Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2006

Grammar Revealed in the Love Songs of Whales

The love song of a humpback whale sounds magnificently free-flowing and improvised to the casual human listener. But fresh mathematical analysis of shows there are complex grammatical rules. Using syntax, the whales combine sounds into phrases, which they further weave into hours-long melodies packed with information. Although the researchers say...

Feb 28, 2006

How Songbirds Change Tune

New research reveals that songbirds add style to their songs using the same mechanism as humans. In humans, an ah sound originating from the vocal cords can be turned into an ooh by moving the lips, tongue, and jaw. Birds mostly communicate using a variety of up and down sweeping...

Feb 28, 2006

Scientists Debate Dinosaur Demise

The ancient asteroid that slammed into the Gulf of Mexico and purportedly ended the reign of the dinosaurs occurred 300,000 years too early, according to a controversial new analysis of melted rock ejected from the impact site. The standard theory states that a giant asteroid about 6 miles wide smashed...

Jan 31, 2006

Oldest Known Tyrannosaur Found

Paleontologists have unearthed two fossilized dinosaurs believed to be the oldest ancestors of the tyrannosaur family, researchers announced today. The new species had cranial crests and were likely covered in feathers, but were only a third the size of their famous cousin, Tyrannosaurus rex. Still, the discovery sets back the...

Jan 31, 2006

Marine Mammals Suffer Human Diseases

ST. LOUIS—Parasites from cat feces are causing deadly brain damage in California sea otters. A combination of toxic chemicals and herpes virus is killing off California sea lions. And toxic algae blooms are contributing to record manatee deaths in Florida. All of these animals live near coastlines, spending a majority...

Jan 31, 2006

Cannibalism Rife in Mormon Cricket Swarms

Every year, millions of Mormon crickets swarm in a frenzied search for food. Turns out the dinner plate is often heaped with their slower brethren. Mormon crickets aren't actually crickets, but shield-backed katydids, a type of insect more closely related to grasshoppers. However, when Mormon settlers moved into Utah in...

Dec 31, 2005

Dog Deaths Surpass 100 Despite Toxic Pet Food Recall

At least 100 dogs in the United States have been killed in recent weeks by toxic pet food despite a recall of the products, scientists said today. Some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled. But many pet owners are not aware of the...

Dec 31, 2005

Frisky Ferrets Bouncing Back

Thanks to conservation efforts and some exceptionally frisky behavior in the wild, the endangered black-footed ferret is making a comeback. Scientists considered the furry creatures extinct as recently as the 1970s, but 120 of the ferrets were found in Wyoming in the mid-1980s. Then in 1985 two disease outbreaks wiped...

Dec 31, 2005

Ant School: The First Formal Classroom Found in Nature

Ants teach other ants how to find food using a poking and prodding technique called tandem running, a new study reveals. Researchers say the experiment reveals the first non-human example of formal instruction between a teacher and pupil in which there is two-way feedback and an adjustment of the course...

Dec 31, 2005

Chimps More Like Humans than Apes

While you might think of yourself as smarter than the average ape, beware: Those distant relatives of ours have a knack for evolving more quickly than we do. And by revealing this through DNA analysis, scientists have provided support for a controversial hypothesis that chimpanzees are more closely related to...

Nov 30, 2007

Incredible Batch of Rare and New Species Discovered

Two species of primates that are of global conservation concern, eight new species of katydids, a critically endangered frog species, 17 rare butterfly species and wild birds such as the brown-cheeked hornbill are among the finds of an expedition to a forest reserve in Ghana. Scientists exploring one of the...

Nov 30, 2007

Homosexuality Turned On and Off in Fruit Flies

While several studies find homosexuality in humans and other animals is biological rather than learned, a question remains over whether it's a hard-wired phenomenon or one that can be altered. A new study finds drugs or genetic manipulation can turn the homosexual behavior of fruit flies on and off within...

Nov 30, 2007

Birds Glad Cats Eat Rats

A rare burrowing bird known as a Cook's petrel seems to have dug a real hole for itself: it lives on a small island crawling with hungry rats and cats. Although the pests eat both eggs and chicks, new research suggests that the old adage my enemy's enemy is my...

Nov 30, 2007

Monkeys Do Math Like Humans

Monkeys can perform mental addition in a manner remarkably similar to college students, a new study shows. The researchers stressed that monkeys will not pass college math tests anytime soon. Nevertheless, the finding promises to shed light on the ancient origins of math in humanity and our distant relatives. Humans...

Nov 30, 2007

Hot Bugs Get More Sex

Being hot can lead to more sex. Especially if you're a male ambush bug. These predatory insects are known for camouflaging themselves against flowers, lying in wait to ambush prey. The ambush bug (Phymata americana) is mostly yellow with dark brown or black patches, with the males possessing darker heads...