Biology News

Beautiful New Species of Tree Frog Discovered in Madagascar

Rostral view of a male of Boophis ankarafensis. Image credit: Penny SG et al.
Aug 19, 2014 by Sergio Prostak

A multinational team of scientists headed by Dr Goncalo Rosa of the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology has described a new species in the tree frog genus Boophis from the hidden streams of Ankarafa Forest on the Sahamalaza Peninsula in northwest Madagascar. Rostral view of a male of Boophis ankarafensis. Image credit: Penny SG et al. Boophis is a genus of tree frogs belonging to the family Mantellidae. The genus...

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When dodder (Cuscuta pentagona) attacks other plants, there is a vast exchange of genetic information between the parasite and its host. Image credit: Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Biologists Discover New Form of Plant Communication

Aug 15, 2014 by News Staff

U.S. biologists led by Prof James Westwood of the Virginia Tech’s Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science have found that parasitic...

Keesingia gigas in bloom of sea tomatoes, Crambione mastigophora. Image credit: John Totterdell / MIRG Australia.

Two New Extremely Venomous Irukandji Jellyfish Discovered in Australia

Aug 12, 2014 by Natali Anderson

Two new species of jellyfish – Keesingia gigas and Malo bella, both believed to cause Irukandji syndrome, have been discovered off Western Australia’s...

Electron micrograph of bacteriophages infecting a bacterial cell. Image credit: Dr Graham Beards.

CrAssphage: Previously Unknown Ancient Gut Virus Lives in Half World’s Population

Aug 11, 2014 by News Staff

About half the world’s population carries a newly discovered gut virus, dubbed CrAssphage, says a team of virologists led by Prof Robert Edwards of San...

Top: phylogeny of sharks analyzed by the team and close-ups of their eyes. Bottom: head of the Viper shark with protruded jaws; note how binocular vision is prevented frontally by an enlarged snout. Image credit: Claes JM et al.

Study Sheds More Light on Unique Eyes of Deep-Sea Bioluminescent Sharks

Aug 8, 2014 by News Staff

According to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, the eyes of mesopelagic bioluminescent sharks have a higher rod density when compared to other...

Horses in Navarre, Spain. Image credit: Mikel Ortega / Richard Bartz / CC BY-SA 2.0.

Horses Can Communicate Using Their Eyes, Ears

Aug 5, 2014 by News Staff

According to a study reported in the journal Current Biology, horses can communicate with their mobile ears and eyes. Horses in Navarre, Spain. Image credit:...

German Shepherd puppy. Image credit: Marilyn Peddle / CC BY 2.0.

Dogs Can Experience Jealousy, Scientists Say

Jul 24, 2014 by News Staff

According to University of California San Diego researchers Dr Christine Harris and Dr Caroline Prouvost, dogs feel jealousy too. German Shepherd puppy....

The Greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) is an European species of bat in the Vespertilionidae family.

Greater Mouse-Eared Bats Use Polarized Light to Calibrate Their Internal Compass

Jul 23, 2014 by News Staff

The Greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis) is the first mammal that’s known to use polarization patterns in the sky to calibrate an internal magnetic...

This image shows Ctenomys tucumanus, a previously known species of tuco-tuco. Image credit: Er-wiki / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Tuco-Tuco: Four New Species of Gopher-Like Mammal Discovered in Bolivia

Jul 22, 2014 by News Staff

A multinational group of scientists headed by Dr Scott Gardner of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has described four new species of burrowing rodents...

Litarachna lopezae. Image credit: Pešić V et al.

New Species of Mite Discovered in Puerto Rico, Named after Jennifer Lopez

Jul 16, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists led by Dr Vladimir Pešić of the University of Montenegro have discovered a new species of pontarachnid mite in Bajo de Sico – a mesophotic...

Contents of a commercial packet of dried porcini containing three species new to science. Image credit: Bryn Dentinger.

Three New Mushroom Species Found in Shop-Bought Packet

Jul 11, 2014 by News Staff

Mycologists at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have identified three new species of mushrooms contained within a commercial packet of dried Chinese porcini...

Chimpanzee Intelligence Depends on Genes, Finds New Study

Jul 11, 2014 by News Staff

New research led by Prof William Hopkins of Georgia State University and Emory University has found that some cognitive abilities in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)...

Polar bears. Image credit: Brocken Inaglory / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Scientists Use Satellite Imagery to Track Polar Bears

Jul 10, 2014 by News Staff

High resolution satellite imagery is a very promising tool to track the distribution and abundance of polar bears, say Dr Seth Stapleton from U.S. Geological...

The oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II cycles through five states, where four electrons are sequentially extracted from the OEC in four light–driven, charge-separation events. The ellipses show snapshots of the metal cluster observed in the study. Image credit: Mary Zhu.

Researchers Image Photosynthesis in Action

Jul 10, 2014 by News Staff

Using the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory’s Linac Coherent Light Source – the world’s most powerful X-ray laser, a multinational...

Tandanus tropicanus. Image credit: TropWater, James Cook University.

New Catfish Species Discovered in Australia

Jul 10, 2014 by News Staff

A team of ichthyologists headed by Dr Stuart Welsh from West Virginia University has described a new species of eel-tailed catfish from the Tully River...

Priocharax nanus. Image credit: Ralf Britz.

New Species of Miniature Fish Discovered in Rio Negro

Jul 8, 2014 by News Staff

An international team of ichthyologists led by Dr Ralf Britz of Natural History Museum in London, UK, has described a new fish species from the Rio Negro in...

This image shows a Sooty-capped bush tanager holding a stamen from Axinaea costaricensis in its beak. Note the pollen grains on the bird’s beak, front head, and cheeks. Image credit: Florian Etl.

Axinaea Flowers Blast Pollen at Bird Pollinators, Study

Jul 7, 2014 by News Staff

Plants in the Central and South American genus Axinaea have a unique and highly complex bird pollination system, according to a new study published in...

Macropus rufus by John Gould, 1863.

Red Kangaroos Use Tail as Powerful Fifth Leg

Jul 2, 2014 by News Staff

A new study published in the journal Biology Letters shows that red kangaroos use their muscular tail just like a leg. The red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)...

Box rays, also known as Chilean devil rays, are actually among the deepest-diving ocean animals. Image credit: Jack Cook / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Box Rays are Deep Divers, Marine Biologists Say

Jul 2, 2014 by News Staff

Previously thought to be ocean surface dwellers, box rays (Mobula tarapacana) can dive to depths of 2,000 meters, according to a team of scientists from...

Etendeka Round-Eared Sengi: New Mammal Species Discovered in Namibia

Jun 27, 2014 by News Staff

An international group of biologists led by Dr Jack Dumbacher from California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco has described a new species of elephant-shrew...

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