Jamaican lizards' shows of strength mark territory at dawn, dusk

User rating: 4.3 / 5 after 3 vote(s)

Anolis lineatopus: Jamaican gray anole observed near Discovery Bay Jamaica. Credit: Terry J. OrdHarvard University and University of California Davis
Anolis lineatopus: Jamaican gray anole, observed near Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Credit: Terry J. Ord/Harvard University and University of California, Davis

What does Jack LaLanne have in common with a Jamaican lizard? Like the ageless fitness guru, the lizards greet each new day with vigorous push-ups. That's according to a new study showing that male Anolis lizards engage in impressive displays of reptilian strength -- push-ups, head bobs, and threatening extension of a colorful neck flap called a dewlap -- to defend their territory at dawn and dusk.


Full story »

All News summaries from General Science news
All News summaries for August 27, 2008

New penguin species found in New Zealand

10 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian and New Zealand researchers have used ancient DNA from penguin fossils to make a startling discovery that may change the way we view species extinctions.

Falling home ownership, equity, affect college enrollment

12 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Sagging college enrollments may be the next symptom of the sub-prime mortgage mess, according to a University of Michigan economist.

Scientists fight stem rust UG99 before it becomes a threat

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Wheat breeders and plant pathologists at Montana State University are part of a global effort to develop varieties of wheat resistant to a new fungus. UG99, a stem rust strain that was first discovered in ...

Scientist Unlocking the Secrets of Sea Slug that Lives Like a Plant

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Photosynthesis generates the oxygen needed for life on earth as well as the biomass for food and biofuel production. The process is driven by the absorption of the sun’s energy by tiny green "bodies" called ...

Archeologists say they found witch doctor skeleton

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Archeologists believe a 12,000-year-old skeleton found in a grave containing 50 tortoise shells, a leopard pelvis, a cow tail and part of an eagle wing is the remains of a witch doctor.