Zoology News

January 20, 2017

Ants Find Their Way Even When Going Backwards

Insects Also Migrate, Study Shows

Climate: Alaska Fish Changing Breeding Behavior

Patagonia: Seal Hunting Is Altering Ecosystems

Latest Headlines

updated 3:54am EST

What Will the Wasp Plague Be Like This Year?

Jan. 18, 2017 — New research has revealed the population of the common wasp is amplified by spring weather, with warmer and drier springs often meaning more wasps and wasp stings in ... read more

Researchers Use Weather Radar to Track Migrating Waterfowl, Avian Influenza

Jan. 18, 2017 — Researchers are part of an effort that will use weather radar to identify wetland hotspots used by waterfowl during the winter, which in turn can alert poultry growers about ... read more

Mitochondrial DNA Shows Past Climate Change Effects on Gulls

Jan. 18, 2017 — To understand the present and future, we have to start with the past. A new study uses the mitochondrial DNA of Heermann's gulls to draw conclusions about how their ... read more

Moth Gut Bacterium Defends Its Host by Making Antibiotic

Jan. 19, 2017 — Nearly half of all insects are herbivores, but their diets do not consist of only plant material. It is not uncommon for potentially harmful microorganisms to slip in during ... read more

Birds of a Feather Flock Together to Confuse Potential Predators

Jan. 17, 2017 — Scientists have created a computer game style experiment which sheds new light on the reasons why starlings flock in massive swirling groups over wintering ... read more

Raw Materials for Meatballs, Falafel from Mealworms and Crickets

Jan. 19, 2017 — A research team has developed food ingredients from mealworms and crickets which, due to their promising structure and flavor, have the potential to be used in the ... read more

Intense Industrial Fishing

Jan. 18, 2017 — A new study examines how China maintains large catches and what it means for fishery ... read more

International Effort Announced to Try to Save the World's Most Endangered Marine Mammal

Jan. 18, 2017 — An ambitious, emergency plan to help save the vaquita porpoise from extinction in the northern Gulf of California has been recommended by the ... read more

'Bring It Back,' but Within Bounds: Retrieval Strains the Forelimbs of Dogs

Jan. 18, 2017 — Hunting dogs such as the popular breed retriever are ideally suited for retrieving birds or small game. However, the weight the dogs carry strains their locomotor system. A motion study has shown ... read more

Moving Up the Food Chain Can Beat Being on Top

Jan. 17, 2017 — When it comes to predators, the biggest mouths may not take the biggest bite. According to a new study from bioscientists, some predators have their greatest ecological ... read more

More Zoology News

January 20, 2017

Summaries
Headlines

Swamphens Signal Dominance Through Fleshy Faces

Jan. 18, 2017 — What's in a face? In addition to their plumage, Pukeko -- large purple swamphens found in New Zealand -- convey information about their status through their faces. A new study shows that the ... read more

New Species of Moth Named in Honor of Donald Trump Ahead of His Swearing-in as President

Jan. 17, 2017 — Days before Donald J. Trump steps forward on the Presidential Inauguration platform in Washington on Jan. 20, an evolutionary biologist has named a new species in his honor. The researcher hopes that ... read more

Why 'Platonic' Flies Don't Copulate and What That Could Mean for Humans

Jan. 17, 2017 — By studying the sexual behavior of a mutant strain of fruit fly called 'platonic,' researchers have found parallels between humans and flies in the neural control of ... read more

Signs of Hope for Endangered Sea Turtles

Jan. 17, 2017 — Bones from dead turtles washed up on Mexican beaches indicate that Baja California is critical to the survival of endangered North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles, which travel some 7,500 miles from ... read more

Steroid Discovered in Dogfish Sharks Attacks Parkinson's-Related Toxin in Animal Model

Jan. 16, 2017 — A synthesized steroid mirroring one naturally made by the dogfish shark prevents the buildup of a lethal protein implicated in some neurodegenerative diseases, reports an international research team ... read more

Genome Sequence of Polar Alga Explains Evolutionary Adaptation to Extreme Variable Climate

Jan. 16, 2017 — An international team of researchers has identified the genetic mutations which allowed microalgae (phytoplankton) from the Southern Ocean to adapt to extreme and highly variable climates -- a step ... read more

Diversification Key to Resilient Fishing Communities

Jan. 14, 2017 — Fishing communities can survive, and even thrive, as fish abundance and market prices shift if they can catch a variety of species and nimbly move from one fishery to the next, a new study ... read more

How to Be Winner in the Game of Evolution

Jan. 13, 2017 — A new study helps explain why different groups of animals differ dramatically in their number of species, and how this is related to differences in their body forms and ways of ... read more

Research Helps Protect Loggerhead Turtles

Jan. 13, 2017 — A long-running research and conservation project is helping save an at-risk species of turtle, report ... read more

Are Herders, Livestock Bad for Rare Wildlife? It's Complicated

Jan. 13, 2017 — A new article looks at the positive and negative relationships occurring between pastoralists, livestock, native carnivores and native herbivores in the world’s largest unfenced grassland and ... read more

New Pest Threatens Crops in West Africa

Jan. 13, 2017 — The moth Spodoptera frugiperda, commonly known as fall armyworm moth, was first registered in Africa in 2016. It is not certain how it arrived, but DNA-analyses show that it is likely to have been ... read more

Reef Fish That Conquer Fear of Sharks May Help Control Excess Algae

Jan. 13, 2017 — Coral reef fish experience landscapes of fear based on how much shelter from predators is available, new research concludes. But they are willing to move past that fear if the payoff in a delicious ... read more

Found: Neurons That Orient Bats Toward Destination

Jan. 12, 2017 — Bats – like humans – can find their favorite fruit stand (or coffee shop) even when it’s hidden behind a screen or tall buildings. How? Scientists have now identified the neurons that point ... read more

Pragmatic Approach to Using Animal Tissue

Jan. 12, 2017 — Using animals to research potentially life-saving treatments for humans is a necessary part of the scientific process, though progress has been made in reducing the number of animals involved. ... read more

How Navigational Goals Are Represented in the Bat Brain

Jan. 12, 2017 — In bats, researchers have identified a subpopulation of neurons that represent navigational goals, a new study reports. The results provide valuable insights into how bats fly from A to ... read more

Macaques, Like Humans, Know How Well They Can Recall Memories

Jan. 12, 2017 — Researchers have pinpointed a brain region monkeys use to evaluate their ability to recall memories. To date, this metamemory process, which requires a higher level of self-reflection about our own ... read more

Biologists Discover How Viruses Hijack Cell's Machinery

Jan. 12, 2017 — Biologists have documented for the first time how very large viruses reprogram the cellular machinery of bacteria during infection to more closely resemble an animal or human cell -- a process that ... read more

Mapping Movements of Alien Bird Species

Jan. 12, 2017 — A global map of alien bird species has been produced for the first time by a team of researchers. It shows that human activities are the main determinants of how many alien bird species live in an ... read more

Ice Age 'Skeleton Crew' Offers Insights for Today’s Endangered Species

Jan. 12, 2017 — The ghosts of Ice Age mammals can teach valuable, real-world lessons about what happens to an ecosystem when its most distinct species go extinct, according to a new ... read more

Why Do Killer Whales Go Through Menopause? Mother-Daughter Conflict Is Key

Jan. 12, 2017 — Killer whales are one of only three species that are known to go through menopause, surviving long after they've stopped reproducing. Those older females play an essential role in helping their ... read more

Wednesday, January 18, 2017