Monthly Archives: April 2018

The dinosaur menu, as revealed by calcium

By studying calcium in fossil remains in deposits in Morocco and Niger, researchers have been able to reconstruct the food chains of the past, thus explaining how so many predators could coexist in the dinosaurs' time. This study, conducted by the Laboratoire de géologie de Lyon: Terre, planètes et environnement (CNRS/ENS de Lyon/Claude Bernard Lyon...

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New gadgets help reveal the collective behavior of wild animals

An international team of scientists led by Swansea University biologists describe how novel technologies are transforming our understanding of why wild animals form different groups.

Combining animal tracking data with environmental data from satellites or drones means that scientists can begin to study whole groups and their interactions in the real, changing environments in which they...

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Most primitive kangaroo ancestor rediscovered after 30 years in obscurity

A handful of tiny teeth have led scientists to identify the most distant ancestor of today's kangaroos. The fossils were found in the desert heart of Australia, and then hidden away, and almost forgotten in a museum collection for over three decades. The findings are published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Kangaroos are icons of...

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Airway disease in racehorses more prevalent than previously thought

Racehorses need their breath to run their best. But inflammatory airway disease (IAD) can rob them of their stamina.

New research in the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph shows the disease is much more common than previously thought.

"We looked microscopically at the lung tissue of horses that died during or just after races,...

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Having one eye better than the other may explain ants' left bias

Unlike Derek Zoolander, ants don't have any difficulty turning left. New research from the University of Bristol has now found rock ants often have one eye slightly better than the other, which could help explain why most of them prefer to turn left, given the choice.

The research, published in Scientific Reports today [Wednesday 11 April]...

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Baby fish led astray by high CO2 in oceans

Baby fish will find it harder to reach secure shelters in future acidified oceans -- putting fish populations at risk, new research from the University of Adelaide has concluded.

Published today in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, the researchers described how barramundi larvae in high CO2 conditions, predicted for the turn of the century, turn away...

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