Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Nov 30, 2012

Christmas Carp Prefer to Float North-South

Live carp floating in tubs at traditional Czech Christmas markets like to align their bodies north-south, researchers say. The finding suggests the fish use the geomagnetic field to orient themselves and possibly even navigate through freshwater. For their study, a team of scientists photographed common carp being sold out of...

Nov 30, 2012

Extinct Mega-Piranha Could Outbite History's Largest Shark

The ancient carnivorous mega-piranha, which lived between 6 million and 10 million years ago, packed a fearsome bite with a force that was up to 50 times its weight, finds a new study. Pound for pound, the extinct predator beats out other mega-predators like an ancient, semi-truck-size shark called the...

Nov 30, 2012

Whale Whodunit: How Investigators Solve Marine Deaths

Sometimes the bodies show up floating in the ocean, other times they wash ashore. Then it's up to investigators to figure out what happened. Whales, like humans, can meet unnatural ends. The bodies they leave behind can tell a story about what killed them, sometimes revealing evidence of a prolonged,...

Nov 30, 2012

Dragonfly Shows Human-Like Power of Concentration

Dragonflies lack humans' big brains, but they still get the job done, according to new research that suggests that these insects have brain cells capable of feats previously seen only in primates. Specifically, the dragonflies can screen out useless visual information to focus on a target, a process called selective...

Nov 30, 2012

Dealer Pleads Guilty to Smuggling in Largest International Dino Case Ever

A fossil dealer's guilty plea has set the stage for what is most likely the largest dinosaur fossil repatriation in history, according to an attorney representing the President of Mongolia, the country that will receive most of the fossils that federal officials are seizing from fossil dealer and preparer Eric...

Oct 31, 2012

Weird-Looking, Meat-Eating Sponge Found In Deep Sea

A new carnivore shaped like a candelabra has been spotted in deep ocean waters off California's Monterey Bay. The meat-eating species was dubbed the harp sponge, so-called because its structure resembles a harp or lyre turned on its side. A team from the Monterey Bay Research Aquarium Institute in Moss...

Oct 31, 2012

Expedition to Count Endangered Chinese Porpoises

How many finless porpoises are left in China's Yangtze River? An expedition is under way to count how many of these endangered animals survive in the heavily polluted waterway. There are less than 1,800 of the animals in the wild, mainly in the central and lower reaches of the 3,915-mile...

Oct 31, 2012

Where Do Fruit Flies Come From?

Fruit flies need very little to call your kitchen their “home, sweet home.” All that they require is a moist area of fermenting stuff. That stuff can be ripened fruits or vegetables, as well as drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash bags, or cleaning rags and mops. Fruit...

Oct 31, 2012

Mystery Molelike Mammal Survived Dino Extinction

A molelike mammal nicknamed the grave robber survived the event that killed the dinosaurs, new research finds. Necrolestes patagonensis, whose name translates in part to grave robber, was among the mammals that lived through the dinosaur mass extinction. The new study finds that the creature lived 45 million years longer...

Sep 30, 2012

It Pays to Be a Nice Baboon

Like humans, baboons with good friends often enjoy better health and longer lives. Now research suggests the strength of a baboon's social circle depends less on its rank than its personality — and being nice pays off. These results have allowed us to, for the first time in a wild...

Sep 30, 2012

Snail Sacrifices Foot to Survive Snake Attacks

Better to lose your foot than your life, at least if you're a snail. In a move reminiscent of certain lizards that can voluntarily detach their tails, young Satsuma caliginosa snails self-amputate their foot when attacked by their nemesis, the Pareas iwasakii snake, a new study finds. As they age,...

Sep 30, 2012

'Supermice' Invade Europe with Mighty Sperm

The male chromosome of an Eastern European house mouse has infiltrated Western Europe, creating a hybrid strain of supermice with extra-high sperm counts. Normally, hybridization, when two subspecies mate to produce offspring, results in decreased sperm strength in the offspring. But when the western mouse Mus musculus domesticus picks up...

Aug 31, 2012

Panda Plays Peak-a-Boo During Checkup

The San Diego Zoo's panda cub is starting to open his eyes, to adorable effect. During an exam on Wednesday morning, animal care staff could see the cub's eyes beginning to open, the zoo said in a release. The development is right on track for the 45-day old male cub....

Aug 31, 2012

'Mama's Boys' May Explain Killer Whale Menopause

Menopause is a rare phenomenon in the animal world. Besides humans, killer whales are among the few species whose females lose their ability to reproduce well before the end of their natural life span. But to what advantage? Researchers have speculated that for humans, menopause evolved to reduce competition between...

Aug 31, 2012

Retrovirus Has Long Plagued Koalas, Study Finds

Many koalas get a retrovirus, known as KoRV, that brings on an AIDS-like immune deficiency, making them susceptible to diseases, such as leukemia. New research shows that this virus has been a problem for koalas for longer than previously thought. Scientists looked at DNA from 28 koala skins from European...