Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Aug 31, 2007

Tiny Dino Was Ready to Fly

Remains of a petite dinosaur reveal that some of the ancestors of birds had already shrunk in size before flight evolved. The dinosaur, a mere 2 feet long (70 centimeters) and weighing the equivalent of two cans of soda, roamed the Earth 80 million years ago during the Cretaceous period...

Aug 31, 2007

Suspect's Family Blames Murders on Snake Bite

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) — Relatives of a man accused of killing six people in Texas and Pennsylvania apologized to their families Monday, said the suspect had psychological problems and suggested a rattlesnake bite may have set him off. We feel it's a psychological stupor he was in, an uncle, Ed...

Aug 31, 2007

Stephen Colbert's Favorite Turtle Missing After Great Race

Shortly after snagging 2nd place in the Great Turtle Race, the leatherback turtle Stephanie Coburtle went missing and she has been offline for more than 100 days, it was announced today. The female leatherback is named after comedian Stephen Colbert, who commented on his turtle on a video played at...

Aug 31, 2007

Asthma Linked to Cat Allergies

More than 50 percent of the current asthma cases in the U.S. are the result of allergies, especially to cats, according to a new National Institutues of Health (NIH) study. Asthmatics, people with allergies and doctors alike have long debated possible connections between pets, dust, ragweed, mold, fungus, foods, cockroaches,...

Jul 31, 2007

Sounds Like ... Apes Play Charades

When humans play charades, the game's ban on talk often reduces players to wild gestures in a frustratingly minimalist form of communication. Still, skillful players get the point across eventually. Apes can't talk at all, of course. But now scientists have found that orangutans rely on the same kinds of...

Jul 31, 2007

Dolphin Species Goes Extinct Due to Humans

The Yangtze River dolphin is now almost certainly extinct, making it the first dolphin that humans drove to extinction, scientists have now concluded after an intense search for the endangered species. The loss also represents the first global extinction of megafauna—any creature larger than about 200 pounds (100 kilograms)—for more...

Jul 31, 2007

Promiscuous Mama Birds Bank on 'Nannies'

Child care can be costly, even in the avian world. Some clever and promiscuous mama birds save their energy and get a boost in health by relying on helper birds for free offspring-care, new research shows. The study reveals how female superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) skimp on allocating energy-costing nutrition...

Jun 30, 2007

Mystery Solved: How Airplane-Sized Bird Flew

With a wingspan of more than 20 feet, a condor the size of a Cessna airplane relied on updrafts to glide up to 40 mph above the plains of Argentina some 6 million years ago. Scientists have known the ancient bird could fly. But they didn't know if Argentavis magnificens,...

Jun 30, 2007

Thanks a Lot! Bugs Help Invasive Weeds Win

Many studies have shown that invasive plant species are taking over in regions large and small around the world, a problem often instigated and fueled by what humans plant or otherwise accidentally introduce into an area. A new study finds that insects play a role in helping weeds to win....

Jun 30, 2007

For the 4th Time: I'm Not Pregnant!

WASHINGTON (AP)—The National Zoo won't be hearing oohs and aahs over a new panda cub this year. Zoo officials said Friday that the giant panda Mei Xiang isn't pregnant after all. Her hormone levels had soared after she was artificially inseminated, then dropped last week, signaling a cub could be...

Jun 30, 2007

Full Moon Sends More Dogs and Cats to Emergency Room

Injuries and illness among dogs and cats seems to be higher during full moon than at other times of the month, a new study finds. But researchers don't know why. The study, reported in the July 15 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, finds emergency room...

Jun 30, 2007

Why We Walk Upright: Beats Being a Chimp

Humans walking on two legs consume only a quarter of the energy that chimpanzees use while “knuckle-walking” on all fours, according to a new study. The finding, detailed in the July 17 issue of the journal for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, supports the idea that early...

Jun 30, 2007

Tale of Huge Reptiles Fishing While Flying Called False

Prehistoric flying reptiles known as pterosaurs are often pictured as skimming along the surface of water during flight with their mouths open, fishing on the wing. Now scientists find this romantic Age of Dinosaurs vision unlikely. Any pterosaur trying this feeding method might have taken a nasty crash. Pterosaurs, or...

Jun 30, 2007

Hundreds of Oil-Covered Penguins Surface in South America

Hundreds of oil-covered Magellanic penguins have surfaced off the Atlantic coast of South America in the past few weeks, according to an animal welfare organization. Magellanic penguins are medium-sized South American penguins. The species is classified as near threatened because of its vulnerability to oil spills, which kill tens of...

Jun 30, 2007

Earth's Worst Extinction a Prolonged Event

The rise of mollusks across the globe was a harbinger of doom roughly 250 million years ago, ushering in the most devastating mass extinction in Earth's history, research now reveals. This clammy conclusion suggests the disaster was long in coming, as opposed to the result of a more catastrophic extraterrestrial...