Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2006

Speed Limit Proposed to Save Whales

The U.S. Fisheries Service on Friday proposed a speed limit for ships 65 feet and longer to reduce accidental killing of right whales. A limit of 10 knots would apply during certain times of year in three regions along the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. coast. Federal ships would be...

May 31, 2006

Surprising Beauty Discovered on Pacific Seafloor

When you think of bright coral and colorful fish, you might conjure images of Hawaii or the Caribbean. If so, a newfound bed of deep-sea corals and other animal life found off the coast of Washington state will likely surprise you. Researchers said an earlier survey had led them to...

Apr 30, 2006

Humans Might Have Wiped Out Wild Horses

Already charged with eradicating mammoths, the first North Americans might also have wiped out wild horses in Alaska, a new study suggests. The end of the Pleistocene era, around 12,000 years ago, was coupled with a global cooling event and the extinction of many large mammals, particularly in North America....

Apr 30, 2006

New Genus of Cricket Found in Arizona Cave

In a rare type of discovery, researchers have identified a whole new genus of cricket in caves in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument in northwestern Arizona. The discovery was made by Northern Arizona University doctoral candidate J. Judson Wynne and National Park Service researcher Kyle Voyles. The new genus has yet...

Apr 30, 2006

Frog Hops Back into Existence

Survivors of a frog species that was thought to be extinct have been found. The survivors, discovered in the mountains of Columbia, might be the last holdouts of the painted frog (Atelopus ebenoides marinkellei). Scientists are now racing to protect them. Other clutches of the frogs have suffered a lethal...

Mar 31, 2006

Catfish Hunt on Land

You might think a catfish on land would fare as well as an elephant on roller-skates, but a new study reveals they slither around and adeptly catch insect meals [Video]. The finding helps scientists imagine how ancient fish made their first hunting trips ashore prior to evolving into land creatures....

Mar 31, 2006

Millions of Years Ago, Snakes Were Hip

Once upon a time, snakes had legs. A new discovery reveals at least one had hips, too. The newfound fossil could help scientists piece together the murky evolutionary history of snakes. Until now, the prevailing thought was that early snakes were already lacking legs when they slithered out of water...

Feb 28, 2006

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Debate Heats Up

Last June researchers triumphantly announced the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker, thought extinct for nearly 60 years. But another group of ornithologists said a video used to identify the bird was too fuzzy and that plumage color patterns don't rule out the bird being a common pileated woodpecker. The original...

Feb 28, 2006

Grammar Revealed in the Love Songs of Whales

The love song of a humpback whale sounds magnificently free-flowing and improvised to the casual human listener. But fresh mathematical analysis of shows there are complex grammatical rules. Using syntax, the whales combine sounds into phrases, which they further weave into hours-long melodies packed with information. Although the researchers say...

Feb 28, 2006

How Songbirds Change Tune

New research reveals that songbirds add style to their songs using the same mechanism as humans. In humans, an ah sound originating from the vocal cords can be turned into an ooh by moving the lips, tongue, and jaw. Birds mostly communicate using a variety of up and down sweeping...

Feb 28, 2006

Scientists Debate Dinosaur Demise

The ancient asteroid that slammed into the Gulf of Mexico and purportedly ended the reign of the dinosaurs occurred 300,000 years too early, according to a controversial new analysis of melted rock ejected from the impact site. The standard theory states that a giant asteroid about 6 miles wide smashed...

Jan 31, 2006

Oldest Known Tyrannosaur Found

Paleontologists have unearthed two fossilized dinosaurs believed to be the oldest ancestors of the tyrannosaur family, researchers announced today. The new species had cranial crests and were likely covered in feathers, but were only a third the size of their famous cousin, Tyrannosaurus rex. Still, the discovery sets back the...

Jan 31, 2006

Marine Mammals Suffer Human Diseases

ST. LOUIS—Parasites from cat feces are causing deadly brain damage in California sea otters. A combination of toxic chemicals and herpes virus is killing off California sea lions. And toxic algae blooms are contributing to record manatee deaths in Florida. All of these animals live near coastlines, spending a majority...

Jan 31, 2006

Cannibalism Rife in Mormon Cricket Swarms

Every year, millions of Mormon crickets swarm in a frenzied search for food. Turns out the dinner plate is often heaped with their slower brethren. Mormon crickets aren't actually crickets, but shield-backed katydids, a type of insect more closely related to grasshoppers. However, when Mormon settlers moved into Utah in...

Dec 31, 2005

Dog Deaths Surpass 100 Despite Toxic Pet Food Recall

At least 100 dogs in the United States have been killed in recent weeks by toxic pet food despite a recall of the products, scientists said today. Some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled. But many pet owners are not aware of the...