Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2011

Can We Make Jurassic Park Yet?

Find an ancient mosquito trapped in amber. Draw dinosaur blood from its belly. Extract DNA from that blood and insert it into a crocodile embryo. Hatch the egg. Feed the dino. Start an amusement park. Don't open the gates. That series of steps might have sounded pretty fanciful back in...

Jul 31, 2011

In Photos: Birds of Prey

In Photos: Birds of Prey (Image credit: George Gentry | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Birds of prey, including hawks, falcons, owls and eagles, such as the bald eagle above, are also known as raptors because they use their claws instead of their beaks to capture prey. They are meat-eaters with...

Jul 31, 2011

In Vitro Fertilization May Help Older Cheetahs Reproduce

Good news for the dwindling cheetah population; despite aging, the eggs of cheetahs older than 8 years appear to remain in good condition, scientists have found. Those of us who work with cheetahs have anecdotally noted that it's hard to reproduce older cheetahs, but this is the first time anyone...

Jul 31, 2011

Florida Cold Snap Devastated Coral Reefs

A 2010 cold snap in Florida caused widespread coral death in the reefs along the state's coast, a new study finds. In fact, the mortality rates from the cold were higher than in any other event on record. It was a major setback, said study researcher Diego Lirman, a professor...

Jul 31, 2011

Tasmanian Tigers Wrongly Convicted of Killing Sheep

The now-extinct Tasmanian tiger was hunted out of existence in the early 1900s for killing Australian farmers' sheep. But a new study finds that the tiger was framed. In fact, the animals' jaws were so weak that they likely couldn't have hunted anything larger than a possum. The Tasmanian tiger,...

Jun 30, 2011

Marla Spivak: A Scientist With A Real Bee In Her Bonnet

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. How do we study bees and why are they disappearing? How are scientists working to save them? Marla Spivak — a MacArthur Fellow and Distinguished McKnight Professor and extension entomologist in the Department of...

Jun 30, 2011

What the Heck Is This?

Anyone who knows what the thing that this is a close-up of will have no trouble guessing what it is. A lot of people will guess something similar but miss the mark just slightly, I bet. Need a hint: I think not, today. See the full-size image below and an...

Jun 30, 2011

Chimpanzees Dogged By Image Problem

Chimpanzees have an image problem. The portrayal of these great apes in commercials, movies and greeting cards may lead people to perceive them as appealing potential pets and overlook their endangered status, a new study indicates. A survey of 1,203 people showed that specific features of an image — in...

Jun 30, 2011

Snails Survive Being Eaten and Excreted by Birds

Tiny snails can actually benefit from being eaten by birds, according to a new study that found about 15 percent of the snails eaten by two species of bird survived their journey through the birds' guts and out the other end. The birds appear to spread the snails they have...

Jun 30, 2011

'Dog Attacks Shark' Video Explained

In a new YouTube video that has gone viral, a dog is seen diving into water off the coast of Australia in pursuit of (and possibly biting) a lurking shark. In another video uploaded in 2006 that has since racked up over 27 million views, a dog jumps off a...

Jun 30, 2011

New Guide: When to Move Species Struggling with Climate Change

As climate changes make native habitats unlivable to plants and animals, these species have two choices: Leave or go extinct. Now, researchers are offering guidance on when conservationists should undertake the last-ditch strategy of transplanting struggling species to new habitats. Rats, fire ants, Asian carp, kudzu vines — humans have...

Jun 30, 2011

Treatments for Deadly Frog Fungus Show Promise

The deadly frog fungus that has wiped out amphibian species across the globe may be contained with several innovative strategies, according to scientists who reviewed the effectiveness of all available strategies. However, the researchers warn it is still too soon to recommend the treatments, as the fungus may develop a...

May 31, 2011

Hungry Female Fish May Have Sex Change On Its Mind

Not many would recommend that a guy tell his gal pal to slim down, but for some fish in tropical coral reefs it's a necessary way of life. New research reveals that male cleaner fish aggressively nudge their mates to watch their diet, as a way to prevent their female...

May 31, 2011

Brainy Parrots Can Think Like 4-Year-Olds

Parrots are capable of logical leaps, according to a new study in which a gray parrot named Awisa used reasoning to figure out where a bit of food was hidden. The task is one that kids as young as 4 could figure out, but the only other animals that have...

May 31, 2011

How One Expert Creates Beard of Bees (Very Carefully!)

This Research in Action article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Among the many unique talents of Marla Spivak — a MacArthur Foundation Fellow at the University of Minnesota and an NSF-funded bee researcher — is her ability to safely create bee beards. Here she...