Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

Feb 28, 2014

'Blackfish'-Inspired Bill Would Ban SeaWorld Orca Shows in California

Blackfish is making ripples in California. A state lawmaker proposed a bill Friday (March 7) that would end SeaWorld's killer whale shows, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Assemblyman Richard Bloom, a Democrat from Santa Monica, was reportedly motivated to act by the 2013 documentary Blackfish, an unflattering portrayal of...

Feb 28, 2014

Utah Man Indicted in Dino Footprint Theft

A 35-year-old Utah man has been indicted in the theft of a three-toed dinosaur footprint from a track site in Moab. The Salt Lake Tribune reports that a grand jury indicted Jared F. Ehlers on charges of prying the footprint from the ground. If convicted, Ehlers could face up to...

Feb 28, 2014

Tiger Mom Welcomes Cubs in London

Three baby Sumatran tiger cubs were recently born at the London Zoo. After a pregnancy that lasted 106 days, the 5-year-old Sumatran tigress Melati gave birth to three cubs in her den on Feb. 3. Since then, keepers say they've been watching the family by a remote camera. While we...

Feb 28, 2014

Images of Rare Passenger Pigeon Museum Specimens

100th anniversary of extinction (Image credit: Laura Poppick, www.hmnh.harvard.edu/ )The passenger pigeon once clouded North American skies, with flocks of millions traveling across the continent. They went extinct in 1914 due to over hunting. The Harvard Museum of Natural History recently opened an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the...

Feb 28, 2014

Being Gay Is Natural: Just Ask Bonobos (Op-Ed)

Brian Hare is an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, and Vanessa Woods is the author of Bonobo Handshake(Gotham, 20011). Woods and Hare are on the board of the nonprofit Lola ya Bonobo, a sanctuary for orphan bonobos in Congo. The authors contributed this article to Live Science's...

Dec 31, 2013

Animal Sex: 7 Tales of Naughty Acts in the Wild

Animal Sex Tales Chimpanzees seem to be able to get into another chimp's head and figure out what tool, for instance, they need to solve a problem. (Image credit: Copyright: Daniel Haun)From small and subtle to large and in charge, sex in the animal kingdom is just as varied as...

Nov 30, 2015

Thunder-Thighed Dinosaurs Arose Quickly from Predecessors

Dinosaurs took less than 5 million years to evolve from their reptile predecessors, the early dinosauromorphs, a new study finds. The finding revamps the time line between the dinosaurs and early dinosauromorphs. Until now, researchers thought that it took at least 10 million to 15 million years for the early...

Nov 30, 2015

As Habitat Vanishes, Migratory Birds Are in Free Fall (Op-Ed)

Claire Runge is a postdoctoral scholar at the National Centre for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California, Santa Barbara, previously at the University of Queensland; James Watson is director of science and research with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and an associate professor at the University...