Biology News

Four New Species of Ants Discovered – Two Named after Game of Thrones’ Dragons

Pheidole viserion. Image credit: Masako Ogasawara.
Jul 29, 2016 by News Staff

A group of Japanese entomologists has described and named four new species of the ant genus Pheidole from the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea and the Fijian islands. Pheidole viserion: major (A-C) and minor (D-F) workers. Image credit: Masako Ogasawara. Pheidole is a highly diverse genus of ants, with over 1,000 species recognized so far. The genus has the common name of ‘big headed ants,’ as Pheidole soldier ants usually have huge heads...

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Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus).

Indianapolis Zoo’s Orangutan Mimics Human Speech

Jul 28, 2016 by News Staff

Rocky, an eleven-year-old male orangutan living at Indianapolis Zoo, offers clues to how human speech evolved, according to new research led by Durham...

Berardius sp.nov. Image credit: Uko Gorter.

Evidence Indicates Presence of Undescribed Beaked Whale Species in North Pacific

Jul 27, 2016 by Natali Anderson

An international team of marine biologists has found genetic evidence of a previously unknown species of beaked whale (Berardius sp.nov.) that ranges from...

DNA molecule. Image credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Genetic Code is More Diverse than We Think

Jul 26, 2016 by News Staff

New research is casting doubt on a widely held belief about how cells use DNA to make proteins. DNA molecule. Image credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck...

An aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis). Image credit: David Haring.

Study with Aye-Ayes, Slow Loris Sheds Light on Origins of Alcohol Consumption

Jul 20, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

In the first controlled study of its kind, a team of scientists at Dartmouth College has found that two species of non-human primates – the slow loris...

Talamancan palm-pitvipers (Bothriechis nubestris) are found in trees where their green and black pattern provides excellent camouflage. Image credit: University of Central Florida.

Talamancan Palm-Pitviper: Cryptic New Species of Venomous Snake Identified in Costa Rica

Jul 19, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of researchers led by University of Central Florida biologist Chris Parkinson has announced the discovery of a new species of venomous...

Cows. Image credit: Peggy Marco.

Study: Happy Cows Make Better Milk

Jul 15, 2016 by News Staff

Daily infusions with serotonin, a naturally-occurring chemical associated with feelings of happiness, were shown to increase calcium levels in both the...

Scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (blue) budding from a chronically infected cell (yellow-green). Image credit: NIAID.

Viruses are Dominant Driver of Human Evolution, Researchers Say

Jul 14, 2016 by News Staff

In a new study published in the journal eLife, scientists apply big-data analysis to reveal the full extent of viruses’ impact on the evolution of humans...

Sunflowers. Image credit: Betty Jo Tindle / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Why Don’t Plants Get Sunburn?

Jul 13, 2016 by Nigel Paul, Lancaster University

Sunflowers. Image credit: Betty Jo Tindle / CC BY-SA 3.0. The one fact about plants that most people probably remember from school is that they use sunlight...

Mantis shrimp -- predatory, ocean-dwelling crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda -- use eye rotations to improve their vision. Image credit: Michael Bok / University of Lund.

Mantis Shrimp Use Eye Rotations to Enhance Their Polarization Vision, Say Biologists

Jul 13, 2016 by Natali Anderson

The eye-rolling behavior of mantis shrimp helps them see the world, says a team of biologists led by Nicholas Roberts of the University of Bristol, UK. Mantis...

Archaeological evidence suggests that Brazilian bearded capuchin monkeys have been using stone tools to crack open cashew nuts for at least 600 years. Image credit: University of Oxford.

Brazilian Capuchins Have Used Stone Tools for at least 600 Years

Jul 12, 2016 by News Staff

Wild Brazilian bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) use stones to pound open defended food, including cashew nuts. And this activity dates back...

Deep-sea one-jawed eel (Monognathus) is shown with a venomous fang on the roof of the mouth. Image credit: W. Leo Smith.

Study Finds Venom Has Evolved 18 Times in Marine and Freshwater Fishes

Jul 6, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

Venom is so useful to fish that it evolved at least 18 times, according to a new study led by Dr. William Leo Smith of the University of Kansas Biodiversity...

Culex pipiens f. molestus, the mosquito species unique to the London Underground. Image credit: Walkabout12 / CC BY-SA.

Humans Now Drive Evolution on Earth, both Creating and Destroying Species

Jul 5, 2016 by Mark Maslin, University College London

Culex pipiens f. molestus, the mosquito species unique to the London Underground. Image credit: Walkabout12 / CC BY-SA. When scientists examine the impact...

Kankuamo marquezi, male. Image credit: Dirk Weinmann.

Newly-Discovered Species of Tarantula Named after Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Jun 30, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

A relatively large species of tarantula discovered in an isolated mountain range in Colombia has been named after the famed Colombian novelist and 1982...

Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) in South Africa. Image credit: Vince Smith / CC BY 2.0.

Warthogs, Wild Boars May Have Internal Magnetic Compass

Jun 22, 2016 by Natali Anderson

Wild boars (Sus scrofa) and warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) have an internal magnetic compass that helps them orient themselves as they forage for food...

Panther chameleon. Image credit: Pixel-mixer.

Chameleon’s Hunting Secret Revealed

Jun 22, 2016 by News Staff

The viscosity of the mucus secreted at the tip of a chameleon’s tongue is about 400 times higher than that of human saliva, according to a team of scientists...

According to Zhong et al, water molecules control protein motion. Image credit: Rony Michaud.

Research Sheds New Light on How, Why Water is Essential to Life

Jun 21, 2016 by News Staff

Small water molecules control protein motion, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found. According to Zhong...

Anolis landestoyi. Image credit: Miguel Landestoyi.

Anolis landestoyi: New Species of Chameleon-Like Lizard Found in Dominican Republic

Jun 20, 2016 by News Staff

Scientists from Canada and the United States have discovered a new species of Greater Antillean anole lizard in the Dominican Republic, on the Caribbean...

Cats’ expectations are based on what they hear, a new study reveals. Image credit: University of Pennsylvania.

Study: Cats Understand Cause-Effect Principle, Elements of Physics

Jun 15, 2016 by News Staff

Cats understand some elements of physics and the cause-and-effect principle, says a new study led by Kyoto University researcher Saho Takagi. Combining...

This is a male Cape parrot (Poicephalus robustus). Image credit: Cyril Laubscher.

Birds Have More Neurons in Their Brains than Mammals, Study Finds

Jun 14, 2016 by News Staff

A new study led by Vanderbilt University scientist Dr. Suzana Herculano-Houzel has found that birds have significantly more neurons packed into their brains...

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