Scientists analyzing DNA of Madagascar’s iconic baobab trees have concluded that a widespread species called Adansonia za is actually two, formally resurrecting a name first given to the tree more than a century ago and raising the tally of baobab species native to the island from six to seven.

The post New Baobab Species Identified in Madagascar appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

A previously unrecognized species of the antthrush genus Chamaeza has been discovered in the isolated highland rainforests of northeastern Brazil.

The post Ornithologists Discover New Bird Species in Brazil appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Paleontologists studying a 236-million-year-old cynodont fossil from Argentina say they have found the earliest evidence yet of viviparity (live birth) in the evolutionary line that leads to mammals, pushing back the origin of this reproductive strategy by as much as 90 to 95 million years.

The post Fossil Evidence Pushes Back Origin of Live Birth by 90 Million Years appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Marine biologists have documented Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) using large sea shells to hunt for fish off the coast of Queensland, Australia -- only the second place in the world where this behavior, known as shelling, has ever been recorded.

The post Dolphins Filmed Using Sea Shells as Tools in Rare Sighting off Australia appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Dinosaurs evolved into some of the largest animals ever to walk the Earth, but a new mathematical model suggests that early mammals may have crowded them out of the ecological niches reserved for the smallest creatures.

The post Why Were There No Tiny Non-Avian Dinosaurs? Mammals May Have Been to Blame appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

New research led by University of Lethbridge scientists offers the most detailed look yet at how the dodo (Raphus cucullatus) -- the flightless bird driven to extinction by the 1600s -- actually perceived its world, suggesting the ‘stupid bird’ had a far more complex sensory life than its reputation implies.

The post Dodo Had Surprisingly Keen Sense of Smell and Owl-Like Vision, New Study Reveals appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

More than 150 years after Charles Darwin first wondered whether certain sticky-leaved Saxifraga plants might be secretly carnivorous, Kunming Institute of Botany researcher Tao Deng and colleagues say they have finally confirmed it.

The post Scientists Add Unlikely New Member to World’s Carnivorous Plants appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Moving a free-roaming cat indoors for good is a decision many owners approach with dread: guilt over confining a former outdoor explorer, worry about litter boxes and scratched furniture, and doubts about whether the cat will ever adjust.

The post Moving Cat Indoors is Easier than Owners Expect: Study appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology have found that moth wings are equipped with odor-detecting receptors, suggesting the insects use their wings -- not just their antennae -- to sense chemical cues in the air while flying.

The post Moths Can Smell With Their Wings, Researchers Say appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In a new study of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus), scientists found that embraces, touches and other reassuring gestures before competition for food were linked to more peaceful sharing, suggesting the roots of human social touch stretch back at least six million years.

The post Hugs May Be an Ancient Peacekeeping Tool, Ape Study Suggests appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Researchers have identified and formally described a new species of the African monkey genus Colobus living in the remote interior of the Democratic Republic of Congo, marking only the fifth new monkey species found on the continent in the past 75 years.

The post Scientists Discover New Monkey Species in Democratic Republic of Congo appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Slow-motion video reveals that buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) respond to sweet and bitter tastes with distinct, context-dependent behaviors resembling mammalian expressions of pleasure and disgust, adding fresh evidence to the debate over insect consciousness.

The post Bumblebees Display Emotion-Like Reactions to Sweet and Bitter Tastes appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

In an analysis of 390 traditionally cultivated cacao trees representing traditional Amazonian varieties, researchers identified four previously unknown genetic lineages, with two showing ancestry linked to exceptional flavor potential and offering new opportunities for growers and chocolate makers.

The post Scientists Discover Four New Genetic Lineages of Cacao in Peru appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Biologists at the University of Minnesota say they have built a synthetic cell -- made entirely from non-living chemical components -- that can complete a full life cycle: taking in nutrients, growing, copying its genetic material, dividing into daughter cells and passing along beneficial mutations to the next generation.

The post Biologists Build Synthetic Cell that Can Feed, Grow, Divide and Evolve appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Scientists in Australia have revealed that what was long thought to be a single widespread planigale species is actually four distinct ones, including an entirely new species found only in the rocky slopes in Kakadu National Park.

The post World’s Smallest Marsupial is Actually Four Distinct Species appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

New research by the University of Warwick and the University of Portsmouth shows that all great apes, from orangutans to gorillas to chimpanzees, share the same fundamental timing structure in their laughter.

The post New Research Traces Origins of Human Laughter appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

New research spanning five continents and vastly different cultures -- from the steppes of Mongolia to the rainforests of the Pacific -- shows that hunting dogs and their owners cooperate, communicate and rely on each other in nearly identical ways, suggesting the relationship was forged in deep evolutionary time, perhaps 30,000 years ago.

The post Human-Dog Bond is Ancient, Universal and Strikingly the Same Everywhere: Study appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Domestic cats (Felis catus) develop the same patterns of brain shrinkage and neurological decline as aging humans, and scientists think that makes them an ideal window into dementia and aging.

The post Domestic Cats Age Like Humans, New Study Shows appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Entomologists have compiled decades of data from butterfly houses, wild field studies, and lab experiments to build the most comprehensive picture yet of how long Heliconius butterflies live and how slowly they age.

The post Secret to Heliconius Butterflies’ Longevity May Be Hidden in Pollen appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Marine biologists have identified a new species of the shark genus Hemiscyllium in the waters of eastern Papua New Guinea, expanding a remarkable group of reef-dwelling sharks known for using their four fins to ‘walk’ across the seafloor.

The post New Species of Walking Shark Discovered off Papua New Guinea appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.