Biology News

Feb 21, 2014 by News Staff

A group of scientists from Switzerland say that the floodplain-dwelling ants (Formica selysi), when facing a flood, build rafts and use both the buoyancy of the brood and the recovery ability of workers to minimize injury. Furthermore, the queen ant is placed in the middle and protected on all sides by the rafting ants. The floodplain-dwelling ants, Formica selysi, building a raft. Image credit: Purcell J et al. When put in harm’s way, social...

Feb 19, 2014 by News Staff

Biologists have discovered a new type of Propionibacterium acnes – the bacterium that causes human acne by infecting skin pores and forming spots...

Feb 19, 2014 by News Staff

A study led by Dr Joshua Plotnik from Mahidol University and the Think Elephants International has found that Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) console...

Feb 17, 2014 by News Staff

Scientists from a U.S.-based organization called the Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition seeking Endangered Species Act protection for nine...

Feb 14, 2014 by News Staff

Marine scientists from UK have successfully demonstrated a novel method of identifying and counting whales using very high resolution satellite imagery,...

Feb 13, 2014 by News Staff

Chinese and Thai biologists say they have discovered a new stone oak species in Thailand. Lithocarpus orbicarpus, a branch with leaves. Image credit: S....

Feb 12, 2014 by News Staff

According to a team of biologists led by Dr Vladimir Dinets from the University of Tennessee, certain species of crocodiles are able to climb trees as...

Feb 9, 2014 by News Staff

U.S. biologists led by Dr Lee Dyer from the University of Nevada Reno have described a new plant species from the Andes Mountains of Ecuador. Left: Piper...

Feb 4, 2014 by News Staff

Marine biologists from the University of Costa Rica and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have discovered a new coral species at a depth of about...

Feb 3, 2014 by News Staff

In summer 2010, European marine biologists discovered conspicuous and mysterious ring formations in shallow waters off the Island of Møn in Denmark. Suggestions...

Jan 31, 2014 by Sergio Prostak

A multinational group of biologists has described a new species of sweeper from the waters of the Indian Ocean. Pempheris flavicycla marisrubri, Ras Mohammed,...

Jan 30, 2014 by News Staff

New research explains how a bizarre species of snake scientifically called Chrysopelea paradisi can glide as much as 30 meters from trees. The Paradise...

Jan 29, 2014 by News Staff

A study led by Leila Deravi of Harvard University has provided new details on the adaptive camouflage of a peculiar marine animal called cuttlefish. The...

Jan 29, 2014 by News Staff

A living cold-water coral reef has been discovered by chance in the waters off southern Greenland. This image, taken at a depth of about 900 meters, shows...

Jan 29, 2014 by News Staff

The acrobatic courtship displays of male Golden-collared manakins (Manacus vitellinus) are less energetically costly than they appear, says a group of...

Jan 28, 2014 by News Staff

The Tsamsa phage – a giant virus isolated from zebras that died of anthrax in the Namibia’s Etosha National Park – could open up new...

Jan 27, 2014 by News Staff

New research conducted by an international team of marine biologists reveals that the mantis shrimp Haptosquilla trispinosa uses a unique color vision...

Jan 24, 2014 by News Staff

Dr Joseph Parker, a biologist with both Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History, has described a new genus of rove beetles from...

Jan 24, 2014 by Natali Anderson

Scientists from Brazil and the United Kingdom have described a new species of true river dolphin from the Araguaia River basin, the first such discovery...

Jan 23, 2014 by Sergio Prostak

Marine biologists from Japan and Australia have described a new species of eagle ray in the genus Aetobatus. Aetobatus narutobiei, adult male. Image credit:...