Eyeless fish that have evolved underground, completely isolated from the day-night cycle, may offer clues to how our body clocks work up here on dry land. Authors of a report published today in the online…
An estimated 8.7 million species exist on Earth, according to a paper published today in PLoS Biology. The figure is based on a new validated analytical technique that, it’s said, significantly narrows…
We now know that mountain treeshrews and summit rats feed on the nectar secreted by the giant pitcher plant – Nepenthes rajah – then defecate into its pitchers, providing it with much needed nutrients…
As Queensland authorities confirm the third outbreak of Hendra virus within a week, researchers are moving to fast track a horse vaccination for the deadly virus, which can spread from horses to humans…
Crows remember faces they associate with stressful situations for up to five years. And they tell their friends.
Flickr/monkeyc.net
Crows can remember human faces associated with stressful situations for up to five years and they’ll also warn their friends, a study has found. Crows are known for their extraordinary smarts and have…
Queensland authorities on Wedneday confirmed that a horse had died of Hendra virus on a farm south of Brisbane. The virus, which can spread from horses to humans, has killed four of the seven people ever infected.
AAP
Queensland authorities have confirmed a horse on a farm south of Brisbane has died of Hendra virus, which can spread from horses to humans and has killed four of the seven people ever known to have been…
A genome mapping project revealed that Tasmanian devils are genetically vulnerable to disease but found that a devil from the island’s north west was initally able to fight the deadly face tumour disease decimating the population.
Flickr, Scott Savage
A Tasmanian devil genome mapping project by U.S. researchers has revealed how a tiny gene pool helped spread a deadly facial tumour disease throughout the population but also uncovered the first ever devil…
Monitor lizard (Varanus macraei), Papua New Guinea. Found on the tiny islands off the Vogelkop (Bird’s Head) Peninsula of Papua in Indonesia and capable of reaching a metre in length.
WWF/Lutz Obelgonner
A giant river shark, rainbow fish and a lurid blue monitor lizard are among the 1,060 new species discovered in the relatively untouched forests of New Guinea, according to a new report by conservationist…
A study of blue-footed boobies found that while siblings bully each other badly in the nest, the youngsters grow into adults with normal levels of aggression.
Flickr
Harsh sibling bullying maybe tough to endure as a youngster but victims won’t necessarily grow into cowed and meek adults, a study on birds has found. Mexican researchers studying blue-footed boobies…
Primitive women were more likely than their male counterparts to pack up and leave the cave, eventually partnering with men from further afield, according to a new study published in Nature magazine. By…
The pancake batfish is endearingly ugly, and we may have wiped it out.
Prosanta Chakrabarty (Louisiana State University, USA)
When I told my family that the top ten list of new species had been announced, the teenager asked, “Are we on it?” Although we’re not on the list, our fingerprints are all over it. Homo sapiens remains…