Animal science
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Wild buffalo and cattle in Australia cause all sorts of damage to the environment by destroying vegetation, eroding soil and spreading weeds, but a major new wildlife tagging venture could greatly reduce their impact. -
New research is shedding some light on the longstanding mystery of koala hydration. The study presents the first description of a previously unknown drinking behavior, showing the unique marsupials drinking by licking tree trunks during rain storms.
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Scientists have unearthed an interesting example of animal behavior, catching wild grey seals clapping underwater for the first time ever, seemingly an attempt to catch the eye of potential suitors that happen to be in the area.
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It takes something truly extraordinary to kill a tardigrade. Scientists have uncovered a neat trick they employ to endure inhospitable conditions.
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Researchers have developed a transgenic mouse model with human brain immune cells. The breakthrough will let scientists observe how human brain cells respond to different Alzheimer’s-inducing toxic proteins, advancing our understanding into how neurodegenerative disease progresses.
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Birds flying together in formation can save substantial amounts of energy. But what’s good for the goose isn’t necessarily good for the gander, with scientists finding that for pairs of homing pigeons this approach actually costs them energy instead.
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ScienceIf you want to study a mouse's behaviour, then perhaps it isn't best to grab it and put it in a setting where it has to perform a certain task. That's the thinking behind Autonomouse, a cage that's designed to make life easier for lab mice, and to produce better results in behavioural studies.
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In a new paper titled “Private parts for private property,” a curious Dartmouth College biologist describes an evolutionary phenomenon through which a famously staunch home-owner of the crustacean world is able to protect its living quarters.
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Anyone unlucky enough to spend time watching late night TV will know ads for the Power Plate, a vibrating platform designed to speed up fat burning. A team at Endocrine Society has looked into whole-body vibration, and discovered the technique could mimic the effects of regular exercise.
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Waste products seem to take on a special meaning in the animal kingdom. A new study has dug deeper into this phenomenon, examining rhino dung samples and finding that they serve as information centers to determine things like the sex, fertility, and territorial ambitious of the recently relieved.
