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A female chimpanzee with two juveniles at Kibale National Park, Uganda. Image credit: Julie Rushmore / UGA.

Chimpanzees Can Use Hand Gestures to Communicate, Study Finds

Jan 18, 2014 by Natali Anderson

New research published in the journal Nature Communications has found that chimpanzees can use gestures to coordinate actions in pursuit of a specific...

Rhinella yunga, adult female. Image credit: Jiří Moravec.

Rhinela yunga: New Poisonous Toad Species Found in Peru

Jan 17, 2014 by News Staff

Biologists from Czech Republic, the United States and Peru have described a new species of the true toad genus Rhinella. Rhinella yunga, adult female....

Mimosa pudica at the Botanical Garden KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany. Image credit: H. Zell / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Mimosa Plants Have Long Term Memory, Can Learn, Biologists Say

Jan 16, 2014 by News Staff

By using the same experimental framework normally applied to test learnt behavioral responses in animals, biologists from Australia and Italy have successfully...

The V-shaped flight formation allows each bird to receive lift from the wingtip vortex of the bird in front of it, saving energy and greatly extending the range of a flock of birds over that of a bird flying alone. Image credit: Russell Link / Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Study Explains Why Birds Fly in V-Shaped Formation

Jan 16, 2014 by News Staff

The new research reported in the journal Nature shows for the first time that birds precisely time when they flap their wings and position themselves in...

Report: Trees Grow Faster, Store More Carbon as They Age

Jan 16, 2014 by News Staff

According to an international group of scientists led by Dr Nate Stephenson of the US Geological Survey, most of tropical and temperate tree species grow...

This image shows biofluorescent fishes: A – the Swellshark, Cephaloscyllium ventriosum; B – the Yellow stingray, Urobatis jamaicensis; C – the Blue Edged Sole, Soleichthys heterorhinos; D – the Brownmargin flathead, Cociella hutchinsi; E – the Variegated lizardfish, Synodus dermatogenys; F – the Warty frogfish, Antennarius maculatus; G - the False stonefish; H - the Shortfin moray eel, Kaupichthys brachychirus; I – the Collared eel, Kaupichthys nuchalis; J – the Messmate pipefish, Corythoichthys haematopterus; K – the Warteye stargazer, Gillellus uranidea; L – goby, Eviota sp.; M – the Blackbelly Dwarfgoby, Eviota atriventris; N - the Blue tang surgeonfish, Acanthurus coeruleus, larval; O – the Two-lined monocle bream, Scolopsis bilineata.

Diverse World of Fish Biofluorescence Revealed

Jan 15, 2014 by News Staff

Biologists, reporting in the open-access journal PLoS ONE, have identified more than 180 species of biofluorescent fishes. Their study shows that biofluorescence...

Munidopsis mandelai. Image credit: Macpherson E et al / Natural History Museum, London.

Munidopsis mandelai: New Squat Lobster Discovered, Named for Nelson Mandela

Jan 15, 2014 by News Staff

Marine biologists from Spain and the United Kingdom have described a tiny new species of crustacean from waters off South Africa and have named it after...

The black-tailed prairie dog, Cynomys ludovicianus. Image credit: John & Karen Hollingsworth.

Scientists Offer Explanation for Contagious Jump-Yip Behavior in Prairie Dogs

Jan 13, 2014 by News Staff

According to a group of biologists at the University of Manitoba, black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) test the alertness of their neighbors...

The great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias. Image credit: M. Scholl / Save Our Seas Foundation.

New Research Finds Extreme Longevity in Great White Sharks

Jan 10, 2014 by News Staff

A new study published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE has found that great white sharks live significantly longer than previously though. The great...

The wood frog, Lithobates sylvaticus, floating during spring mating season, Mer Bleue Conservation Area, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Image credit: D. Gordon E. Robertson / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Wood Frogs Freeze Their Bodies to Survive Alaskan Winters, Study Shows

Jan 8, 2014 by News Staff

According to a study led by Don Larson of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) freeze up to 60 percent of their bodies...

Meet the gorgeous and colorful new birds discovered this year: Cambodian Tailorbird, Guerrero Brush Finch, Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler, Junin Tapaculo and Rinjani Scops Owl.

Amazing New Species of Birds Discovered in 2013

Dec 31, 2013 by Natali Anderson

Meet the gorgeous and colorful new birds discovered this year: Cambodian Tailorbird, Guerrero Brush Finch, Sierra Madre Ground-Warbler, Junin Tapaculo...

Top 20 New Species Discovered in 2013 – Part 2

Dec 30, 2013 by Natali Anderson

Sci-News.com presents some of the best species officially described in 2013. A walking shark, a snail with semi-transparent shell, a venomous crustacean,...

Top 20 New Species Discovered in 2013

Dec 30, 2013 by Sergio Prostak

Sci-News.com presents some of the best species officially described in 2013. A walking shark, a snail with semi-transparent shell, a venomous crustacean,...

Braunsapis maxschwarzi, female. Image credit: Michael Engel.

Braunsapis maxschwarzi: New Species of Bee from Central African Republic

Dec 29, 2013 by News Staff

Dr Michael Engel, an entomologist with the University of Kansas’ Natural History Museum, has reported the discovery of a new species of bee in the...

The veiled chameleon, Chamaeleo calyptratus. Image credit: Russell Ligon.

Chameleons Use Color to Communicate, Biologists Say

Dec 28, 2013 by News Staff

Biologists at Arizona State University have discovered that veiled chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) change colors in unusual ways when they interact...

Pristiophorus lanae. Image credit: David Ebert.

Pristiophorus lanae: New Species of Sawshark Discovered

Dec 26, 2013 by Natali Anderson

Scientists from the United States have described a new sawshark species from off the Philippine Islands. Pristiophorus lanae. Image credit: David Ebert. Sawsharks...

African Slender-Snouted Crocodile Actually Two Species

Dec 25, 2013 by News Staff

The African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops cataphractus), long thought to be a single species, is actually two distinct species, according to an...

Cyatta abscondita. Image credit: Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo / Smithsonian.

Cyatta abscondita: New Genus, Species of Fungus-Growing Ant Discovered

Dec 23, 2013 by News Staff

An international group of entomologists has described a new genus and species of fungus-farming ant from Brazil. Cyatta abscondita. Image credit: Jeffrey...

Liolaemus wari. Image credit: Aguilar C et al.

Biologists Discover Three New Lizard Species in Peru

Dec 19, 2013 by News Staff

Peruvian and American biologists have described three beautiful new species in the lizard genus Liolaemus. Liolaemus pachacutec. Image credit: Aguilar...