Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 31, 2012

More Velociraptor-Like Dinos Than Thought

Millions of years ago, there may have been three times as many species of tiny, flesh-tearing dinos roaming the United States and Canada than previously believed, researchers say. Only seven species of small, two-legged carnivores had been identified from the period between 85 and 65 million years ago, just before...

Dec 31, 2012

Why Aren't Turkey Eggs Sold at the Grocery?

As you pick up your turkey at the grocery store this week, you might wonder why you never see the birds' eggs for sale. Gobbling turkeys do lay eggs. But selling them in grocery stores would have its drawbacks. Turkey eggs’ small numbers and big size make them less practical...

Dec 31, 2012

Chimps Learn Tool Use by Watching Others

Chimpanzees can learn to use tools more efficiently by watching how others use them, new research suggests. The findings help illuminate ways that culture could evolve in nonhuman animals. Social learning is very important to maintaining a culture, study researcher Shinya Yamamoto, of Kyoto University in Japan, told LiveScience. For...

Nov 30, 2014

Bushfires Give Predators the Advantage

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Bushfires are a part of life in Australia, and when they have run their course we pick up where we left off and carry on. But if you happen...

Oct 31, 2014

Insect Family Tree Maps 400-Million-Year Evolution

Creating a family tree that dates back more than 400 million years and details the evolution of the most diverse group of animals on the planet is no easy feat, but one ambitious group of scientists has done just that. The first-ever comprehensive evolutionary tree of insects was recently created...

Oct 31, 2014

47-Million-Year-Old Pregnant Mare Sheds Light on Ancient Horses

When a thirsty pregnant horse drank from a freshwater lake 47 million years ago, she was unaware that poisonous volcanic gases might lead to her sudden demise. Now, the fossilized remains of the mare and her tiny, unborn foal are revealing new insights into reproduction in ancient horses, including surprising...

Oct 31, 2014

Giant Armored Dinosaurs Breathed Through 'Krazy Straw' Airways

Carrying around an exoskeleton of bony armor is hard work. But armored ankylosaurs figured out a way to shoulder the load and stay cool. These Cretaceous dinosaurs had Krazy Straw nasal passages that helped them air-condition their brains, according to a new study. These heads are just covered with bone...

Sep 30, 2014

Newfound South American Predator Snacked on Little Dinosaurs

A puma-sized predatory dinosaur that may have snacked on its smaller cousins while stomping about an ancient rift valley dotted with erupting volcanoes has been discovered in Venezuela. The finding could shed light on the evolution of all carnivorous dinosaurs, researchers say. The newfound fossil, from a dinosaur named Tachiraptor...

Sep 30, 2014

Goliath Encounter: Puppy-Sized Spider Surprises Scientist in Rainforest

Piotr Naskrecki was taking a nighttime walk in a rainforest in Guyana, when he heard rustling as if something were creeping underfoot. When he turned on his flashlight, he expected to see a small mammal, such as a possum or a rat. When I turned on the light, I couldn't...

Sep 30, 2014

Bugs as Treatment: Coming to a Clinic Near You... (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published on The Conversation. The publication contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. When you’re sick, you want the most effective treatment to help get you back on your feet. But what if that involved bugs? Maggots and leeches have been used...

Aug 31, 2014

Wild Monkeys Learn to Puzzle Out Banana Video

The wild marmosets living in the Brazilian forest have never seen a television show and certainly have never watched a movie in their jungle homes, until now. When scientists showed the newbies a short flick of a marmoset stranger opening a box to get a banana slice, they were likely...

Aug 31, 2014

Swallows Of The Western Skies

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to Live Science in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Ushuaia and Fairbanks are cities near the tips of the world. The capital of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego province and the Alaskan metropolis don't share much in common. Except for a cluster of...

Aug 31, 2014

Gorilla Facts

Gorillas are large apes that are native to Africa. They are typically divided into two groups. The mountain gorilla lives in the mountainous regions of central Africa, while the lowland gorilla lives in the flat, dense forests of central and western Africa. Though the two types are very similar, they...

Jul 31, 2014

Fox-Sized Relative of Triceratops Discovered in Venezuela

The fossil of a new two-legged, fox-sized dinosaur relative of both Stegosaurus and Triceratops, which dates back about 200 million years, has been discovered in Venezuela. The find suggests that dinosaurs advanced quickly across the globe after a mass extinction claimed at least half of all species on Earth, researchers...

Jul 31, 2014

Get a Death Grip! Why Snakes Don't Slip When Climbing Trees

Some snakes seem to be little scaredy-cats, as new research finds when climbing trees, they hold on for dear life. The study researchers found snakes use a much greater force to grip tree trunks and other surfaces they're climbing than is necessary. The finding suggests the reptiles prefer to play...