Biology News

New Species of Drywood Termite Discovered in Colombia

Oct 23, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of drywood termite has been described from tropical dry forests of Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Proneotermes macondianus. Scale bars – 0.5 mm. Image credit: Casalla R. et al. Discovered by termitologists from Germany, the United States and Colombia, the new termite has been officially named Proneotermes macondianus. “The species name honors Nobel laureate Gabriel García Marquez and the fictional town ‘Macondo’ in his novel...

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Examples of flaked stones produced by bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus). Scale bars - 5 cm. Image credit: Tomos Proffitt et al.

Brazilian Capuchin Monkeys Unintentionally Make Sharp-Edged Stone Flakes

Oct 21, 2016 by News Staff

A University of Oxford-led team of scientists has observed bearded capuchins (Sapajus libidinosus) in Brazil deliberately break stones, unintentionally...

According to a new study, the mouths of migraine sufferers harbor more nitrate-reducing microbes than people who do not get migraine headaches. Image credit: Sasha Wolff / CC BY 2.0.

Scientists Find Link between Migraines and Nitrate-Reducing Oral Bacteria

Oct 21, 2016 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the University of Chicago and the University of California, San Diego, has found that migraine sufferers harbor significantly...

A daring jumping spider (Phidippus audax), an adult female. Image credit: Ryan Kaldari.

Jumping Spiders Can ‘Hear’ Sounds over Greater Distances than Previously Thought

Oct 17, 2016 by News Staff

Spiders are sensitive to airborne vibrations from nearby sources. They are supposed to respond to sounds and ‘hear,’ but only when the sound is coming...

A prairie kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster) in Kansas. Image credit: Don Becker / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Yellow-Bellied Kingsnake is Actually Three Separate Species

Oct 11, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a new study published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, the yellow-bellied kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster), a snake...

Humans aren’t the only ones who can tell when someone’s beliefs don’t match reality. Image credit: Jochemy.

Study: Great Apes Understand False Beliefs

Oct 10, 2016 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal Science, three different species of great apes — chimpanzee, bonobo, and orangutan — are...

The buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris). Image credit: Spacebirdy / CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Bumblebees Can Learn to Pull Strings for Reward, New Study Shows

Oct 5, 2016 by News Staff

String pulling is a popular problem-solving task for investigating cognitive abilities in apes and birds, but has never been tested in insects. Now, buff-tailed...

This image shows thirst neurons (blue) in mouse SCN. Image credit: C. Gizowski et al / McGill University.

Study Says Biological Clock Stimulates Thirst before Sleep

Sep 29, 2016 by News Staff

According to a study in rodents led by Prof. Charles Bourque of McGill University, the brain’s biological clock stimulates thirst in the hours before...

The new study provides further evidence of possible genetic influences on obesity, through heritable bacteria found in the fecal microbiome.

New Link Found between Body Fat, Fecal Bacteria

Sep 28, 2016 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has found a new link between the diversity of bacteria in the human fecal microbiome and levels of visceral fat (body...

Two female great tits. Image credit: Shirley Clarke / Fordingbridge Camera Club / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Great Tits Choose Spring Neighbors Based on Winter Friendships

Sep 23, 2016 by News Staff

Great tits (Parus major) pick their spring breeding sites to be near their winter flockmates, according to a new study by scientists at the University...

The Montpellier snake (Malpolon monspessulanus), one of the snake species studied by the team. Image credit: Alexandre Roux / CC BY-SA 2.0.

New Research Sheds Light on Snake Vision

Sep 20, 2016 by News Staff

The first major study of visual pigment genes and lenses in snakes has found that the reptiles match their vision to their lifestyles. The Montpellier...

American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Image credit: Gareth Rasberry / CC BY-SA 3.0.

American Alligator’s Lineage is More Ancient than Previously Thought

Sep 20, 2016 by News Staff

According to new research, American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) have remained virtually untouched by evolutionary change for at least 8 million...

Damian Scarf et al. demonstrate that pigeons (Columba livia) trained to discriminate words from non-words picked up on the orthographic properties that define words and used this knowledge to identify words they had never seen before. Image credit: Damian Scarf / University of Otago.

Study: Pigeons Can Learn to Visually Recognize Words

Sep 18, 2016 by News Staff

Pigeons (Columba livia) can learn to distinguish real words from non-words by visually processing their letter combinations, according to a surprising...

Nesting area of Anthophora pueblo in Utah’s San Rafael Desert. Image credit: Michael Orr, Utah State University.

Anthophora pueblo: Newly-Discovered Species of Bee Excavates Sandstone Nests

Sep 15, 2016 by News Staff

A team of entomologists led by Utah State University researcher Dr. Michael Orr has described an unusual new species of bee from the deserts of the southwestern...

Captive Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) using a stick tool to extract food from a wooden log. Image credit: Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Global.

Hawaiian Crows Show Talent for Tool Use

Sep 15, 2016 by News Staff

A team of scientists led by Dr. Christian Rutz, a researcher at the Centre for Biological Diversity at the University of St Andrews, UK, has discovered...

A colorized scanning electron micrograph of human hair. Image credit: Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Scientists Develop Forensic Method to Identify Humans Using Hair Proteins

Sep 12, 2016 by News Staff

A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory-led interdisciplinary research team has developed the first-ever biological identification method that exploits...

Reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata) in Samburu NP, Kenya. Image credit: Julian Fennessy / Giraffe Conservation Foundation.

Genetic Analysis Reveals Four Distinct Giraffe Species Instead of One

Sep 9, 2016 by News Staff

Giraffes actually are not one species, but four, according to a new study published in the journal Current Biology. Reticulated giraffe (G. reticulata)...

The Pete Basabe’s butteflyfish (Prognathodes basabei) at a depth of 180 feet (55 m) off Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Image credit: Greg McFall / NOAA.

Prognathodes basabei: New Species of Butterflyfish Discovered in Hawaiian Waters

Sep 7, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A new species of the butterflyfish genus Prognathodes has been described from several specimens collected at depths of 180-200 feet (55-61 m) off Pearl...

Madagascarophis lolo. Image credit: Sara Ruane.

Madagascarophis lolo: New Species of Cat-Eyed Snake Discovered in Madagascar

Sep 5, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers from the United States and Madagascar has described a new, possibly microendemic, species of the snake genus Madagascarophis...

Trained dogs around fMRI scanner. Image credit: Eniko Kubinyi.

Dogs Understand Words and Intonation of Human Speech, New Study Finds

Aug 31, 2016 by News Staff

According to a study led by Dr. Attila Andics of the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, dogs use the left hemisphere to process words and...

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