News
Earth may have 2X as many vertebrate species as we thought
3+ week, 2+ day ago (608+ words) Lampropeltis knoblochi, or the Southern Arizona mountain kingsnake, was delimited as a distinct species from the Northern Arizona mountain kingsnake, or Lampropeltis pyromelana. (Credit: Yinpeng Zhang) For every recognized vertebrate species, there are on average two unrecognized, or "cryptic" species,…...
How can you get rid of a phobia?
4+ week, 2+ hour ago (465+ words) An expert has answers for you about what phobias are and how you can get rid of them. In the Alfred Hitchcock classic film Vertigo, the protagonist John "Scottie" Ferguson, played by James Stewart, is plagued with acrophobia, or an…...
Shrews shrink their brains and bodies to get through winter
1+ mon, 2+ week ago (344+ words) The tiny Eurasian common shrew knows how to survive and thrive in winter with its unique ability to shrink major organs and conserve energy. (Credit: Christian Ziegler) Two new studies further advance an understanding of how shrews adapt to the…...
Higher temps may put monarch butterflies at risk
2+ mon, 1+ week ago (629+ words) Higher temperatures may make monarch butterflies more vulnerable to parasites, according to new research. Monarch infections with the parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha have skyrocketed, more than tripling since 2002. Discovered in the 1960s, the parasite can cause smaller wingspans, lower weight and shorter…...
Turkey offspring gender may depend on hunters
3+ mon, 5+ day ago (482+ words) New research found that the gender of turkey offspring may depend on if the birds are living in an area full of hunters.from That trend could have big implications for the future of turkey populations. Female turkeys" tendency to…...
How climate shaped bears, dogs, and more
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (664+ words) New research digs into how changes in Earth's climates shaped a group of animals called carnivorans. The ancestors of our furry cats and dogs once looked similar to today's modern mongoose, a mammal with a long body and small, round…...
Why do wombats have square poop?
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (786+ words) Most people have a preferred way of communication'phone, text, email'but bare-nosed wombats have an unusual way of relaying information, new research suggests. The Australian marsupial communicates by" there's no delicate way to say this" poo. Led by the University of…...
Manta rays create small, moving ecosystems
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (462+ words) A new study" finds that young Caribbean manta rays (Mobula yarae) often swim with groups of other fish, creating small, moving ecosystems that support a variety of marine species. South Florida'particularly along Palm Beach County'serves as a nursery for juvenile…...
These birds sing 'liquid' notes with a complex trick
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (621+ words) New research digs into how cowbirds pull off a special vocal trick. Cowbirds are special among songbirds for the "watery" timbre of their singing, which resembles the sound of falling droplets striking water, a quick burst followed by a fading…...
Young shark species are more vulnerable to extinction
3+ mon, 2+ week ago (401+ words) Among sharks and rays, species within the first four million years of existence are significantly more likely to go extinct than older species, according to a study'based on fossils from the last 145 million years. This shows that in addition to…...