Using ancient proteins and DNA recovered from tiny pieces of animal bone, archaeologists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History (MPI-SHH) and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography (IAET) at the Russian Academy of Sciences-Siberia have discovered evidence that domestic animals -cattle, sheep, and goat -- made their way into the...
Aging dormice shorten their hibernation for more reproduction
Edible dormice are extremely long-lived for their size thanks to their seasonal dormancy. The animals are veritable record holders in this "discipline," with hibernation periods lasting between at least six and a maximum of eleven months. The factors influencing the variable duration of the hibernation period, apart from the specific environmental conditions, have so far...
Estonian soil is surprisingly rich in species, researchers find
Due to its biodiversity and probably huge number of taxa waiting to be discovered, soil fauna has been called the poor man's rain forest. If a researcher cannot head for a collecting trip to the tropics at the moment but wishes to discover something new, one can take along a shovel and start digging in...
Giant flightless birds were nocturnal and possibly blind
If you encountered an elephant bird today, it would be hard to miss. Measuring in at over 10 feet tall, the extinct avian is the largest bird known to science. However, while you looked up in awe, it's likely that the big bird would not be looking back.
According to brain reconstruction research led by The...
Widely used mosquito repellent proves lethal to larval salamanders
Insect repellents containing picaridin can be lethal to salamanders. So reports a new study published today in Biology Letters that investigated how exposure to two common insect repellents influenced the survival of aquatic salamander and mosquito larvae.
Insect repellents are a defense against mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and West Nile virus....
Karate kicks keep cockroaches from becoming zombies, wasp chow
Rick Grimes has nothing on the humble American cockroach when it comes to avoiding zombification.
Far from being a weak-willed sap easily paralyzed by the emerald jewel wasp's sting to the brain -- followed by becoming a placid egg carrier and then larvae chow -- the cockroach can deliver a stunning karate kick that saves its...