Nature News
Eye fossil proves ancient sea predator had strong vision
Posted Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:47:00 GMT by Adrian BishopThe giant shrimp-like Anomalocaris that lived 515 millions years ago had superb vision, paleontologists have found after discovering a fossilised eye.
Eye fossil proves ancient sea predator had strong vision
Guppies, mating and the social group
Posted Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:22:00 GMT by Ines MoralesNew research on female guppies and their responses to mating. A recent study from the universities of Exeter and Copenhagen examined the mating behavior of the Trinidadian guppy, a species of freshwater fish you might know very well if you're one of those people who like to keep aquariums at home.
Guppies, mating and the social group
Earthquakes and 'wise toads' predicting them
Posted Sun, 04 Dec 2011 00:30:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongA study recently published looks at the possibility that toads can predict earthquakes. A toad breeding lake emptied a few days before the much-reported Italian M6.3 earthquake on April 6th 2009 and was only revisited by its former occupants after a series of aftershocks.
Earthquakes and 'wise toads' predicting them
Chimp throwbacks
Posted Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:11:47 GMT by Dave ArmstrongHuman evolution seems to have begun with tools, language and hunting. Now it seems the silver medallist in these events is catching us up. Chimpanzees have long been recorded throwing with great accuracy in zoos as well as in the wild.
Chimp throwbacks
Osteoderms storing minerals helped huge dinosaurs survive
Posted Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:33:00 GMT by Adrian BishopSome of the biggest dinosaurs on earth used minerals stored in bones under their skin (osteoderms) in times of crisis or hardship, a study shows.
Osteoderms storing minerals helped huge dinosaurs survive
The whales are calling you
Posted Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:44:00 GMT by Dave CollierGet involved in a project to help categorize whale calls. The crowdsourcing Whale Project is intended to help confirm researcher's whale song categorizations while also raising interest and awareness for the work that has been undertaken to understand these wonderful creatures.
The whales are calling you
Colobus chorus
Posted Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:12:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThere is nothing more delightful than waking in South East Asian forests to the gibbon dawn chorus, but South America Howlers and African Colobus seem to compete more loudly. In an intriguing and difficult investigation by Anne Schel and Klaus Zuberbuhler, communication in animals reports a dawn chorus from insect, amphibian and bird.
Colobus chorus
Long live the queen bee
Posted Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:21:00 GMT by Dave CollierVitellogenin, a protein important for the health of bees has been studied to give a greater understanding of its role in their lives.
Long live the queen bee
Spider 'Repell-Ant'
Posted Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:02:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongOrb web spiders are able to coat an alkaloid on their threads that prevents hordes of ants from raiding the larder, or even eating the owner. As they grow larger, the Golden Orb Web spider coats the web with the repellent and no intruder can pass over.
Spider 'Repell-Ant'
Grey seals have real personality
Posted Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:15:00 GMT by Adrian BishopGrey seals have very different personalities that influence how they protect their pups, say researchers. Mother grey seals in Scotland choose very different approaches to nurture and protect their pups according to their personality.
Grey seals have real personality
Horses look back
Posted Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:01:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongScience has advanced now to the extent that we can look back in history through the mitochondrial DNA of humans and now the rest of our fauna. Horses are such a major part of history that perhaps there are even better stories to be winkled out of the chromosomes before another new technique delivers a magic mirror to view our past.
Horses look back
Guppies have evolved to stay the same
Posted Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:18:00 GMT by James MathewsGuppies have been evolving for at least half a million years and yet there is one characteristic of them that seems to have remained exactly the same where the male guppies are concerned.
Guppies have evolved to stay the same
A high-speed camera reveals the secrets of a leaping frog
Posted Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:35:00 GMT by Dave CollierResearch has shown that tendons allow frogs to jump great distances. A jump requires strong muscles to propel an animal's body against the pull of gravity and muscle power alone would not explain the speed and distance that frogs are able to achieve.
A high-speed camera reveals the secrets of a leaping frog
Mystery of Antarctica's Gamburtsev Mountain Range solved
Posted Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:00:00 GMT by Adrian BishopA 50-year puzzle about how a mountain range, the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, 3km under the Antarctic ice, was created looks like it has been solved by a team of international scientists.
