Why the swamp sparrow is hitting the high notes
Birdsongs are used extensively as models for animal signaling and human speech, offering a glimpse of how our own communicating abilities developed. view more (2009-01-12)
Decline of house sparrows due to lack of overwinter food
The decline of the house sparrow in rural areas of Britain over the past two decades has possible occurred because of reduced food supplies, leading to localised extinctions, according to a report by Oxford zoologists published tomorrow [29 August 2002] in Nature. view more (2002-08-28)
Where have all the sparrows gone?
Lack of invertebrates during the summer could be partly responsible for the dramatic decline in urban house sparrow numbers, ecologists have found. Speaking at the British Ecological Society's Winter Meeting, being held at the University of York on 18-20 December 2002, Kate Vincent from De Montfort University will say that pollution could be one... view more... (2002-12-09)
A year after discovery, Congo's 'mother lode' of gorillas remains vulnerable
A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society says that western lowland gorillas living in a large swamp in the Republic of Congo-part of the "mother lode" of more than 125,000 gorillas discovered last year-are becoming increasingly threatened by growing humans activity in the region. view more (2009-11-24)
Scientists find how amber becomes death trap for watery creatures
Shiny amber jewelry and a mucky Florida swamp have given scientists a window into an ancient ecosystem that could be anywhere from 15 million to 130 million years old. view more (2007-10-19)
`Nature` highlights use of satellite imagery to study massive CO2 release in Indonesian fires
Writing in tomorrow’s issue of Nature magazine, a team of European and Indonesian scientists used satellite imagery from ESA’s ERS and NASA’s Landsat satellites to help measure the huge amounts of carbon dioxide gas released into the atmosphere by 1997-98 fires in the tropical bush of Indonesia. A series of peatland and forest... view more... (2002-11-06)
Eavesdropping comes naturally to young song sparrows
Long before the National Security Agency began eavesdropping on the phone calls of Americans, young song sparrows were listening to and learning the tunes sung by their neighbors. view more (2007-05-31)
Lifeboatman finds bronze age rapier on beach
A 3,500 year old bronze-age rapier has been found by a lifeboat coxswain, who has handed it in to Newcastle University Museum of Antiquities, where it is temporarily on display before undergoinmg conservation work. The coxswain was walking along the beach during an unusually low spring tide at the seaside resort/fishing village of Amble in... view more... (1999-05-17)
Global warming may not have ended Ice-Age, says research
Scientists at the University of Sheffield have used fossilised leaves to determine the effect of greenhouse gases on the end of the Ice Age 300m years ago, according to an article published in PNAS. The study, led by Professor David Beerling, examined fossilised leaves to determine how much carbon dioxide was in the air at various periods during... view more... (2002-09-12)
Mother's genes determine sperm design
A new study at the University of Sheffield, published today in Nature, has found that the size and shape of a zebra finch's sperm are genetically passed down from the mother, a fact that may also be true in humans. The paper Genetic effects on sperm design in the zebra finch, also suggests that when sperm operate in a non-competitive environment... view more... (2005-03-15)
Wildlife Conservation Society discovers 'Planet of the Apes'
The world's population of critically endangered western lowland gorillas received a huge boost today when the Wildlife Conservation Society released a census showing massive numbers of these secretive great apes alive and well in the Republic of Congo. view more (2008-08-06)
A case of mistaken identity for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker?
Video evidence that an extinct woodpecker is alive and well in Arkansas, USA may prove to be a case of mistaken identity. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Biology shows how fleeting images thought to be the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis could be another native woodpecker species. view more (2007-03-15)
Students work hand in glove for business success
A large number of disposable gloves used in surgery are punctured or damaged during operations, bringing a high risk of infecting medical staff and patients. Now five enterprising University of York students have devised an imaginary new glove which could warn when it has been damaged and may pass on diseases such as HIV or hepatitis. Currently... view more... (2002-01-15)
Sequence matters in droughts and floods
When extremes of drought and flood come in rapid succession, the extent of damage to vegetation may depend in part on the sequence of those events, according to a new study published in The American Naturalist. view more (2009-01-08)
BYU geologist solves mystery of glaciers that grew while Asia heated up
Ice, when heated, is supposed to melt. That's why a collection of glaciers in the Southeast Himalayas stymies those who know what they did 9,000 years ago. While most other Central Asian glaciers retreated under hotter summer temperatures, this group of glaciers advanced from one to six kilometers. view more (2009-08-28)
New species of monkey discovered in Tanzania is a new genus
A new monkey species discovered last year by scientists with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups is now shown to be so unique, it requires a new genus - the first one for monkeys in 83 years. view more (2006-05-12)
Pesticides disrupt farmland bird food chains
Preliminary results are emerging from important new work on the indirect effects of agricultural pesticides on farmland birds in Britain. At the British Ecological Society`s Winter Meeting, at the University of Warwick on 18–20 December 2001, Tony Morris of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) will present early evidence from... view more... (2001-12-17)
Is that song sexy or just so-so?
Why is your mate's rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" cute and sexy sometimes and so annoying at other times? A songbird study conducted by Emory University sheds new light on this question, showing that a change in hormone levels may alter the way we perceive social cues by altering a system of brain nuclei, common to all... view more... (2008-09-23)
Researcher says flu responders can learn from 1918 epidemic
If health officials and media prognosticators are accurate, this coming winter may bring with it one of the most sweeping, deadly outbreaks of killer flu that the world has ever seen. view more (2005-10-26)
Next good dinosaur news likely to come from small packages
Dinosaurs seem bigger than life - big bones, big mysteries. So it's a delicious irony that the next big answers about dinosaurs may come from small - very small - remains. view more (2006-02-17)
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