Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 31, 2007

Study: Monkeys 'Pay' for Sex by Grooming

SINGAPORE (AP) — Male macaque monkeys pay for sex by grooming females, according to a recent study that suggests the primates may treat sex as a commodity. In primate societies, grooming is the underlying fabric of it all, Dr. Michael Gumert, a primatologist at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore,...

Dec 31, 2007

How Spider-Man Compares to the Real Thing

In a culture that finds it hard to love most bugs, spiders are nonetheless the ones we tend to accept or at least admire at a distance for their ingenuity with locomotion, insect hunting and home-building. In each of those areas, the web's the thing, as any Spider-Man fan can...

Dec 31, 2007

Something Fishy About This Dinosaur Discovery

An unusual carnivorous dinosaur whose skull looked part-crocodile may have fancied fish over other meat, research now reveals. These findings suggest the predator's huge fearsome 12-inch-long hand claws might have actually been used as grappling hooks to scoop fish from the water, somewhat like a grizzly bear. The dinosaur in...

Dec 31, 2007

Strange Creature Immune to Pain

As vulnerable as naked mole rats seem, researchers now find the hairless, bucktoothed rodents are invulnerable to the pain of acid and the sting of chili peppers. A better understanding of pain resistance in these sausage-like creatures could lead to new drugs for people with chronic pain, scientists added. Naked...

Nov 30, 2009

Album: Colorful Dinosaur Art

Eye of the Riverbed: (Tyrannosaurus) (Image credit: Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.)The bipedal Tyrannosaurus rex used its long tail to balance its large head as it roamed in search of prey. Scientists don’t know whether T. rex could run at high speeds or whether its...

Nov 30, 2009

More than 1,000 Catfish Species Are Venomous

At least 1,250 species of catfish are venomous, a new study finds. Most catfish use their venom for defense. Some in North America can inflict a sting that humans notice. Elsewhere in the world, a few catfish species can even kill humans. The new count of venomous catfish — which...

Nov 30, 2009

Turtles Act Like Chameleons

Freshwater turtles’ skin and shells often match the color of their habitat’s substrate, which may help them deceive predators and prey alike. But what happens if turtles change abodes, from a black swamp, say, to a sandy-bottomed pond? John W. Rowe, of Alma College in Michigan, and three colleagues collected...

Nov 30, 2009

Wild Dingoes Remember Human Gestures

Dingoes were semidomesticated village dogs once, in Southeast Asia. Then, about 4,000 years ago, they got loose in Australia, where their behavior reverted to that of their ancestor, the wolf. They howl, live in packs, and fear humans. But even after so long on the lam they’ve retained at least...

Nov 30, 2009

Birds Favor Most Promising Offspring

Parasites can lessen a young bird’s chance of survival. If parents can detect signs of infection early, they may cut their losses by reducing their efforts to feed and care for parasitized broods—thus saving energy for healthy offspring or future breeding attempts. A new study suggests that such parental vetting...

Nov 30, 2009

Creepy Case: Tarantula Shoots Hairs into Owner's Eye

A creepy case of a man who got tarantula hairs stuck in his eye has doctors advising people to wear eye protection when handling the eight-legged pets. In February 2009, a 29-year-old man visited the St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, England, after enduring three weeks of a red, watery...

Oct 31, 2009

Image Gallery: Drawing Dinosaurs

Tyrannosaurus rex (Image credit: Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.)With its 4-foot long mouth full of sharp 6-inch teeth, the carnivorous Tyrannosaurus rex could easily rip into its prey. Tyrannosaurus rex (Image credit: Photograph © Julius T. Csotonyi (csotonyi.com). Image used with permission.)About 15 feet tall...

Oct 31, 2009

T. rex's Oldest Relative Discovered

Spanning just 10 feet in length and sporting a tiny horn on its nose, a newly identified dinosaur has become the oldest known relative of the fierce meat-eater, Tyrannosaurus rex. The discovery suggests such tyrannosaurs were quite petite before they evolved into giant killing machines just before their demise. The...

Oct 31, 2009

Aussie Birds Shrinking, Heading Poleward

Australia’s average surface temperature has risen more than 1 Fahrenheit degree since 1900. During roughly the same period, the body size of Australian passerine (perching) birds has declined by as much as 3.6 percent. Zoologist Janet L. Gardner of the Australian National University in Canberra and colleagues, who detected the...

Oct 31, 2009

Ants Save Mates Trapped in Sand

Helpful acts, such as grooming or foster parenting, are common throughout the animal kingdom, but accounts of animals rescuing one another from danger are exceedingly rare, having been reported in the scientific literature only for dolphins, capuchin monkeys, and ants. New research shows that in the ant Cataglyphis cursor, the...

Oct 31, 2009

Key to Success? Dinosaurs May Have Been Warm-Blooded

Many dinosaurs may have been warm-blooded just like mammals or birds, potentially explaining their extraordinary success before their extinction. For decades, scientists assumed that because dinosaurs resembled lizards, they were cold-blooded as well, their internal temperature rising and falling with the outside world. However, birds are warm-blooded, and the fact...