Biology News | Sci.News

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

Cape Parrot is Distinct Species, Scientists Say

Aug 13, 2015 by News Staff

The Cape parrot (Poicephalus robustus) should be elevated to the species level, says a team of scientists at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This...

Noblella madreselva shows a large irregularly shaped white mark, stretching from its chest to its belly. Image credit: Vanessa Uscapi.

Strikingly Colored New Frog Species Found in Peru

Aug 10, 2015 by News Staff

A new fleshbelly frog species has been discovered by an international team of scientists from Peru and the United States. Noblella madreselva shows a large...

The study suggests that pupils could reveal whether one is hunter or hunted. Image credit: Tambako the Jaguar / CC BY-ND 2.0.

New Study Reveals Why Some Animals Have Vertical Pupils

Aug 10, 2015 by News Staff

According to a study of 214 species of terrestrial animals in the journal Science Advances, an animal’s ecological niche is a strong predictor of pupil...

The Greening’s frog (Corythomantis greeningi). Image credit: Carlos Jared / Butantan Institute.

First Known Venomous Frogs Use Their Heads as Weapons

Aug 6, 2015 by News Staff

A team of scientists has made a surprising discovery about two previously known species of tree frogs from Brazil: they are actually venomous. The Greening’s...

Web constructed by Cyclosa argenteoalba. Image credit: Keizo Takasuka et al.

Parasitic Wasps Turn Spiders into Cocoon-Making Zombies, Scientists Say

Aug 6, 2015 by News Staff

The larvae of the parasitic wasp Reclinervellus nielseni turn their host spiders Cyclosa argenteoalba into drugged navvys, to modify the web structure...

Anglerfish. Image credit: Texas Tech University.

Lasiognathus dinema: Scientists Discover New Anglerfish Species

Aug 6, 2015 by News Staff

A new species of the deep-sea anglerfish genus Lasiognathus has been described from the deep waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. Lasiognathus dinema,...

This image shows the amphipod Paracallisoma alberti. Image credit: Tammy Horton / Michael Thurston.

Two New Species of Whale-Eating Shrimp-Like Animals Discovered

Aug 5, 2015 by News Staff

Marine biologists from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK, have described two new species of tiny marine crustaceans called amphipods...

Drilodefensin distribution in an earthworm: schematic 3D model based on micro-computed tomography integrated with imaging mass spectrometry data. The color scale represents the relative abundance of the compound. Image credit: Manuel Liebeke et al.

Unique Compounds Protect Earthworms against Toxic Plant Material

Aug 5, 2015 by News Staff

An international team of researchers has identified molecules in the earthworm gut that enable digestion of polyphenol-rich plant material, such as fallen...

Wild bonobos feeding on lillypads. During feeding, bonobos frequently produce peep vocalizations as well as in other contexts. Image credit: Zanna Clay / Lui Kotale Bonobo Project.

Bonobos Talk Like Human Infants, Researchers Say

Aug 4, 2015 by News Staff

A team of scientists has found that wild bonobos (Pan paniscus), our closest living primate relatives, communicate in a similar manner to human babies. Wild...

How bees vaccinate their babies and why understanding this is important to humans. Image credit: Sabine Deviche.

Queen Bees Naturally ‘Vaccinate’ Their Offspring

Aug 3, 2015 by News Staff

An international group of researchers – led by Dr Dalial Freitak from the University of Helsinki, Finland – has found that a bee blood protein...

The African golden wolf (Canis anthus) in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Image credit: Gordon E. Robertson / CC BY-SA 3.0.

African Golden Wolf: Scientists Discover ‘New’ Canid Species

Jul 31, 2015 by News Staff

African and Eurasian golden jackals are genetically distinct lineages, according to a research team led by Dr Klaus-Peter Koepfli from the Smithsonian...

Adult female chimp Nambi using a leaf-sponge at waterhole, watched by 10-year-old juvenile Karo. Image credit: C. Hobaiter.

Diet of Some Chimpanzees Includes Clay, Scientists Say

Jul 30, 2015 by News Staff

Wild chimpanzees of the Sonso community in the Budongo forest, Uganda, are increasingly eating clay to supplement the minerals in their diet, says a team...

Rosa californica in Irvine, CA. Image credit: Wintertanager J.T. Storey / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Stressed Plants Use Animal-Like Signals, New Study Shows

Jul 30, 2015 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Nature Communications has shown that, despite not having a nervous system, plants send signals normally associated...

False-color micrograph of human hair cross-section: the top region shows the external part of the hair - cuticle region; the bottom region shows the internal macrofibrils - cortex region. Image credit: Fabiano Emmanuel Montoro / LNNano / CNPEM.

Scientists Discover New Structural Features of Human Hair

Jul 30, 2015 by News Staff

An international team of scientists – led by Dr Vesna Stanic of the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Source – has detected new structural features of...

The new study shows that plant phytochromes originated in a common ancestor of streptophytes (charophyte algae and land plants). Image credit: Jurema Oliveira / USDA.

Plants Inherited Ability to Sense Red Light from Ancient Algae

Jul 28, 2015 by News Staff

The light-sensing molecules that tell plants whether to germinate, when to flower and which direction to grow were inherited millions of years ago from...

Rhombophryne longicrus in life. Image credit: Frank Glaw.

New Diamond Frog Species Discovered in Madagascar

Jul 27, 2015 by News Staff

A new species of diamond frog has been found living in the high altitude forests of the Sorata massif in north Madagascar. Rhombophryne longicrus in life....

Rooster in the municipal park of Mouscron, Belgium. Image credit: Jamain / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Roosters Crow in Order of Seniority, Japanese Scientists Say

Jul 24, 2015 by News Staff

According to a trio of animal physiology researchers from Japan, the highest-ranking rooster has priority to announce the break of dawn. Rooster in the...

Hair ice on a stem of beechwood, hair length up to 10 cm. Image credit: D. Hofmann et al.

European Biologists Finally Solve Mystery of Hair Ice

Jul 23, 2015 by News Staff

A team of scientists, led by Dr Diana Hofmann of the Institute of Bio- and Geosciences in Jülich, Germany, has identified the missing ingredient that...

The Attenborough’s flat lizard (Platysaurus attenboroughi), male. Image credit: Martin J. Whiting et al.

Platysaurus attenboroughi: African Lizard Named after Sir David Attenborough

Jul 21, 2015 by Natali Anderson

A team of scientists, led by Dr Martin Whiting of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, has described a new species of the flat lizard genus Platysaurus...