Dogs, cows, sheep, horses, pigs, and birds -- over the past 15,000 years, our ancestors domesticated dozens of wild animals to keep them as farm animals or pets. To make wild wolves evolve into tame dogs, the least aggressive animals, or most gentle ones, were selected for breeding. Tameness was therefore the key criterion for...
Climate change promotes the spread of mosquito and tick-borne viruses
Spurred on by climate change, international travel and international trade, disease-bearing insects are spreading to ever-wider parts of the world.
This means that more humans are exposed to viral infections such as Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika, West Nile fever, Yellow fever and Tick-borne encephalitis.
For many of these diseases, there are as yet no specific antiviral agents...
Ending overfishing would stop the population declines of endangered bycatch species about half the time
Healthier fish stocks. Higher catches. Profits from fishing. Is there a way to achieve these holy grails of commercial fisheries without harming endangered species that are caught incidentally?
A new UC Santa Barbara-led study has found that may indeed be possible about half the time. According to the research group's analysis, ending overfishing would also promote...
When natural disaster strikes, can insects and other invertebrates recover?
After a 100-year flood struck south central Oklahoma in 2015, a study of the insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates in the area revealed striking declines of most invertebrates in the local ecosystem, a result that researchers say illustrates the hidden impacts of natural disasters.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma and Cameron University compared the invertebrate...
Twice as many birds at a creek after water restored
A small restored area is having a big impact on regional birds, fish and animals, according to a study published in the journal Ecological Restoration by the University of California, Davis.
Just 4 miles west of UC Davis' main campus sits a sliver of wildness called Putah Creek Riparian Reserve. On a recent spring day, below...
Small mammal thought to be extinct rediscovered in Nepal's national park
The hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus) is in the list of critically endangered small mammals. It was thought to be extinct from Chitwan National Park as it had not been spotted again after its first spotting in 1984.
Now, there is good news for nature lovers and conservationists. A baby hispid hare was caught on camera by...