Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2014

Can a Severed Snake Head Still Kill? It's Possible

Venomous snakes are scary when they're alive, but there's also reason to fear these fanged creatures after they're dead, a recent news report suggests. The tale of a chef in China who was preparing a rare delicacy known as cobra soup and was fatally bitten by the decapitated head of...

Jun 30, 2014

Early Life Pain May Affect the Next Generation

A mom's painful early life experiences might influence her offspring's sensitivity to pain, according to a new study of lambs and ewes. The research is preliminary, but echoes earlier studies in both humans and animals that find early pain and trauma — or even chronic stress in utero — can...

Jun 30, 2014

Giant Ancient Sea Scorpions Had Bad Eyesight

Gigantic sea scorpions that lurked in the ocean more than 400 million years ago weren't as scary as they sound, a new study suggests. The massive creatures, known as pterygotids, were the largest arthropods that ever lived, growing to be up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) long, with claws measuring...

Jun 30, 2014

Stolen 'Nest of Dinosaurs' Returned to Mongolia

More than 18 dinosaur skeletons illegally taken from Mongolia were formally returned to their homeland last week, U.S. authorities announced. The fossilized bones were handed over to Mongolian officials in a repatriation ceremony held July 10 in New York. Today, we return a veritable nest of dinosaurs, Manhattan U.S. Attorney...

Jun 30, 2014

Red Fish, Blue Light: How Glowing Sea Creatures Change Color

Deep-diving fish have a problem: The only light that penetrates their watery environment is blue and green — hardly enough of a palette for flashy color patterns. Now, a new study reveals these fishes' solution: In deep water, fish simply fluoresce more — a technique that allows them to convert...

Jun 30, 2014

Why Are Whales Not Recovering? (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. When commercial whaling was banned in 1986 it put an end to a harvest that threatened the existence of some of the most majestic animals on Earth. With several...

Jun 30, 2014

Pumas, Panthers & Cougars: Facts About America's Big Cats

The puma is the big cat of the Americas. At one time, it ranged from the Yukon in Canada to the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South America. Because these cats were found in so many places, local tribes or explorers had their own name for the large...

May 31, 2014

4 Baby Horses Born from Frozen Embryos

Attention horse lovers: A new technique could make it easier to breed the next Secretariat or Flicka. Four new foals have been born from frozen embryos, a tricky task given the structure of horse embryos. The baby horses were born healthy after spending 11 months gestating in mares at a...

May 31, 2014

Newfound Dinosaur Sported 'Wings' on its Head

Move over Triceratops: There's a new horned dinosaur in town, and its cranial ornamentation is even more impressive than the three-horned dinosaur the world has come to know and love. A study of the recently discovered species, Mercuriceratops gemini, provides more details on this flashy dinosaur, which possessed not only...

May 31, 2014

Animal Sex: How Koalas Do It

With a diet based on eucalyptus leaves that are very fibrous and low in nutrition and calories, koalas live a pretty lazy life, spending between 18 and 22 hours a day asleep. But does this lethargy also translate into the bedroom, or do koalas maintain an exciting sex life? Found...

Apr 30, 2014

Dino, Heal Thyself: Giant Beast Shrugged Off Bone Trauma

A giant carnivorous dinosaur apparently possessed an enormous power to heal its broken bones, thanks to new findings revealed by powerful X-rays, researchers say. The new findings suggest this ancient predator could shrug off massive trauma, revealing the dinosaur healed well like reptiles do than more poorly like birds do,...

Apr 30, 2014

In Photos: The Wonders of the Deep Sea

Brittle star (Image credit: Ben Thuy)Ancient fossils now reveal that the deep sea may be the origin of many lineages of sea creatures found closer to the surface, such as a number of sea stars, sea urchins and snails, researchers say. Shown here, A close-up look of a deep-sea brittle...

Apr 30, 2014

Earliest Evidence of Flower Pollination by Birds Unearthed

Birds have been visiting and pollinating flowers for at least 47 million years, fossil evidence now suggests. The new find pushes back the onset of ornithophily, or bird pollination, by about 17 million years, researchers say. To pollinate, most species of angiosperms (flowering plants) require assistance from animals, particularly insects...

Apr 30, 2014

The Fiercer Sex: Why Female Scorpions Sting More Quickly

Female scorpions may sting more quickly to compensate for their slower running speed, new research shows. And that sluggish running, and extra female fierceness, may be a result of the extra weight they carry from pregnancy, the researchers said. The females are heavier, and they can't sprint as fast, said...

Feb 28, 2014

Amazing Migration: Photos of Sandhill Cranes

Found across the world (Image credit: Linda & Dr. Dick Buscher.)Sandhill Cranes (Grus Canadensis) are large-bodied birds with long legs and tall necks that have a wide distribution over two continents. They are the most common members of the crane family found across the world. Breeding pairs of Sandhill Cranes...