Nanometric butterfly wings created
A team of researchers from the State University of Pennsylvania (USA) and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) have developed a technique to replicate biological structures, such as butterfly wings, on a nano scale. The resulting biomaterial could be used to make optically active structures, such as optical diffusers for solar panels. view more (2009-10-09)
Researchers to study rebirth of an island after volcanic eruption
When Alaska's Kasatochi Volcano erupted on Aug. 7, 2008, it virtually sterilized Kasatochi Island, covering the small Aleutian island with a layer of ash and other volcanic material several meters thick. view more (2009-08-07)
Red List overlooks island species
The criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)'s Red List are an essential tool for evaluating the conservation status of species around the planet, and according to these criteria all the species in the Canary Islands are endangered. view more (2009-07-27)
Molecular structure could help explain albinism, melanoma
Arthropods and mollusks are Nature's true bluebloods - thanks to hemocyanin, an oxygen-carrying large protein complex, which can even be turned into the enzymatically active chemical phenoloxidase. view more (2009-05-13)
Gene may 'bypass' disease-linked mitochondrial defects, fly study suggests
By lending them a gene normally reserved for other classes of animals, researchers have shown they can rescue flies from their Parkinson's-like symptoms, including movement defects and excess free radicals produced in power-generating cellular components called mitochondria. view more (2009-05-06)
Fish researcher demonstrates first 'non-visual feeding' by African cichlids
Most fish rely primarily on their vision to find prey to feed upon, but a University of Rhode Island biologist and her colleagues have demonstrated that a group of African cichlids feeds by using its lateral line sensory system to detect minute vibrations made by prey hidden in the sediments. view more (2009-04-14)
Origin of claws seen in 390-million-year-old fossil
A missing link in the evolution of the front claw of living scorpions and horseshoe crabs was identified with the discovery of a 390 million-year-old fossil by researchers at Yale and the University of Bonn, Germany. view more (2009-02-06)
Researchers examine role of climate change in disease spread
Ever since scientists first proposed that our planet might be experiencing widespread climate change, concerns have been raised about its implications for the spread of arboviruses - viruses carried by arthropods such as mosquitoes, midges and ticks. view more (2009-02-06)
A Natural, Alternative Insect Repellent to Deet
Isolongifolenone, a natural compound found in the Tauroniro tree (Humiria balsamifera) of South America, has been found to effectively deter biting of mosquitoes and to repel ticks, both of which are known spreaders of diseases such as malaria, West Nile virus, and Lyme disease. view more (2009-02-06)
Canada's shores saved animals from devastating climate change
The shorelines of ancient Alberta, British Columbia and the Canadian Arctic were an important refuge for some of the world's earliest animals, most of which were wiped out by a mysterious global extinction event some 252 million years ago. view more (2008-10-01)
Birds migrate together at night in dispersed flocks, new study indicates
A new analysis indicates that birds don't fly alone when migrating at night. Some birds, at least, keep together on their migratory journeys, flying in tandem even when they are 200 meters or more apart. view more (2008-07-08)
First 'rule' of evolution suggests that life is destined to become more complex
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences researchers have found evidence which suggests that evolution drives animals to become increasingly more complex. view more (2008-03-18)
Brown-led study rearranges some branches on animal tree of life
A study led by Brown University biologist Casey Dunn uses new genomics tools to answer old questions about animal evolution. The study is the most comprehensive animal phylogenomic research project to date, involving 40 million base pairs of new DNA data taken from 29 animal species. view more (2008-03-06)
390-million-year-old scorpion fossil -- biggest bug known
The gigantic fossil claw of an 390 million-year-old sea scorpion, recently found in Germany, shows that ancient arthropods - spiders, insects, crabs and the like - were surprisingly larger than their modern-day counterparts. view more (2007-11-26)
Earlier bites by uninfected mosquitoes boost West Nile deaths in lab mice
There's one more reason to try to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, scientists have discovered: bites from mosquitoes that aren't infected by the West Nile virus may make the disease worse in people who acquire it later from West Nile-infected mosquitoes. view more (2007-11-16)
New 150 Million-Year-Old Crab Species Discovered
Researchers from Kent State University and the University of Bucharest, Romania, have discovered a new primitive crab species Cycloprosopon dobrogea in eastern Romania. Previously unexamined, these ancient crabs from the Prosopidae family existed more than 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period. view more (2007-10-18)
Chickadee, nutchatch presence in conifers increases tree growth, says CU-Boulder study
Chickadees, nuthatches and warblers foraging their way through forests have been shown to spur the growth of pine trees in the West by as much as one-third, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study. view more (2007-08-02)
Discovery of new cave millipedes casts light on Arizona cave ecology
A new genus of millipede was recently discovered by a Northern Arizona University doctoral student and a Bureau of Land Management researcher. view more (2007-03-05)
New study rewrites evolutionary history of vespid wasps
Scientists at the University of Illinois have conducted a genetic analysis of vespid wasps that revises the vespid family tree and challenges long-held views about how the wasps' social behaviors evolved. In the study, published in the Feb. 21 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found genetic evidence that eusociality... view more... (2007-03-02)
How does one sex grow larger than the other?
Why are males larger than females in some animal species (such as most mammals), females larger than males in others (such as most insects), and why are the sexes alike in yet other species (such as several birds)? view more (2007-01-30)
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