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Plants & Animals news
Male or female? Scientists discover the genetic mechanism that determines sex development in butterflies
Scientists of the Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with University of Liverpool have found the genetic mechanism that determines whether individuals of the butterfly species Bicyclus anynana become ...
Plants & Animals
5 hours ago
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Stony coral tissue loss disease is shifting the ecological balance of Caribbean reefs
The outbreak of a deadly disease called stony coral tissue loss disease is destroying susceptible species of coral in the Caribbean while helping other, "weedier" organisms thrive—at least for now—according to a new study ...
Plants & Animals
5 hours ago
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Rising mercury levels may contribute to declining Steller sea lion populations
A team of researchers from Texas A&M University and other institutions has made a surprising discovery about rising mercury levels in Steller sea lion pups that may have detrimental effects on the endangered species.
Plants & Animals
6 hours ago
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NASA is helping protect tigers, jaguars, and elephants—here's how
As human populations grow, habitat loss threatens many creatures. Mapping wildlife habitat using satellites is a rapidly expanding area of ecology, and NASA satellites play a crucial role in these efforts. Tigers, jaguars, ...
Plants & Animals
6 hours ago
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Research discovers plants utilize drought stress hormone to block snacking spider mites
Recent findings that plants employ a drought-survival mechanism to also defend against nutrient-sucking pests could inform future crop breeding programs aimed at achieving better broadscale pest control.
Plants & Animals
6 hours ago
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Hadeda ibises' 'sixth sense' works best in wet soil: New research is a wake-up call for survival of wading birds
Hadeda ibises (Bostrychia hagedash) are one of the most familiar species of birds across sub-Saharan Africa. They are large, long-legged birds with long, thin beaks for probing invertebrates out of soil, and though they appear ...
Plants & Animals
8 hours ago
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Lego-pushing bumblebees reveal insect collaboration dynamics
A new study reveals that cooperation by bumblebees isn't simply a result of accumulated individual efforts. Rather, these miniature-brained creatures are not just hard-working pollinators, but also show signs of being master ...
Plants & Animals
8 hours ago
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Researchers determine large numbers of wild mountain goats are killed every year by avalanches
A multi-institutional team of animal behaviorists, snow impact specialists and biologists from Alaska, Montana, Switzerland and Canada has found that large numbers of wild mountain goats die every year in Alaska due to avalanches. ...
Research shows bumblebee nests are overheating due to climate change, threatening future populations
As a result of the climate crisis, global warming is driving up temperatures around the world—and bumblebees, like humans, are struggling to cope with homes that can't beat the heat.
Plants & Animals
19 hours ago
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Study finds human noise negatively impacts cricket survival and reproduction
As the sun sets and the sweltering heat gives way to a balmy evening, there's one sound that fills the air, both beloved and bothersome: the rhythmic symphony of chirping crickets. However, human-generated noise can mask ...
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Bigger brains allow cliff-nesting seagull species to survive and thrive in urban environments
Seagull species that have bigger brains are more likely to nest on coastal cliffs and may also be better adapted to breed in urban environments such as on the roofs of buildings.
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Mice navigating a virtual reality environment reveal that walls, not floors, define space
New research published in Current Biology sheds light on how animals create and maintain internal spatial maps based on their surroundings.
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Artificial intelligence enhances monitoring of threatened marbled murrelet
Artificial intelligence analysis of data gathered by acoustic recording devices is a promising new tool for monitoring the marbled murrelet and other secretive, hard-to-study species, research by Oregon State University and ...
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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London's runaway horses remind us that animals are workers too
The extraordinary sight of five horses galloping through London, sweating and covered in blood, caused the hashtag #Apocalypse to trend briefly on social media last week.
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Great white sharks off South Africa's coast are protected by law, but not in practice—this needs to change
In less than eight years, white sharks in South Africa have all but disappeared from their historical hotspots in False Bay and Gansbaai, on the Western Cape coast. These areas were once known as the "white shark capital ...
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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First report of wound treatment by a wild animal using a pain-relieving plant
Even though there is evidence of certain self-medication behaviors in animals, so far it has never been known that animals treat their wounds with healing plants.
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Pet parrots prefer live video-calls over watching pre-recorded videos of other birds
Pet parrots given the choice to video-call each other or watch pre-recorded videos of other birds will flock to the opportunity for live chats, new research shows.
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Long-awaited Chicago policy doesn't do enough to protect migrating birds, advocates say
Annette Prince peered between glossy downtown buildings: "There's a bird in that grate."
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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Why do male chicks play more than females? Study finds answers in distant ancestor
Play is widespread, but far from ubiquitous, across the animal kingdom. Especially common in mammals, play is also known to occur in taxa as diverse as birds, fish, octopuses, and even insects. But what is its function, given ...
Plants & Animals
May 2, 2024
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A new tool for plant long non-coding RNA identification
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are ubiquitous transcripts with crucial regulatory roles in various biological processes, including chromatin remodeling, post-transcriptional regulation, and epigenetic modifications. While ...
Plants & Animals
May 1, 2024
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