Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2007

Male Spiders Leave Chastity 'Plug' to Ensure Paternity

A male orb-web spider leaves behind a post-coital gift that helps to ensure that any subsequent offspring are his. He leaves the tip of his genitals in the females' sexual orifice, effectively blocking future males' efforts to inseminate the female, new research shows. Video: Spider CouplingThe behavior damages the males'...

Feb 28, 2007

Dino Bones Reveal DNA Surprise

The distinction between birds and the dinosaurs from which they evolved is getting even murkier. The genomes (complete DNA sequences) of both groups are short, researchers now say. Scientists used to think that relatively shorter genomes were associated with flight. Birds have short genomes compared to other vertebrates, or animals...

Feb 28, 2007

Key Found to Reindeer's Throaty Mating Call

A large air sac in a male reindeer's neck allows him to let loose a throaty mating call that may boast of his fighting ability to rival males and contribute to his sexual prowess and reproductive fitness, new research shows. The inflated air sac expands the neck region and influences...

Feb 28, 2007

Bird Eavesdrops on Another Bird's Alarm Calls

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Nuthatches appear to have learned to understand a foreign language -- chickadee. It's not unusual for one animal to react to the alarm call of another, but nuthatches seem to go beyond that -- interpreting the type of alarm and what sort of predator poses a threat....

Feb 28, 2007

Genetically Tweaked Mice Get Human-Like Vision

Scientists have some lab mice seeing red. The animals had their vision genetically upgraded and can now see colors normally invisible to rodents. The finding, detailed in the March 23 issue of the journal Science, has implications for the evolution of full-color, or “trichromatic,” vision in our own ancestors. “What...

Jan 31, 2007

Bats Found to Feed On Migrating Birds at Night

The blood of the largest bat in Europe reveals it can devour birds in midair at night, the only animal known to do so thus far, evidence now strongly suggests. Roughly five billion songbirds migrate across the Mediterranean Sea every year, mainly at night. Although more than 90 percent of...

Jan 31, 2007

You Can Help: Great Backyard Bird Count

People from all walks of life will don binoculars, if they can find them, and trek outside this weekend to count birds ranging from finches to juncos for 15 minutes as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count. In its 10th year, the project relies on participants to create a...

Jan 31, 2007

Fish Sensory Organ Duplicated for Submarines

Fish use a row of specialized sensory organs along the sides of their bodies, called lateral lines, to hunt for prey, alert them of predators, and aid in synchronized school swimming. Now scientists have developed a lateral line for submaries. Our development of an artificial lateral line is aimed at...

Jan 31, 2007

New Albino Millipedes Discovered in Grand Canyon Caves

Two albino millipedes have come out of their cavernous hiding places to represent an entirely new genus of these leggy organisms. Scientists spotted the millipedes in caves on opposite sides of the Grand Canyon. One species was found in a cave on the South Rim and the other in two...

Dec 31, 2006

Beavers Could Be Frogs Best Friends

Beavers' stream-clogging ways may be pesky to humans, but their dams might be just what some frogs and toads need to survive in their dwindling wetland habitats, a new study concludes. Cam Stevens of the University of Alberta and his colleagues conducted a survey of the calls of male frogs...

Dec 31, 2006

Dogs Get Found, Cats Stay Lost

A lost Fido is more likely to be found than a missing Tabby. Why? Because man’s best friend is more likely to have identification tags and dog owners are more prompt in searching for their missing pets, according to a new study. The findings, published in the Jan. 15 issue...

Nov 30, 2008

Dwarf Crocodiles Split into 3 Species

Looking at the genes of the African dwarf crocodile, researchers found that the group comprises three distinct species rather than one. This finding ends a long debate about the taxonomy of this group, previously thought to consist of two closely related subspecies, and also defines a new, distinct species from...

Nov 30, 2008

Dinosaur Dads Watched Over Eggs

In families of some of the most vicious and carnivorous dinosaurs, dad took care of the developing eggs, possibly laid by more than one mom, a new study suggests. Evidence for dino daddy daycare and potential polygamy comes from the fossilized remains of three dinosaurs sitting on nests. In the...

Nov 30, 2008

Reindeer Could Remain on the Run

Caribou, aka reindeer in North America, could soon become endangered by threats such as oil exploration and climate change, according to a new book. The animals are revered by many cultures and are also central to the health and vitality of the Far North, the authors of Caribou and the...

Oct 31, 2008

Image Gallery: Snakes of the World

Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake (Image credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Found only in Florida, the Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake is threatened by waterfront development that eats into its habitat. Broad-banded Copperhead (Image credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)The copperhead is the most common venomous snake in the Eastern United States....