Octopuses are remarkably intelligent creatures, as was demonstrated by Inky the Octopus's famous escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand through a drainpipe back to sea in 2016. A new Dartmouth study shows octopuses can use mirrors to find food out of sight, demonstrating spatial cognitive abilities. The results are published in Current Biology.
Walking through the savanna-woodland landscape of Boé National Park, Guinea-Bissau, you might encounter a tree covered in gnarled scars, with an accumulation of rocks surrounding its base.
For generations, scientists believed a queen honeybee was made almost entirely by diet: feed an ordinary larva enough royal jelly and a ruler emerges. But new research suggests queens are created through a more elaborate process.
A new study on multiple genomes from the extinct cave lion has discovered that it represented a highly distinct evolutionary lineage, which separated from modern lions more than a million years ago. The results also show that the cave lion had a history of interbreeding with modern lions that was tightly linked to past climatic changes. These findings are published in the journal Cell in a study led by Swedish and British scientists.
The nocturnal mating rituals of hairy scarab beetles are helping pollinate one of Perth's most common native trees, in a discovery that highlights the unusual adaptations of Australian plants and the unexpected pollination strategies still to be discovered. A four-year study led by La Trobe University discovered that the candlestick banksia is a rendezvous site for beetles to mate and feed on the flowers en masse at night.
A multi-year research project has provided new insight into greater amberjack. The Greater Amberjack Count was led by Sean P. Powers, Ph.D., fisheries ecology professor and Director of the Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of South Alabama.
Urban estuaries can support thriving ecosystems despite bustling human activity. Noting that bird populations can serve as a key indicator of environmental health, researchers recently investigated trends in the New York–New Jersey Harbor, home to the largest breeding population of colonial nesting wading birds (herons, egrets, ibises) in the northeastern United States.
A new study published in the Journal of Raptor Research, titled "Factors Influencing Nestling Sex Ratios of Suburban and Rural Red-Shouldered Hawks, 2004–2016," finds that hawk parents prioritize producing female offspring when conditions are optimal. This means that higher quality territories could result in more females, offering biologists clues about habitat health, which is important intel as the species adapts to urban environments with increasing frequency.
New research from the University of St Andrews has discovered that insects who conceal themselves as leaves also use their leafy camouflage to amplify mating calls, making themselves more attractive to the opposite sex. The research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B is the first demonstration of how impressive leaf mimicry can also be used to enhance the attractiveness of a sexual signal.
Sharks need healthy habitats, and some have a strong preference for locations jam-packed with food, according to FIU research. A recent study of Caribbean reef sharks in the Bahamas, where shark fishing has been banned for years, shows that the sharks don't seem to like places where prey is hard to find. Instead, they prefer to live where prey is most abundant. The research is published in the journal Animal Conservation.
Bowerbirds in an Australian city use a range of human items—from glass and plastic to banknotes and even a pair of handcuffs—to impress females, shows new research in Royal Society Open Science. Male bowerbirds create an intricate tunnel of twigs called a bower, then gather colorful items to show to any females that visit.
An analysis of Quebec's forest inventory data developed by Concordia researchers reveals that the conifer population is on the rebound after decades of decline.
A 1-millimeter difference in the size of a nest box entrance could help rare little pygmy-possums recover after bushfire, according to new research by Adelaide University, Kangaroo Island Research Station, and Kangaroo Island Dance School.
Thanks to a historical data archive, Swiss researchers are able to draw conclusions about the changes in the diversity of two insect groups over the past 90 years. The study, led by Agroscope, identified a significant decline in butterflies and deadwood beetle species around the middle of the 20th century. These groups live predominantly in agricultural and forest habitats. However, the study also shows that the number of species has since risen in some areas.
When a bee crashes into water, it may still be able to swim to safety. New research from Michigan State University confirms that honeybees can propel themselves across the water's surface, and their movement is purposeful and directional. They swim toward darker areas—likely using visual cues to locate the shoreline and escape. This study was recently published in Communications Biology.
Bowhead whales have the greatest life span of any mammal on Earth. They can reach over 200 years in age thanks in part to their slow metabolism and cancer-suppressing genes.
Falcons are lauded for their speed and agility. The Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo), skilled at snagging birds and insects out of the air, is no exception. However, during twilight on one day in October, researcher Apostolos Christopoulos observed several hobbies feeding on something else in a protected wetland in Greece—bats from the genus Pipistrellus.
New research has found that masturbation among bird species, including parrots, is natural, despite prevailing assumptions that it is a harmful behavior in response to environmental factors.
Changing market conditions are increasing the need for cost-effective ways to produce biorenewable chemicals, biofuels and materials that can serve as alternatives to oil-based products. According to Costas Maranas, Robert V. and Gloria H. Waltemeyer Chair and Donald B. Broughton Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn State, solutions to these problems could come from applying tools used in synthetic biology to plants and their microbial partners across the globe.
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