Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2006

Scientists Protest Dolphin Slaughter

Each September a months-long ritual starts up again in the Japanese villages of Taiji and Futo. Fishermen herd hundreds of dolphins into shallow bays by banging on partially submerged rods. Researchers say the dolphins are corralled into nets and then speared, hooked, hoisted by their tails [image], and finally eviscerated...

Aug 31, 2006

Odd Evolution: Crickets Lose Their Song

In just a few generations, the male crickets on Kauai underwent a drastic genetic change that rendered them incapable of belting out courtship songs, according to a new study. Typically, male field crickets sport curved wings, and by rubbing a sharp ridge of one wing with a rough part of...

Aug 31, 2006

Shark Slaughter: 73 Million Killed Each Year

The world's booming shark fin trade is killing up to 73 million sharks per year—about three times more than the official catch number reported to the United Nations, a new study concludes. The findings, derived using data collected from illegal shark fin traders, are detailed in the October issue of...

Jul 31, 2006

Bullet Fragments Killing Condors

Bullet fragments left in carcasses of deer and other animals killed by hunters are poisoning endangered California condors with lead. The blood of wild condors that feed on animals wounded by hunters or killed and left behind contain nearly ten times the lead concentration of captive birds, a new study...

Jun 30, 2006

States Ban Hunting of Live Animals over the Internet

Louisiana has joined 21 other states in banning Internet hunting, the practice of using a mouse click to kill animals on a distant game farm. The cyber-shooting idea was the brainchild of Texan John Lockwood, who started the web site Live-Shot.com. The idea was this: Hunters sign up on the...

Jun 30, 2006

Big Dinosaurs Were Hot, Study Suggests

A new study helps answer a longstanding dinosaur mystery by revealing that the largest dinosaurs could likely maintain warm body temperatures while their smaller cousins were probably more similar to modern cold-blooded reptiles. Scientists have debated the body temperature of dinos for years, mainly whether the beasts were cold-blooded ectotherms,...

Jun 30, 2006

Healthy Offspring Born From Lab-Grown Sperm

Scientists have fertilized mouse eggs with sperm created from embryonic stem cells in the lab, a new study reports. The achievement could lead to a better understanding of sperm production and give rise to new infertility treatments, the researchers say. Previous studies have shown that embryonic stem (ES) cells can...

Jun 30, 2006

Hunting 101: Meerkats Teach Scorpion Dismemberment

Attention all meerkat pups: Scorpion hunting 101 is now in session. Instead of letting their young figure out how to hunt dangerous scorpions on their own, older meerkats collect and disable the prey so the youth can learn how to deal with the feisty food. The discovery, detailed in the...

Jun 30, 2006

Constant Barking Drives Dogs Nuts, Too

Continuous snarling of multiple dogs in an animal shelter can create a disastrous symphonic recipe for the health of the animals, reports a new study. In many animal shelters, dogs are often placed in gated kennels along the perimeter of a large room. When they see the other animals, they...

May 31, 2006

Bizarre Survival Tactic: Gazelles Shrink Heart to Beat Heat

In an extreme way to beat the heat, a sand gazelle shrinks its liver and heart to cope with long periods of drought, a new study reveals. The deserts of the Arabian Peninsula rank among the most severe environments in the world. It's extremely hot and unpredictable rains do little...

May 31, 2006

Sexy Songs Induce Larger Canary Eggs

Male canaries hone their songs to get girls, but their sexy tweets might do more than that. A new study reveals that female songbirds alter the size of their eggs, and possibly their chicks' sex, in response to hearing a sexy song from a male. Researchers played an assortment of...

May 31, 2006

Longest Known Sperm Create Paradox of Nature

If there was a prize for biggest sperm in nature, it would go to Drosophila bifurca, a tiny fruit fly whose coiled sperm would measure more than 2 inches long if straightened out. That's 1,000 times longer than an average human sperm. To put that into perspective, if humans made...

May 31, 2006

10 Species Success Stories

Good news for wildlife (Image credit: Russell Mittermeier, The World Conservation Union)The success stories of the bald eagle, American alligator, and blue poison frog give species on the brink of extinction something to live for. LiveScience takes a close look at the most impressive comeback kids. Bald Eagle (Image credit:...

May 31, 2006

Darwin's Reputed Tortoise Dies At 176

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- A 176-year-old tortoise believed to be one of the world's oldest living creatures has died in an Australian zoo. The giant tortoise, known as Harriet, died at the Queensland-based Australia Zoo owned by Crocodile Hunter'' Steve Irwin and his wife Terri. Irwin said he considered Harriet...

May 31, 2006

Speed Limit Proposed to Save Whales

The U.S. Fisheries Service on Friday proposed a speed limit for ships 65 feet and longer to reduce accidental killing of right whales. A limit of 10 knots would apply during certain times of year in three regions along the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S. coast. Federal ships would be...