Biology News | Sci.News

Lonchura striata. Image credit: Thimindu Goonatillake / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Songbirds Sing Like Humans, Researchers Say

Jan 12, 2016 by News Staff

Vocal muscles of songbirds work like those of human speakers and singers, according to Emory University scientist Dr Samuel Sober and his colleagues from...

The Sichuan bush warbler (Locustella chengi), Laojun Shan, China. Image credit: Per Alström et al.

Top New Bird Discoveries of 2015

Jan 5, 2016 by Natali Anderson

A small warbler from China, a cryptic species of owl from the Middle East, and a tiny tapaculo from South America are just three of the incredible bird...

The rosette-nosed chameleon Rhampholeon spinosus - a small (up to 50–55 mm snout-vent length, 3 - 3.5 g), tree-dwelling chameleon - can stick out its tongue with a peak acceleration 264 times greater than the acceleration due to gravity. Image credit: Philip L. Shirk et al., doi: 10.1111/ddi.12239.

Small Chameleons Have Mighty Tongues, Scientist Says

Jan 4, 2016 by News Staff

According to Brown University researcher Dr Christopher Anderson, small chameleon species project their tongues further than large species, achieving projection...

A new genus Paragallinula is established for the lesser moorhen, which was previously assigned to the genus Gallinula. This photograph illustrates two diagnostic character states differentiating the new genus from Gallinula: the orange coloration on the frontal shield does not cover the entire shield, and the lack of a contrasting reddish band on the legs proximal to the ankle joint. Image credit: Mark Tittley, via George Sangster et al, doi: 10.5852/ejt.2015.153.

Paragallinula: Ornithologists Describe New Bird Genus

Jan 2, 2016 by Enrico de Lazaro

An international team of ornithologists from Sweden and New Zealand has described a new genus for a bird species called the lesser moorhen. A new genus...

The Ninja Lanternshark (Etmopterus benchleyi), adult female, 45.8 cm long. Image credit: V.E. Vásquez et al.

Ninja Lanternshark: New Species of Bioluminescent Shark Discovered

Dec 29, 2015 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new species of bioluminescent shark has been described from eight specimens collected off the Pacific coast of Central America at depths ranging between...

A New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides). Image credit: Jolyon Troscianko.

New Caledonian Crows Caught on Camera Making Hooked Stick Tools

Dec 28, 2015 by Enrico de Lazaro

A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has captured first video recordings documenting how New Caledonian crows (Corvus moneduloides) make ‘hooked...

The New Holland seahorse (Hippocampus whitei). Image credit: Sylke Rohrlach / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Marine Biologists Release Video of Male Seahorse Giving Birth

Dec 22, 2015 by Natali Anderson

Marine biologists from the University of British Columbia were lucky to witness a New Holland seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) giving birth in the waters...

Short-nosed sea snakes. Image credit: Grant Griffin / WA Parks and Wildlife Service.

Researchers Rediscover Two Rare Species of Sea Snakes

Dec 22, 2015 by Natali Anderson

A team of scientists from James Cook University and Curtin University, both in Australia, has rediscovered two Australian endemic sea snake species, leaf-scaled...

A greater vasa parrot (Coracopsis vasa) in Madagascar. Image credit: Adventure Expedition Madagaskar / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Scientists Observe Tool Use in Vasa Parrots

Dec 17, 2015 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the United Kingdom has uncovered the first evidence of tool use by greater vasa parrots (Coracopsis vasa), unusual birs found...

The blue-banded bee Amegilla murrayensis. Image credit: Callin Switzer.

Australian Blue-Banded Bees Filmed Headbanging Flowers 350 Times a Second

Dec 16, 2015 by Natali Anderson

A team of entomologists has captured Australian blue-banded bees’ unique approach to pollination – headbanging flowers up to 350 times a second. The...

The Teresensis’ bromeliad treefrog (Dendropsophus bromeliaceus), male. Image credit: Ferreira R.B. et al.

New Treefrog Species Discovered in Brazil: Dendropsophus bromeliaceus

Dec 15, 2015 by Sergio Prostak

A team of scientists from the United States, Argentina, and Brazil has described a new species of small treefrog from the rocky outcrops of the Brazilian...

The Australian little penguin (Eudyptula novaehollandia), Bruny Island, Tasmania, Australia. Image credit: J.J. Harrison / CC BY-SA 3.0.

New Zealand, Australian Little Penguins are Distinct Species, Scientists Say

Dec 15, 2015 by Sergio Prostak

Australian little penguins are a separate species from those living in New Zealand, a team of ornithologists led by University of Otago scientist Dr Stefanie...

A courting male Cuban burrowing cockroach (Byrsotria fumigata) performing a full wing raise. Image credit: Sophie Mowles / Natalie Jepson.

Study: Female Cockroaches Select Only Fittest Males to Mate With

Dec 10, 2015 by News Staff

A new study led by Dr Sophie Mowles of Anglia Ruskin University shows how energetic courtship displays of male Cuban burrowing cockroaches attract female...

Upper respiratory system, with soft palate labeled near center. Image credit: BruceBlaus / CC BY 3.0.

Swedish Scientists Discover Unique Muscle Fibers in Human Soft Palate

Dec 8, 2015 by News Staff

A team of scientists at Umeå University in Sweden has discovered a special group of muscle fibers in the soft palate of the human mouth. Upper respiratory...

Synophis zaheri. Image credit: Pyron R.A. et al.

Synophis zaheri: New Species of Fishing Snake Found in Ecuador

Dec 8, 2015 by Sergio Prostak

An international team of herpetologists, led by Dr R. Alexander Pyron of the George Washington University, has described a new species of fishing snake...

The Attenborough’s black-eyed satyr (Euptychia attenboroughi): male (upper row) and female. Scale bars – 1 cm. Image credit: Andrew Neild / Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

Newly Discovered Butterfly Species Named After Sir David Attenborough

Dec 2, 2015 by Natali Anderson

An international team of entomologists has described two new species of satyrid butterflies from the lowland tropical forests of the upper Amazon basin,...

This image shows a syrphid fly, a common non-bee crop pollinator. Image credit: Tobias Smith.

Insects Other Than Bees are Important Crop Pollinators, Say Scientists

Dec 1, 2015 by Natali Anderson

According to a large multinational team of scientists led by University of New England researcher Dr Romina Rader, non-bee insects – flies, beetles,...

Scientists induced Girardia dorotocephala planarian to grow heads and brains characteristic of Schmidtea mediterranea, Dugesia japonica, and Polycelis feline without altering genomic sequence. Examples of the outcomes can be seen in the right row of the image. Image credit: Tufts University.

Researchers Induce Planarian Flatworms to Grow Heads, Brains of Other Flatworm Species

Nov 25, 2015 by News Staff

A multinational team of scientists led by Tufts University biologists has succeeded in inducing a species of planarian, Girardia dorotocephala, to grow...

Army ants form collective assemblages out of their bodies to perform a variety of functions that benefit the entire colony. Image credit: Chris R. Reid.

Army Ants Build Moving Bridges, Entomologists Say

Nov 24, 2015 by News Staff

A group of entomologists led by Dr Christopher Reid of the University of Sydney has discovered complex bridges constructed by Eciton army ants with their...