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Hoekstra et al. analyzed the instantaneous flight response of birds across habitats and distances to the synchronized discharging of fireworks throughout the Netherlands on New Year’s Eve. Image credit: Nick.

Fireworks on New Year’s Eve Trigger Strong Flight Responses in Bird Communities, Study Says

Dec 12, 2023 by News Staff

Fireworks are important elements of celebrations globally, but little is known about their effects on wildlife. In new research, scientists at the University...

A bilaterally gynandromorphic green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) near Manizales, Colombia, May 20, 2022. Image credit: John Murillo.

Extremely Rare ‘Half Female, Half Male’ Honeycreeper Snapped in Colombia

Dec 12, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Ornithologists in Colombia have photographed a wild green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) with distinct half green, or female, and half blue, male, plumage. A...

Talpa hakkariensis, holotype. Image credit: Gündüz et al., doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad049.

Cryptic New Species of Mole Discovered in Turkiye

Dec 11, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of the mole genus Talpa has been identified in eastern Türkiye (Turkey) by a team of reseachers from Ondokuz Mayıs University, Indiana...

Rogers et al. discovered 1,150 unique species of animals, plants and fungi around their inner-Brisbane home. Image credit: Penny.

Australian Researchers Find 1,150 Species in Their Suburban Home and Its Backyard

Dec 8, 2023 by News Staff

A challenge among University of Queensland researchers Matt Holden, Andrew Rogers and Russell Yong to identify species around their home in Brisbane, Australia,...

Spottiswoode & Wood show experimentally that honeyguides in Tanzania and Mozambique discriminate among honey hunters’ calls, responding more readily to local than to foreign calls. Image credit: Brian Wood.

Honeyguide Birds Can Recognize Distinct Vocal Signals to Help People Locate Beehives: Study

Dec 8, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Greater honeyguides (Indicator indicator), a species of African bird, are well known to guide other species to beehives. They have even been known to work...

Electric organ discharge exposure from electric eel to zebrafish larvae. Image credit: Sakaki et al., doi: 10.7717/peerj.16596.

Study: Electric Discharges from Electric Eels Enhance DNA Transformation in Fish Larvae

Dec 6, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Electric eels — three species of freshwater fish in the genus Electrophorus — are known for their ability to produce electric organ discharge...

Mesechinus orientalis in Xuancheng, Anhui, China. Image credit: Shi et al., doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1185.111615.

New Species of Forest Hedgehog Discovered in China

Dec 5, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Scientists from Anhui Normal University and elsewhere have identified a new species of the hedgehog genus Mesechinus living the scrubland and subtropical...

Lovich et al. show that eye movement-related eardrum oscillations contain parametric information about horizontal and vertical eye displacement as well as initial/final eye position with respect to the head. Image credit: Lovich et al., doi: 10.1073/pnas.2303562120.

Eye Movements Can Be Decoded by Sounds They Generate in Ears, Study Shows

Nov 27, 2023 by News Staff

New research shows that the small sounds generated within the ear by the brain contain accurate information about contemporaneous eye movements in the...

This illustration depicts a 3D computer-generated image of a group of Escherichia coli. Image credit: James Archer, CDC.

Study: Escherichia coli Bacteria Remember Their Swarming Experience for Several Generations

Nov 27, 2023 by News Staff

In humans, repeated encounters with a wide variety of stimuli can reactivate specific neurons to produce long-term memories. In new research, biologists...

One of the first-ever photographs of the Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi). Image credit: Expedition Cyclops.

Attenborough’s Long-Beaked Echidna Rediscovered After 60 Year-Absence to Science

Nov 10, 2023 by News Staff

Named after Sir David Attenborough, the Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi) was captured for the first time in photos and video...

Fernandez-Velasco et al. show that left-handedness is not associated with either a benefit or a deficit in spatial ability. Image credit: Adrian.

Left-Handedness is Not Linked to Better Spatial Skills: Study

Nov 10, 2023 by News Staff

There is an active debate concerning the association of handedness and spatial ability. Past studies used small sample sizes. Determining the effect of...

The tiger (Panthera tigris). Image credit: Chiem Seherin.

Comparative Genomic Study Sheds New Light on Cat Evolution

Nov 7, 2023 by News Staff

New research led by Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri scientists explains how cats, including domestic cats, lions, tigers, Geoffroy’s...

The European wildcat (Felis silvestris). Image credit: Michael Gäbler / CC BY 3.0 Deed.

European Wildcats and Domestic Cats Did Not Mix Until 1960s, New Research Shows

Nov 7, 2023 by Natali Anderson

In two related studies, researchers from the University of Oxford and elsewhere sequenced the genomes of wildcats and domestic cats, including 48 modern...

Lauren Scott & Brittany Florkiewicz show that cat facial signals correspond to different social functions, which have likely been influenced by domestication. Image credit: Sci.News / Makieni777 / Rise-a-mui / Alexas_Fotos / Dorothe / Vaclav Zavada / Artem Makarov / Daga Roszkowska / Birgit / Pasi Mammela.

Study: Domestic Cats Have 276 Distinct Facial Expressions

Nov 6, 2023 by Natali Anderson

In a new study published in the journal Behavioural Processes, researchers from the University of Kansas Medical Center and Lyon College documented the...

Lai et al. developed a novel system combining virtual reality and a brain-machine interface to probe the rat’s inner thoughts.

Rats Have Imagination, New Study Reveals

Nov 6, 2023 by News Staff

The hippocampus holds a model of the environment that can be mentally traversed during recall or simulation. It is unknown whether animals can intentionally...

Gene expression data reveal the deployment of the patterning system in the sea star Patiria miniata. Image credit: Formery et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06669-2.

Bodies of Starfish and Other Echinoderms are Really Just Heads, New Research Suggests

Nov 2, 2023 by News Staff

For centuries, naturalists have puzzled over what might constitute the head of starfish. When looking at a worm, or a fish, it’s clear which end is the...

While a human perpetrator may take pains not to leave their own DNA behind, transferred cat hair contains its own DNA that could provide a link between a suspect and a crime-scene, or a victim. Image credit: Alexas_Fotos.

Hair Shed by Pet Cats is Useful Source of Forensic Evidence, Study Says

Nov 1, 2023 by News Staff

A single cat hair contains DNA which could link a suspect and a crime-scene, or a victim, according to a new study led by University of Leicester scientist...

Male of Psaironeura angeloi perched along small stream, near Chindul, in Manabí Province, Ecuador. Image credit: K.J. Tennessen.

Entomologist Discovers Beautiful New Species of Damselfly

Oct 31, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Dr. Kenneth Tennessen, a researcher at the Florida State Collection of Arthropods, has described a new species of the damselfly genus Psaironeura from...

Understanding the genetic basis of convergence at broad phylogenetic scales remains a key challenge in biology. Kingfishers are a cosmopolitan bird radiation with diverse colors, diets, and feeding behaviors -- including the archetypal plunge-dive into water. Given the sensory and locomotor challenges associated with air-water transitions, kingfishers offer a powerful opportunity to explore the effects of convergent behaviors on the evolution of genomes and phenotypes, as well as direct comparisons between continental and island lineages. Eliason et al. use whole-genome sequencing of 30 diverse kingfisher species to identify the genomic signatures associated with convergent feeding behaviors. Image credit: Robert Balog.

New DNA Study Shines Light on Plunge-Diving Behavior in Kingfishers

Oct 26, 2023 by News Staff

In new research, ornithologists from the Field Museum and elsewhere analyzed the whole genomes of 30 diverse kingfisher species to identify the genomic...