Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 31, 2004

Alaska's Lone Elephant Getting Treadmill

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Animal handlers agonized over the issue for more than a year: the wisdom of moving Alaska's only elephant away from the only home she has ever known. Nine elephant experts were consulted from zoos and animal parks in the United States and Canada, and a decision...

Oct 31, 2004

The Secret of Fast Horses

The secret behind the fastest thoroughbreds doesn't make a lot of horse sense. A great racehorse is more than just quick footed -- it must also be rather average. A horse's leg resembles a pogo stick that uses energy stored in the muscles and tendons to propel the animal forwards...

Sep 30, 2004

Before Crocodiles, the Hairless Coyote

A team of paleontologists has found a missing link between the crocodile family and its small and graceful landlubber ancestors. The reptile looked like a hairless coyote with scales, says Catherine A. Forster, a paleontologist at Stony Brook University, who is part of a team that analyzed the recently found...

Sep 30, 2004

Ancient Sea Spider Related to Scorpion

The fossil of an ancient sea spider thought to be related to modern scorpions has been discovered near Herefordshire in the UK. The 425-million-year-old creature was encased and preserved in volcanic ash. Sea spiders are soft-bodied arthropods common in oceans today. Biologists have long wondered about the relationship between them...

Dec 31, 2003

Fish Eyes Adjust Shutter Speed to Track Prey

Although most fish are cold-blooded, swordfish, tuna, and some species of sharks are able to elevate the temperature in parts of their bodies. Swordfish in particular have been found to keep their eyes 18-27 degrees Fahrenheit (10-15 Celsius) above the surrounding water temperature. Recent research suggests that depending on how...

Dec 31, 2003

Unlikely Cousins: Whales and Hippos

If the idea of whales being mammals has always seemed a bit wild, then you'll probably be surprised to learn that the giant aquatic beasts are pretty closely related to the hippopotamus. Scientists have been wrangling over these relations for centuries. One theory had been that hippos were related to...

Nov 30, 2005

Secret Weapons

Diving Beetle (Image credit: From the book 'Secret Weapons.')This beetle is a predator that dives to hunt. It's a good swimmer and can even feed on small fish. No prey is safe, as Thermonectus marmoratus can also fly from one pond to another. If attacked, these beetles emit steroids that...

Nov 30, 2005

The Science of Sea Monsters

Sea monsters are in the news and on television like never before. NBC has a hit show on Monday nights with Surface, about a huge, terrifying aquatic creature, and sea monsters grace the cover of the December 2005 issue of National Geographic. Scientists working in Patagonia, South America, recently found...

Nov 30, 2005

Human Gene Changes Color of Fish

Scientists have changed mutated, golden-colored zebrafish to a standard dark-striped, yellowish-white variety by inserting the genetic information for normal pigmentation into young fish. In an interesting twist, they also found that inserting a similar human version of the pigment gene resulted in the same color change. As with humans, zebrafish...

Oct 31, 2005

Monkey Math Mirrors Our Own

If you show someone a mouse and a cat and ask which is smaller, they'll quickly reply, the mouse. Ask which is bigger, and it takes most people slightly longer to respond. Conversely, if the two animals are large, such as a cow and an elephant, the typical person will...

Oct 31, 2005

Newfound Ancient Beast Dubbed Godzilla

A newfound ancient sea creature looks to be part crocodile, part T. rex, and 100 percent terrifying. The 13-foot long beast, Dakosaurus andiniensis, had a massive 18-inch-long jaw with interlocking 4-inch teeth. It is a long-lost relative of the crocodile yet it had fins. A digital rendering of the creature...

Oct 31, 2005

A Heart Patient's Best Friend

Dogs are better at relaxing heart-failure patients than people, a new study found. Dogs are a great comfort, says study leader Kathie Cole of the UCLA Medical Center. They make people happier, calmer and feel more loved. That is huge when you are scared and not feeling well. Researchers studied...

Oct 31, 2005

Amateur's Find is Missing Link in Ancient Lizards

When amateur fossil hunter Van Turner discovered a small vertebra at a construction site near Dallas 16 years ago, he knew the creature was unlike anything in the fossil record. Scientists now know the significance of Turner's fossil as the origin of an extinct line of lizards with an evolutionary...

Sep 30, 2005

Navy Sued Over Sonar's Effects on Whales

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) _ Environmentalists sued the Navy on Wednesday, claiming that a widely used form of sonar for detecting enemy submarines disturbs and sometimes kills whales and dolphins. The sonar is capable of flooding thousands of square miles of ocean with dangerous levels of noise pollution,'' according to...

Aug 31, 2005

Gorillas Photographed Using Tools

Wild gorillas use tools every day, but scientists never had lasting proof until two tool-using apes were recently caught on film. While all other great apes – such as chimpanzees and orangutans – have been observed using tools in the wild, these photographs provide the first evidence of tool-savvy wild...