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The Lesser short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis). Image credit: Anton Croos / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Old World Fruit Bats Use Unique Form of Echolocation, Researchers Find

Dec 4, 2014 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from Israel and Thailand has found that Old World fruit bats, which have always been classified as non-echolocating,...

Arabian Sea Humpback whale photographed in Dhofar, Southern Oman. Image credit: T. Collins / D. MacDonald.

Arabian Sea Humpback Whale Population Genetically Distinct, Isolated for 70,000 Years

Dec 4, 2014 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, a small, non-migratory population of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Arabian...

Normal anatomy of the human eye and orbit, anterior view. Image credit: Patrick J. Lynch / CC BY 2.5.

Humans Can See Infrared Light, Scientists Say

Dec 3, 2014 by News Staff

Human eyes can detect light at wavelengths in the visual spectrum; other wavelengths, such as infrared and ultraviolet, are supposed to be invisible, but...

The newly-discovered bird, the Cryptic treehunter, was formerly confused with the Alagoas foliage-gleaner (photographed November, 2007 in Frei Caneca, Brazil). Image credit: © Ciro Albano, NE Brazil Birding / via Papeis Avulsos de Zoologia.

New Bird Species Discovered in Brazil: Cryptic Treehunter

Nov 30, 2014 by Natali Anderson

Brazilian ornithologists Dr Juan Mazar Barnett and Dr Dante Buzzetti of the Center for Ornithological Studies in São Paulo have discovered a new species...

The Sulawesi streaked flycatcher (Muscicapa sodhii). Image credit: © Martin Lindop.

Sulawesi Streaked Flycatcher: New Species of Bird Discovered in Indonesia

Nov 25, 2014 by News Staff

An international group of ornithologists from the United States and Indonesia led by Dr Berton Harris of Princeton University has described a new species...

Black seadevil (probably Melanocetus johnsonii), about 9 cm long. Image credit: © Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Marine Biologists Capture Footage of Rare Black Seadevil Anglerfish

Nov 24, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute using their remotely operated vehicle Doc Ricketts have filmed a rare and bizarre-looking...

Partners who kiss each other at least nine times a day share similar communities of oral bacteria, the team says. Image credit: Skyggefotografen / CC BY 2.0.

Ten-Second Kiss Shares 80 Million Bacteria, Dutch Scientists Say

Nov 19, 2014 by News Staff

About 80 million bacteria are transferred during a single 10-second kiss, says a group of researchers from the Netherlands. Partners who kiss each other...

Paroedura hordiesi, adult male. Image credit: Glaw F et al.

Beautiful New Gecko Species Discovered in Madagascar

Nov 17, 2014 by News Staff

An international team of scientists from Germany and France has described a new species of gecko that lives in a karstic limestone massif called Montagne...

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) from the Atlas des plantes de France, 1891.

Sugar Beet Hemoglobin Could be Used as Blood Substitute – Study

Nov 13, 2014 by Enrico de Lazaro

According to a new study published in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology, hemoglobin found in a variety of beetroot called the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris...

Insects originated at the same time as the earliest terrestrial plants - about 479 million years ago, according to a new study. Image credit: © Julius Csotonyi.

Researchers Map Family Tree of Insects

Nov 8, 2014 by News Staff

Using a molecular dataset consisting of 144 carefully chosen species of insects, researchers from the 1KITE (1,000 Insect Transcriptome Evolution) project...

Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) exiting Bracken Bat Cave in southern Comal County, Texas. Image credit: Ann Froschauer / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Mexican Free-Tailed Bats Compete for Food by Jamming Sonar – Study

Nov 7, 2014 by News Staff

Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) compete for prey by jamming each other’s sonar, says a new study carried out by Wake Forest University...

Leptogorgia sp. nov. Image credit: NOAA.

Scientists Discover New Species of Deep-Sea Coral in Waters off California

Nov 6, 2014 by News Staff

Marine researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have discovered a new species of deep-sea soft coral that lives...

Male Long-billed hermits (Phaethornis longirostris) use their beaks as a weapon during territorial disputes. Image credit: © Maxime Aliaga.

Hummingbirds Use Their Delicate Beaks as Dagger-Like Weapons

Nov 5, 2014 by News Staff

Male hummingbirds use their beaks as deft, dagger-like weapons when fighting each other for territory, according to a study carried out by a group of scientists...

Bumba lennoni. Image credit: © Laura Miglio / Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.

Bumba lennoni: New Species of Tarantula Discovered in Brazil, Named after John Lennon

Nov 3, 2014 by News Staff

An international group of scientists headed by Dr Laura Miglio from the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi in Brazil has described a new tarantula species from...

European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster). Image credit: Rashuli / CC BY 2.0.

Common European Birds Facing Serious Decline, Study Finds

Nov 3, 2014 by News Staff

Europe has 421 million fewer birds than just three decades ago, according to a new study led by Dr Richard Inger from the University of Exeter’s Environment...

The musk deer Moschus moschiferus. Image credit: © Grigori Mazmanyants / WWF-Canon.

Kashmir Musk Deer Seen in Afghanistan for First Time in 60 Years

Nov 2, 2014 by News Staff

The Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus) – a small animal with vampire-like fangs – still lives in the eastern forests of Afghanistan more than...

Three new species of lizards discovered in Australia, from top to bottom: the Cape Melville Rainbow Skink (Carlia wundalthini), the Cape Melville Bar-lipped Skink (Glaphyromorphus othelarrni) and the McIlwraith Bar-lipped Skink (Glaphyromorphus nyanchupinta). Image credit: Conrad Hoskin / Stephen Williams.

Three New Species of Skinks Discovered in Australia

Oct 30, 2014 by News Staff

Australian scientists have described three new lizard species, hidden from humans for millions of years in remote areas of the country. Three new species...

Two Galapagos giant tortoises engage in a dominance display. Image credit: Aaron Logan / CC BY 2.0.

Nearly Extinct Hood Island Giant Tortoises Have Made Comeback from 15 to 1,000

Oct 30, 2014 by News Staff

A population of Hood Island giant tortoises, which once dwindled to just over a dozen, has recovered on the Galapagos island of Española, says a team...

The Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog (Rana kauffeldi), males. Image credit: Feinberg JA et al.

Rana kauffeldi: New Cryptic Species of Frog Discovered in New York City

Oct 29, 2014 by News Staff

A team of U.S. scientists headed by Dr Jeremy Feinberg of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, has described a new cryptic species of leopard frog...