Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2008

Scientists Learn How Nemo Finds His Way Home

How does the orange clownfish — aka Nemo from the movie Finding Nemo — really find its way home? It turns out the colorful saltwater fish can sniff for leaves that fall into the sea from rainforests growing on the islands near their coral reef homes. After clownfish hatch from...

Jul 31, 2008

Golden Oldie: Mr. Fish Is 27

Five years ago, Edith had a problem: Her goldfish of 25 years, Mr. Fish, had dropsy, a disease characterized by a swollen or hollow abdomen and in most cases fatal. In her last attempt to save her pet, on a whim, Edith wrote a message on GoldfishConnection asking for help....

Jul 31, 2008

Threatened Monkey Populations Surprisingly Large

A new census in Cambodia reveals remarkably large populations of two monkey species that are threatened with extinction. The monkey tally, announced today, represents the largest known populations of these species in the world. Scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society counted 42,000 black-shanked douc langurs and 2,500 yellow-cheeked crested gibbons...

Jul 31, 2008

Researcher Walks Among Dying Baby Chimps

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. As the sun rises, my commute to work begins. There is no traffic at all to speak of except for a few baboons frolicking about and a couple warthogs at their favorite grazing spot...

Jun 30, 2008

Superfast Muscles Power Songbird Singing

Some songbirds can contract their vocal muscles with the fastest muscle movements yet described — about 100 times faster than humans can blink an eye, according to new research. The study found that two types of songbirds produce their tunes with superfast muscles, similar to those used by rattlesnakes, several...

Jun 30, 2008

Great White Shark Claimed at 'Jaws' Site

EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) _ The island where Jaws was filmed had a real-life shark scare Thursday, when an unconfirmed sighting of a great white forced the closure of two beaches. South Beach on Martha's Vineyard was closed for a short time, and swimmers were kept out of the water at...

Jun 30, 2008

Lead Shot From Hunting and Fishing Kills Wildlife

Millions of pounds of lead used in hunting, fishing and shooting sports wind up in the environment each year and can threaten or kill wildlife, according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey. Lead has long been known to be damaging to biology. It's previous use in gasoline,...

Jun 30, 2008

Snake Venom Changes with Age, Location

Like people with an accent, snakes from different regions pack different venom. A new study finds that antivenoms, the drugs created to combat snake bites in humans, need to take these chemical differences into account. Scientists have known for many decades that venom of snakes of the same species can...

Jun 30, 2008

The Surprising History of America's Wild Horses

Modern horses, zebras, and asses belong to the genus Equus, the only surviving genus in a once diverse family, the Equidae. Based on fossil records, the genus appears to have originated in North America about 4 million years ago and spread to Eurasia (presumably by crossing the Bering land bridge)...

Jun 30, 2008

U.S. Auctions Wild Horses Online

The Bureau of Land Management is running an online adoption of wild horses through July 30 in the ongoing effort to curb the burgeoning population of these surprisingly widespread beasts. The creatures, which roam 10 Western states in 200 herds, have no natural predators and are protected by the federal...

May 31, 2008

Humans Likely Making Chimps Sick

Humans are likely the source of a virus that is making chimps sick in Africa, new research suggests. After studying chimpanzees in Tanzania for the past year, Virginia Tech researcher Taranjit Kaur and her team have obtained data from molecular, microscopic and epidemiological investigations that demonstrate how the chimpanzees living...

May 31, 2008

Why Female Chimps Shout or Shut Up During Sex

Female chimps often cry out during sex to attract nearby males, but they keep quiet when other females are around so they don't alert their competition, a new study finds. The function of copulation calls made by female primates (a group that includes lemurs, monkeys, and apes, such as humans...

May 31, 2008

Birds Kill Siblings, Hormones Blamed

If you ever felt at least metaphorically like you wanted to kill your brother or sister, your sibling is lucky you're not a booby. A Nazca booby, a Galápagos Island seabird, is eager and able to kill a sibling in the nest. A new study links the murderous behavior to...

May 31, 2008

Creature Sets Record for Living Fast, Dying Young

You think kids today are immature? A species of chameleon in Madagascar spends most of its lifespan incubating inside its shell. After four or five months out in the world, it dies. Total pre-hatching and post-hatching existence: about 1 year. In fewer than 60 days, body size for males can...

Apr 30, 2008

Birds Babble Like Babies

Baby birds are like baby humans on at least one score: they both babble. But as songbirds grow up, they make the switch from babbling to singing by flipping to a different brain circuit, new research finds, suggesting a new view of human infant behavior. We should toss out the...