Plants & Animals news

Soap opera in the marsh: Coots foil nest invaders, reject impostors

Soap opera in the marsh: Coots foil nest invaders, reject impostors

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The American coot is a drab, seemingly unremarkable marsh bird common throughout North America. But its reproductive life is full of deception and violence.


How the daisy got its spots… and why

How the daisy got its spots... and why

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 18, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Dark spots on flower petals are common across many angiosperm plant families and occur on flowers such as some lilies, orchids, and daisies. Much research has been done on the physiological and behavioral ...


fruit fly

The how and why of freezing the common fruit fly

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 18, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Using a microscope the size of a football field, researchers from The University of Western Ontario are studying why some insects can survive freezing, while others cannot.


New research explains orchids' sexual trickery

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

A new study reveals the reason why orchids use sexual trickery to lure insect pollinators. The study, published in the January issue of The American Naturalist, finds that sexual deception in orchids leads to a more effici ...


Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire, says study

Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire, study says

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 17, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (8) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The use and control of fire are behavioral characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. Now, a new study by Iowa State University anthropologist Jill Pruetz reports that savanna ...


Among Apes, Teeth Are Made for the Toughest Times (w/ Video)

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The teeth of some apes are formed primarily to handle the most stressful times when food is scarce, according to new research performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The findings ...


Biologist Shows Female Birds of a Feather Compete Together

Biologist Shows Female Birds of a Feather Compete Together

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- With its flamboyantly decorated plumage, the peacock is a classic example of how males among many bird species are more visually eye-catching than their female partners. But new research, ...


Tool use in an invertebrate: The coconut-carrying octopus

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Scientists once thought of tool use as a defining feature of humans. That's until examples of tool use came in from other primates, along with birds and an array of other mammals. Now, a report in the December 14th issue ...


Sucker-footed bats don't use suction after all

Sucker-footed bats don't use suction after all (w/ Video)

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 0

There are approximately 1,200 species of bats worldwide. Of that total, only six are known to roost with their heads pointed upward. Investigators did not know why, because they knew next to nothing about ...


Bigger and bossier better for fish families

Bigger and bossier better for fish families

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- If you are spending the holidays with big Uncle Frank or bossy Aunt Minnie and wondering whether you would be better off with another family, spare a thought for the humble cichlid fish.


World's rarest gorilla ready for its close-up

World's rarest gorilla ready for its close-up (w/ Video)

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

The world's rarest -- and most camera shy -- great ape has finally been captured on professional video on a forested mountain in Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and Germany's NDR Naturfilm.


See-through goldfish shows clear benefits for science, research

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

With Christmas around the corner, a see-through goldfish might make a nice Christmas present for the ichthyologist who has everything.



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