http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. The mysterious Monarch butterfly, which migrates en masse annually between Canada and Mexico, is now facing a new peril: another insect thriving in Western Mexican forests. http://www.physorg.com/news178046357.html Biology Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:19:43 EST news178046357 (PhysOrg.com) -- Predictions made over the last decade about the impacts of climate change on biodiversity may be exaggerated, according to a paper published in the journal Science. http://www.physorg.com/news176720553.html Biology Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:03:04 EST news176720553 (PhysOrg.com) -- Breaking up may actually not be hard to do, say scientists who've found a population of tropical butterflies that may be on its way to a split into two distinct species. http://www.physorg.com/news176654713.html Biology Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:30:01 EST news176654713 (PhysOrg.com) -- A clever structure in the ear of a tropical butterfly that potentially makes it able to distinguish between high and low pitch sounds has been discovered by scientists from the University of Bristol, UK. http://www.physorg.com/news175353553.html Biology Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:29:05 EST news175353553 A high-speed chase across the Panama Canal in a Boston Whaler may sound like the beginning of another James Bond film -but the protagonist of this story brandishes a butterfly net and studies the effects of climate change on insect migrations at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news173969205.html Biology Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:48:00 EST news173969205 After waiting for a warm, summery day, biologist Doug Taron and a handful of colleagues fanned out through a thousand acres of restored prairie this month, stroking plants with delicate paintbrushes in hopes of adding a little color next summer. http://www.physorg.com/news173379624.html Biology Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:01:21 EST news173379624 The annual migration of monarch butterflies from across eastern North America to a specific grove of fir trees in Mexico has long fascinated scientists who have sought to understand just how these delicate creatures can navigate up to 2,000 miles to a single location. Neurobiologists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have now found that a key mechanism that helps steer the butterflies to their ultimate destination resides not in the insects' brains, as previously thought, but in their antennae, a surprising discovery that provides an entirely new perspective of the antenna's role in migration. http://www.physorg.com/news173021625.html Biology Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:20:02 EST news173021625 (PhysOrg.com) -- Female monarch butterflies in eastern North America have significantly declined over the past 30 years, a new study by a University of Georgia researcher reveals. http://www.physorg.com/news172944025.html Biology Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:00:53 EST news172944025 The National Science Foundation has awarded Clemson University researchers $2 million to study ways to mimic the suction mechanism used by butterflies and moths to feed so that the same method can be used in medical diagnostics. The research will help develop a new class of fiber-based devices capable of probing and transporting previously impossible-to-reach liquids, such as those drawn from a single cell or tissue. http://www.physorg.com/news170935917.html Chemistry Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:30:03 EST news170935917 An alien plant species has invaded Missouri and is threatening to overrun crops and livestock pastures. To combat the scourge weed, officials are deliberately releasing two alien insect species to destroy its roots and seeds. What could possibly go wrong? http://www.physorg.com/news168542436.html Biology Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:20:02 EST news168542436 (AP) -- The rusty van creaks to a halt and two men jump out, binoculars in hand, heads pivoting. Quickly, questioningly, they call out evocative names: Is that a Pearl Crescent? A Carolina Satyr? A Sleepy Orange? A Swarthy Skipper? http://www.physorg.com/news168240715.html Biology Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:00:01 EST news168240715 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists have succeeded for the first time in fitting monarch butterflies with a radio transmitter and in tracking them from an aircraft over a long distance on their flight northwards during the butterflies` annual migration from their winter residence in Mexico. http://www.physorg.com/news167656930.html Biology Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:22:38 EST news167656930 Intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change. The creation of small heat-shielded habitats and better links between habitats would counteract a moderate temperature increase and give threatened species more time to adapt better and/or to migrate to cooler regions. http://www.physorg.com/news165771682.html Biology Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:41:47 EST news165771682 A new study by a team of researchers led by Jessica Hellmann, assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, offers interesting insights into how species may, or may not, change their geographic range - the place where they live on earth - under climate change. The lead author on the paper is recent Notre Dame doctoral degree recipient Shannon Pelini. http://www.physorg.com/news164988956.html Biology Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:20:01 EST news164988956 Butterflies seem able to both attract mates and ward off predators using different sides of their wings, according to new research by Yale University biologists. http://www.physorg.com/news157806258.html Biology Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:04:59 EST news157806258 Scientists studying Eastern North American monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have uncovered a suite of genes that may be involved in driving the butterflies to migrate towards Mexico for the winter. Their research, published in the open access journal BMC Biology, describes 40 genes that are linked to the butterflies' compulsion to orientate themselves by an internal 'sun compass' and begin the 4000km journey southwards. http://www.physorg.com/news157733654.html Biology Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:54:45 EST news157733654 Species are adapting slowly to climate change and 'assisted colonisation' can play a vital role in helping wildlife to survive in a warming world. http://www.physorg.com/news154121546.html Biology Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:33:00 EST news154121546 (PhysOrg.com) -- New tires allow race cars to take tight turns at high speeds. Hind wings give moths and butterflies similar advantages: They are not necessary for basic flight but help these creatures take tight turns to evade predators. http://www.physorg.com/news150566255.html Biology Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:57:35 EST news150566255