Predators: an overlooked player in plant-pollinator relationships
Biologists have long recognized that predators can help to shape ecological communities -- wolves promote the growth of young trees through predation on moose, otters keep kelp forests thriving by preying on sea urchins, etc. Yet we have seldom considered the consequences of predation on animals that help plants reproduce. Predation on pollinators... view more... (2003-08-13)
Not batty conservation
Noah had it easy. To weather the storm of impending disaster that would wipe-out life on earth, he simply protected a male and female of each species on the ark. Protecting contemporary biodiversity from the deluge of human activities that threaten life on earth is more difficult and requires a global network of reserves that includes all... view more... (2003-09-17)
Spanish scientists develop echo-location in humans
A team of researchers from the University of Alcalá de Henares (UAH) has shown scientifically that human beings can develop echolocation, the system of acoustic signals used by dolphins and bats to explore their surroundings. view more (2009-07-01)
Did death-dealing cyanobacteria cause the mass deaths of Messel?
In 1875 the remains of a prehistoric crocodile were found in the brown coal mine at Messel near Darmstadt; since then a large number of well preserved fossils have also been discovered. Palaeontologists have long puzzled over what could have been the reason for this annihilation of so many creatures. In the latest issue of the Pal'¤ontologische... view more... (2004-11-17)
Researchers recreate SARS virus, open door for potential defenses against future strains
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University Medical Center have synthetically reconstructed the bat variant of the SARS coronavirus (CoV) that caused the SARS epidemic of 2003.
view more (2008-11-26)
Synthetic virus supports a bat origin for SARS
SARS - severe acute respiratory syndrome - alarmed the world five years ago as the first global pandemic of the 21st century. The coronavirus (SARS-CoV) that sickened more than 8,000 people - and killed nearly 800 of them - may have originated in bats, but the actual animal source is not known. view more (2008-11-26)
UCLA scientists reveal how Nipah virus infects cells
UCLA scientists have discovered how the deadly Nipah virus infiltrates human cells to cause encephalitis. Designated as a potential bioterrorism agent by the National Biodefense Research Agenda, the virus exploits a protein essential to embryonic development to enter cells and launch its attack. view more (2005-07-07)
Genetic study provides new insights into molecular basis of language development
Scientists have identified the first gene that is associated with a common childhood language disorder, known as specific language impairment (SLI). view more (2008-11-06)
Tulane researcher reports on origin of deadly fever outbreak
Bats or other cave dwelling animals may have been responsible for the deadly 1998-2000 outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever among gold miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. view more (2006-09-14)
Organic farming better for wildlife
A joint English Nature and RSPB scientific review comparing evidence about wildlife on organic and equivalent non-organic farms has concluded that organic farms are better for wildlife. view more (2004-10-05)
Google Earth aids discovery of early African mammal fossils
A limestone countertop, a practiced eye and Google Earth all played roles in the discovery of a trove of fossils that may shed light on the origins of African wildlife. view more (2009-04-29)
Mammals that hibernate or burrow less likely to go extinct
The best way to survive the ill-effects of climate change and pollution may be to simply sleep through it. view more (2009-01-29)
Hearing is believing
Novel developments in electronics which are giving ecologists important new tools to quickly and easily measure biodiversity will be described at the British Ecological Society's Winter Meeting, being held at the University of York on 18-20 December 2002. Speaking at the meeting, electronics expert and entomologist Dr David Chesmore from the... view more... (2002-12-09)
New and improved test for West Nile virus in horses
A new test for West Nile virus in horses that could be modified for use on humans and wildlife may help track the spread of the disease, according to an article in the September issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology. view more (2008-08-20)
UC Davis researchers identify dominant chemical that attracts mosquitoes to humans
Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have identified the dominant odor naturally produced in humans and birds that attracts the blood-feeding Culex mosquitoes, which transmit West Nile virus and other life-threatening diseases. view more (2009-10-27)
Laser pulses show how birds fly
We all know that birds can fly. But no one has ever been able to explain how they can produce enough lift to neutralize their body weight. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now discovered where the missing modicum of momentum is to be found. Using laser technology they have studied a nightingale in flight in a wind tunnel. In the 1980s... view more... (2003-10-03)
Unified physics theory explains animals' running, flying and swimming
A single unifying physics theory can essentially describe how animals of every ilk, from flying insects to fish, get around, researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Pennsylvania State University have found. The team reports that all animals bear the same stamp of physics in their design. view more (2005-12-30)
Study assesses impact of fish stocking on aquatic insects
The impact fish stocking has on aquatic insects in mountain lakes can be rapidly reversed by removing non-native trout, according to a study completed by U.S. Forest Service and University of California, Davis, scientists. view more (2009-03-27)
The kapok connection -- Study explains rainforest similarities
Celebrated in Buddhist temples and cultivated for its wood and cottony fibers, the kapok tree now is upsetting an idea that biologists have clung to for decades: the notion that African and South American rainforests are similar because the continents were connected 96 million years ago. view more (2007-06-18)
Nature press release for 13 December issue
[414724] EARTH: INSIDE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS (pp724-727; N&V) A little team of spacecraft has given scientists a glimpse of the immense electrical circuit above the Earth that creates the shimmering veil of the Northern Lights. The aurora results from charged particles in the solar wind being channelled down towards Earth by the magnetic field,... view more... (2001-12-13)
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