Mystery of Antarctica's Gamburtsev Mountain Range solved
A new weapon against invasive species
Posted Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:22:00 GMT by Ines MoralesThe proposed Joint Work Programme to improve communication strategies in the global biodiversity community.
A new weapon against invasive species
Eleven new bee species
Posted Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:55:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongJames Gibbs from Cornell University has identified 11 new sweat bee species from extensive DNA analysis and specimen investigations throughout the US and Canada.
Eleven new bee species
Sponsors
Recent News
When an animal population is hard to sample because they are low in numbers or hard to catch, genetics can now come to the rescue. If we dont discover a species secrets, we will never be able to conserve them. The seahorse, like any fish, is able to survive cold by relying on the more constant temperature of the ocean.
The length of time that we live is linked to sociality and, now, to a tendency to live underground. The interest in this new research is more in the unique habits of some of our relatives than in the never-ending search for substances that will help us to live better and longer.
To observe the cuttlefish or the squid is to see wonderful colour change ability. Maybe now, we can find out how exactly they use this ability in mating of deterrence of predators. Video has been used now to follow animals clandestinely, although one cam was noticed and ripped off by other squid!
Recent Blog Posts
Need to save money after the spending boom to end them all? Here are 2 sets of opinions on how to pull out the plugs at night at least.
When dolphins are 'rescued' in various countries, the car given seems to be ill-considered. We are simply looking at the success rate which is reported to be low, in most places. They could even end up in commercial aquarium shows, but they certainly rarely make it back to the sea.
What is killing bees? Chelsea has the answer here.
Our Eco Friends
Interested in being an Eco Friend for this page? Then:
Nature Articles
Seahorses live further north than we thought
Posted Fri, 30 Jan 2015 20:48:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongNaked, unafraid mole rats and longevity
Posted Thu, 29 Jan 2015 08:35:00 GMT by JW DoweyWaterbirds respond to global warming.
Posted Mon, 26 Jan 2015 20:01:19 GMT by Paul RobinsonLife on Europe
Posted Sun, 25 Jan 2015 12:29:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongFanged frogs and live-bearing feats.
Posted Sun, 18 Jan 2015 15:50:01 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhale evolution resolved, but only slightly.
Posted Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:36:04 GMT by JW DoweyGibbon-speak is real language.
Posted Sun, 11 Jan 2015 19:39:12 GMT by Dave ArmstrongShark self-conservation
Posted Thu, 08 Jan 2015 20:45:19 GMT by Dave ArmstrongSupport your local orcas.
Posted Sat, 03 Jan 2015 13:06:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongMongoose inbreeding maintains social system?
Posted Sun, 28 Dec 2014 12:42:23 GMT by Dave ArmstrongEditor's Choice
Tool use and manufacture, but by birds
Posted Wed, 03 Sep 2014 10:01:00 GMT by JW DoweySpider silk bridges rivers
Posted Sat, 28 Dec 2013 13:55:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonIncrease in whale strandings causes concern
Posted Fri, 06 May 2011 08:26:00 GMT by Melanie J. MartinEcholocation: Call your partner or find your dinner
Posted Wed, 03 Oct 2012 00:01:00 GMT by Paul RobinsonPesticides threaten social, ecological aspect of ant hunting in Brazil
Posted Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:03:12 GMT by Paromita PainCuckoo, cuckoo, new species of bee
Posted Tue, 04 Sep 2012 11:38:55 GMT by Dave ArmstrongNitrogen absorption avoided in sea-lion diving
Posted Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:43:17 GMT by Dave ArmstrongAnts, plants and pitchers
Posted Thu, 23 May 2013 18:07:19 GMT by Dave ArmstrongChimpanzees choose hand clasps by cultural preference
Posted Tue, 28 Aug 2012 23:01:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongPolar bears starvation risk as Hudson Bay ice is late arriving
Posted Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:50:00 GMT by Lucy Brake