna Moth's Long Tail Could Confuse Bat Sonar Through Its Twist

Aug. 15, 2016 — A detailed look at how sound waves bounce off a flying moth’s body offers new clues for how its long, twisted tail might help it evade ... read more

Sewage Sludge Could Make Great Sustainable Fertilizer

Aug. 15, 2016 — Ever thought of putting sewage on your plants? Scientists say thermally conditioned sewage sludge serves as an excellent fertilizer to improve soil properties. The major advantage over commercial ... read more

'Chemtrails' Not Real, Say Atmospheric Science Experts

Aug. 12, 2016 — Well-understood physical and chemical processes can easily explain the alleged evidence of a secret, large-scale atmospheric spraying program, commonly referred to as ... read more

Greenland Sharks Live for Hundreds of Years

Aug. 12, 2016 — The 5 meter long Greenland shark's general biology and way of life have been a mystery to biologists for many years. However, marine biologists have now deployed an ... read more

Large Human Brain Evolved as a Result of 'Sizing Each Other Up'

Aug. 12, 2016 — Humans have evolved a disproportionately large brain as a result of sizing each other up in large cooperative social groups, researchers ... read more

In a Race for Cheetos, Magpies Win, but Crows Steal

Aug. 11, 2016 — In urban neighborhoods, magpies often nest near their cousin corvid species, crows. Nesting near a bigger bird affords them some extra defense against predators. But do they ... read more

Firenadoes Rage in California as Blaze Menaces 82,000

Scientists Keep Finding Strange, New Creatures In The Deep Sea

Ducks on Pest Patrol at South African Vineyards

The Heat In NYC Means Cockroaches Are Flying, So That's Horrifying

Orangutan Able to Guess a Taste Without Sampling It, Just Like Us

Aug. 11, 2016 — Without having tasted a new juice mix before, an orangutan in a Swedish zoo has enough sense to know whether it will taste nice or not based on how he recombined relevant memories from the past. Only ... read more

Unearthed: The Cannibal Sharks of a Forgotten Age

Aug. 11, 2016 — Scientists have discovered incredible fossil evidence that a 300-million-year-old shark, which mildly resembled a modern-day bull shark, cannibalized its ... read more

Toward Clothes That Fix Their Own Rips

Aug. 10, 2016 — Ripped pants or a torn shirt usually means a trip to the tailor or a garbage can is in one's future. But scientists could be closing in on a new solution. They report a fabric coating made of ... read more

Earth Interacted With Supernova Remnants for 1 Million Years

Aug. 10, 2016 — Physicists have succeeded in detecting a time-resolved supernova signal in the Earth's microfossil record. As the group shows, the supernova signal was first detectable at a time starting about ... read more

The Hunt for War Treasure in the Philippines Has Hidden Meanings

Aug. 10, 2016 — Many believe that enormous quantities of gold lie buried somewhere in the Philippines. According to a popular account, Japanese soldiers used the Philippines as a base to hide treasures they had ... read more

Unraveling the Jaw-Dropping Goblin Shark

Aug. 10, 2016 — Scientists have revealed goblin sharks' 'slingshot feeding' mechanism, which involves high-speed protrusion of their jaws. Goblin sharks have revealed a remarkable biting mechanism, ... read more

DNA Dominoes on a Chip

Aug. 9, 2016 — Normally, individual molecules of genetic material repel each other. However, when space is limited DNA molecules must be packed together more tightly. This case arises in sperm, cell nuclei and the ... read more

1967 Solar Storm Nearly Took US to Brink of War

Aug. 9, 2016 — A solar storm that jammed radar and radio communications at the height of the Cold War could have led to a disastrous military conflict if not for the US Air Force's budding efforts to monitor ... read more

Stem Cells of Worms, Humans More Similar Than Expected

Aug. 9, 2016 — The transient form of genetic information, the RNA, is processed in a similar manner in the cells of both organisms. These mechanisms seem to be at work throughout the whole animal kingdom. ... read more

Study Demonstrates Rapid Decline in Male Dog Fertility, With Potential Link to Environmental Contaminants

Aug. 9, 2016 — The fertility of dogs may have suffered a sharp decline over the past three decades, a new study has found. The research found that sperm quality in a population of stud dogs studied over a 26-year ... read more

Nature, Not Nurture, Defines Cricket Social Networks

Aug. 8, 2016 — The social lives of crickets are similar generation to generation, even though the insects can't learn directly from their mum and ... read more

Newly Discovered 'Blue Whirl' Fire Tornado Burns Cleaner for Reduced Emissions

Aug. 5, 2016 — Researchers say their discovery of a type of fire tornado they call a 'blue whirl' could lead to beneficial new approaches for reduced carbon emissions and improved oil spill ... read more

Sharks Get Bad Rap When Viewed With Ominous Background Music

Aug. 4, 2016 — In a new study, researchers found that the background music in shark documentaries affects viewers' perceptions of sharks. The researchers suggest that ominous background music could hinder ... read more

Radar Tracking Reveals the 'Life Stories' of Bumblebees as They Forage for Food

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have tracked the flight paths of a group of bumblebees throughout their entire lives to find out how they explore their environment and search for ... read more

Researchers Discover What Makes Mice Freeze or Flee

Aug. 4, 2016 — Mice are likely to freeze at the sight of small slow-moving shapes and flee from fast approaching ones, finds new research.This provides the first evidence that mice make instinctive choices based on ... read more

Quick-Destructing Battery to Power 'Transient' Devices

Aug. 4, 2016 — Scientists have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called 'transient electronics.' The battery project presented many challenges, ... read more

Mystery of Sable Island’s Growing Wild Horse Population

Aug. 4, 2016 — Biologists have made a significant advance in understanding the ecology of Sable Island and its iconic wild horses -- one that underscores how intimately connected living systems ... read more

Smiling Baby Monkeys and the Roots of Laughter

Aug. 4, 2016 — When human and chimp infants are dozing, they sometimes show facial movements that resemble smiles. These facial expressions, called spontaneous smiles, are considered the evolutionary origin of real ... read more

Lab-Reared Maggots May Save Darwin's Famous Finches

Aug. 4, 2016 — Researchers reveal how they used chicken blood to rear larvae of the fly Philornis downsi, an invasive species that parasitizes birds in the Galapagos Islands. The new method may be the first to ... read more

Waste Not: Edible Wax Coating Slicks Liquids With Ease

Aug. 3, 2016 — Materials scientists have created a 'superhydrophobic' coating that easily slicks away viscous liquids like syrup, honey and ketchup. They detail the engineering feat in a new paper that ... read more

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