Biology News

Rote Leaf Warbler: New Bird Species Discovered in Indonesia

The Rote leaf warbler (Phylloscopus rotiensis). Image credit: Philippe Verbelen.
Oct 23, 2018 by News Staff

A striking new species of leaf warbler has been discovered in the forests of the Indonesian island of Rote by an international team of researchers. The discovery is outlined in the journal Scientific Reports. The Rote leaf warbler (Phylloscopus rotiensis) has a characteristic long bill. Image credit: Philippe Verbelen. Named the Rote leaf warbler (Phylloscopus rotiensis), the new bird species is endemic to Rote Island, the province of East Nusa Tenggara,...

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The Pando aspen clone from a distance (green foreground and middle -- not yellow). Image credit: Lance Oditt, Studio 47.60° North.

Pando, World’s Largest Single Organism, is Shrinking

Oct 22, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers from Utah State University has conducted the first complete assessment of the Pando aspen clone — the largest living organism...

The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Image credit: Petra D.

Study: Dandelion’s Extraordinary Flying Ability is Possible Thanks to Previously Unknown Form of Flight

Oct 19, 2018 by News Staff

Wind-dispersed plants have evolved ingenious ways to lift their seeds. The common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) uses a bundle of drag-enhancing bristles...

Chimpanzees share food with their friends. Image credit: Liran Samuni, Tai Chimpanzee Project.

Study: Chimps Share Food with Friends

Oct 15, 2018 by News Staff

Why share when access to benefits is uncertain is crucial to our understanding of the evolution of cooperation in human societies. In a study published...

Acoustic monitoring of bee flight buzzes during the eclipse revealed an overall cessation of flight activity during totality. Image credit: Kevin McIver.

Bees Go Silent during Total Solar Eclipses, New Research Shows

Oct 11, 2018 by News Staff

The total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017 traversed 5,000 km from coast to coast of North America. In its 90-min span, sunlight dropped by three orders...

Newborn giraffes with large and irregularly shaped spots survive better during their first few months of life. Image credit: Derek Lee, Wild Nature Institute / Pennsylvania State University.

Study: Giraffe Calves Inherit Spot Patterns from Mothers

Oct 8, 2018 by News Staff

According to a new study, published in the journal PeerJ, some features of a giraffe’s spot pattern are passed on from mother to baby. Newborn giraffes...

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa). Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Groundcherry Could Be Agriculture’s Next Big Berry Crop

Oct 4, 2018 by News Staff

The groundcherry (Physalis pruinosa), also called ‘husk cherry’ and ‘strawberry tomato,’ is native to Central and South America. This tropical-tasting...

This image shows a colony of red harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus); a forager is marked with an identifying color. Image credit: Becca Nelson.

Neurotransmitter Dopamine Makes Harvester Ants More Productive: Study

Oct 2, 2018 by News Staff

Colonies of the red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) forage in the desert for seeds that provide both food and water. Foragers lose water while out...

The blue-throated hillstar (Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus), male. Image credit: Sornoza-Molina et al, doi: 10.1642/AUK-18-58.1.

New Hummingbird Species Discovered in Ecuador

Sep 28, 2018 by News Staff

A new species of hummingbird, called the blue-throated hillstar (Oreotrochilus cyanolaemus), has been discovered in the southwestern Andes of Ecuador by...

Tosanoides aphrodite in its natural environment, photographed at a depth of 390 feet (120 m) in St. Paul’s Rocks, Brazil. Image credit: L.A. Rocha.

Scientists Discover New Species of Reef Fish: Tosanoides aphrodite

Sep 27, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

Marine biologists from the California Academy of Sciences have discovered a new species of coral reef fish living in the waters off Saint Paul’s Rocks,...

A honeybee. Image credit: Alex Wild / University of Texas at Austin.

Common Herbicide Glyphosate Alters Bee Gut Microbiota, Increases Susceptibility to Infections

Sep 26, 2018 by News Staff

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that honeybees exposed to glyphosate — the primary herbicide used...

Hierodula tenuidentata eating Poecilia reticulata from the tail. Image credit: Rajesh Puttaswamaiah.

Praying Mantis Spotted Hunting and Eating Fish for the First Time

Sep 26, 2018 by News Staff

Praying mantises are carnivorous insects with powerful raptorial front legs. Their diet includes insects, lizards, frogs, newts, mice, small birds, snakes...

This image shows a single human skeletal stem cell-derived colony. Image credit: Chan et al, doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.07.029.

Skeletal Stem Cells Identified in Humans

Sep 24, 2018 by News Staff

Human skeletal stem cells capable of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation to bone, cartilage, and stroma have been isolated by Dr. Michael Longaker...

This digitally-colorized scanning electron microscopic image depicts Enterococcus faecalis. Image credit: Pete Wardell / CDC.

Intestinal Bacteria Can Generate Electric Current, Study Shows

Sep 20, 2018 by News Staff

Scientists already know that bacteria can create an electric current outside their own cell, known as extracellular electron transport. This has been demonstrated...

The giant red bull ant (Myrmecia gulosa). Image credit: University of Queensland.

Bull Ant Venom Could Help Develop New Pain Treatments

Sep 20, 2018 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the Universities of Queensland and Sydney, Australia, has performed the first comprehensive characterization of a polypeptidic...

A square-tailed drongo in Mkhuze Game Reserve, South Africa. Image credit: Alan Manson / CC BY-SA 2.0.

New Bird Species Discovered in Africa: Western Square-Tailed Drongo

Sep 17, 2018 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of ornithologists has discovered a new species of drongo living in the forests of western Africa. A square-tailed drongo in Mkhuze...

The bonobo (Pan paniscus). Image credit: Pierre Fidenci / CC BY-SA 2.5.

Study: Infants Use Same Gestures as Chimpanzees

Sep 13, 2018 by News Staff

Great apes of all species — human and non-human — communicate using a combination of different types of signals: vocalizations, gestures, facial...

The western rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus). Image credit: California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Snakebites Decrease after Drought, Increase after Periods of High Rainfall, Shows New Study

Sep 7, 2018 by News Staff

Snakebites, contrary to public opinion, increase after rainy years, not drought, according to a new study that examined two decades of rattlesnake bite...

Tuber brennemanii from an oak forest in the Midwest. The specimen on the left shows the rough, knobby exterior of the mushroom while the halved specimen shows the interior. Image credit: Rosanne Healy.

Researchers Discover Two New Species of Edible Truffles

Sep 4, 2018 by News Staff

A research team led by University of Florida scientists has discovered two new species of ‘true’ truffles growing in the roots of pecan trees in the...

Nawroth et al show that goats can discriminate human facial expressions with different emotional valences and prefer to interact with positive ones. Image credit: Filinecek.

Goats Prefer Happy Human Faces, Study Says

Sep 4, 2018 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science provides the first evidence of how goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) read human emotional expressions. Nawroth...

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