Zoology News

March 7, 2017

The Reason We Walk the Earth: Eyes Have It

Do Spiders Help out the Single Moms Among Them?

How Skates, Rays, Sharks Sense Electrical Fields

Rise of Flowering Plants and Pollinators?

Latest Headlines

updated 7:54pm EST

'Black Swan' Events Strike Animal Populations

Mar. 7, 2017 — A new analysis is the first to document that "black swan" events also occur in animal populations and usually manifest as massive, unexpected ... read more

Portuguese Moth's Mystery Solved After 22 Years

Mar. 7, 2017 — An unknown moth, collected from Portugal 22 years ago, has finally been named and placed in the tree of life. The tiny moth belongs to the looper moth family and has been ... read more

Fly-Over States Matter When Understanding -- And Saving -- Migratory Birds

Mar. 7, 2017 — Around the world, thousands of migratory animals travel hundreds or even thousands of miles each year. The journey of migratory animals is more important than their ... read more

Identification of Genes Controlling Mouthpart Development Key to Insect Diversity

Mar. 7, 2017 — New research revealed roles for genes responsible for insect limb formation in the development of stag beetle mouthparts. ... read more

Rangers Fight Loss of Wildlife With Fire

Mar. 7, 2017 — Native animals are declining on Australia's second largest island with brush-tailed rabbit-rats, black-footed tree-rats and northern brown bandicoots the worst ... read more

Nothing Fishy About New Solution for Aquaculture Wastewater Treatment

Mar. 6, 2017 — Aquaculture, or fish farming, is one of the fastest growing sectors of agriculture in the world today. However, farmers in the United States who wish to capitalize on this ... read more

Bird Spiders Detectives: The Solution to a 200-Year-Old Hairy Mystery

Mar. 6, 2017 — Three species and three genera of birdeater spiders are described as new to science. In a new study, Brazilian spider experts report the diversity of the oldest tarantula ... read more

Positive Long-Term Colic Surgery Results for Horses

Mar. 2, 2017 — Many horse owners and equine veterinarians find themselves facing a difficult decision when it comes to treating a horse surgically for colic, with concerns including postoperative performance and ... read more

What Global Climate Change May Mean for Leaf Litter in Streams and Rivers

Mar. 3, 2017 — Carbon emissions to the atmosphere from streams and rivers are expected to increase as warmer water temperatures stimulate faster rates of organic matter breakdown. But a new ... read more

Why Pandas Are Black and White

Mar. 3, 2017 — The giant panda's distinct black-and-white markings have two functions: camouflage and communication. The study found that most of the panda -- its face, neck, belly, rump -- ... read more

More Zoology News

March 7, 2017

Summaries
Headlines

Breakthrough in Live Coral Imaging

Mar. 6, 2017 — Interdisciplinarity scientists have used a well-known biomedical imaging technique called optical coherence tomography (OCT) to obtain fascinating insights to the structural organization and dynamics ... read more

Dog Walkers Want Their Dogs to Enjoy the Chance to Be 'Dog-Like' and Free on Walks

Mar. 3, 2017 — Dog walkers want their dogs to have fun, freedom and space to enact their ‘dog-ness’ when they go for a walk, a new study ... read more

Woolly Mammoths Experienced a Genomic Meltdown Just Before Extinction

Mar. 2, 2017 — Dwindling populations created a 'mutational meltdown' in the genomes of the last woolly mammoths, which had survived on an isolated island until a few thousand years ago, report ... read more

Newborn Harbour Porpoises Have the Fastest Hearing Development Among Mammals

Mar. 2, 2017 — All mammals can hear -- but it is not an ability that is fully developed at birth. Some mammals like humans take years to fully develop their hearing abilities, but for a newborn harbor porpoise it ... read more

Insects Love Windthrows

Mar. 2, 2017 — Storm-ravaged woodland is approximately twice as rich in insect species as undamaged forest, new research concludes. This is because many endangered forest insects benefit from the open forest areas ... read more

Scientists Reveal Core Genes Involved in Immunity of Honey Bees

Mar. 2, 2017 — A core set of genes involved in the responses of honey bees to multiple diseases caused by viruses and parasites has been identified by an international team of researchers. The findings provide a ... read more

The Ultimate Power Nap: Researchers Use 'Fitbits' to Track Elephant Sleep in the Wild

Mar. 2, 2017 — Behavioral studies of elephant sleep in zoos record that they sleep around four hours per day and can sleep standing up or lying down -- but how much do they sleep and how do they sleep in their ... read more

Study Examines Pesticides' Impact on Wood Frogs

Mar. 1, 2017 — A new study looks at how neonicotinoid pesticides affect wood frogs, which use surface waters in agricultural environments to breed and reproduce. Neonicotinoids are widely used insecticides that are ... read more

Forest Degradation in the Tropics

Mar. 1, 2017 — Village communities in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and South America have not been using local forest resources as sustainably as is often assumed. According to the study, in 90 percent of ... read more

Mollusk Graveyards Are Time Machines to Oceans' Pristine Past

Feb. 28, 2017 — Mollusk fossils provide a reliable measure of human-driven changes in marine ecosystems and shifts in ocean biodiversity across time and space, new research ... read more

Miniature Organisms in the Sand Play Big Role in Our Ocean

Feb. 28, 2017 — Small organisms called meiofauna that live in the sediment provide essential services to human life such as food production and nutrient cycling, a researcher explains in a new ... read more

Did Seaweed Make Us Who We Are Today?

Feb. 28, 2017 — Millions of years ago something happened, allowing early Homo sapiens to branch out from the primitive hominoid family tree. Was this crucial turn in human evolution partly driven by seaweed and its ... read more

Male Poison Frogs Become Cannibals After Taking Over Territories

Feb. 28, 2017 — Systematic 'infanticide' of unrelated young occurs in several animal species. For carnivores and primates, infanticidal actions are mainly sexually motivated. A study has shown for the ... read more

Recovering Predators and Prey

Feb. 27, 2017 — Researchers show how simultaneously restoring predators and prey is much faster and more effective than doing so one at a ... read more

Sponge Bacterium Found to Encapsulate Arsenic Drawn from Environment

Feb. 27, 2017 — A new study sheds light on a unique biological model of arsenic detoxification. According to the new research, the Entotheonella bacterium that inhabits the Theonella swinhoei sponge is one of the ... read more

New Tool for Combating Mosquito-Borne Disease: Insect Parasite Genes

Feb. 27, 2017 — Discovery of the genes the insect parasite Wolbachia uses to control its hosts' reproduction provides a powerful new tool for enhancing biological control efforts for mosquito-borne diseases ... read more

Common Bacterium May Help Control Disease-Bearing Mosquitoes

Feb. 27, 2017 — Genes from a common bacterium can be harnessed to sterilize male insects, a tool that can potentially control populations of both disease-bearing mosquitoes and agricultural pests, researchers ... read more

Greater Prairie Chickens Cannot Persist in Illinois Without Help, Researchers Report

Feb. 27, 2017 — An iconic bird whose booming mating calls once reverberated across 'the Prairie State' can survive in Illinois with the help of periodic human interventions, researchers ... read more

Study Reveals Ways Powerful 'Master Gene' Regulates Physical Differences Between Sexes

Feb. 27, 2017 — The master gene that regulates differences between males and females plays a complex role in matching the right physical trait to the right sex, scientists have found. The research reveals new ... read more

Watching Birds Near Your Home Is Good for Your Mental Health

Feb. 25, 2017 — People living in neighborhoods with more birds, shrubs and trees are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and stress, according to new ... read more

Monday, March 6, 2017