Beekeepers and researchers will welcome the unveiling of the small hive beetle's genome by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their colleagues. The small hive beetle (SHB) is a major parasite problem of honey bees for which there are few effective treatments.
The SHB (Aethina tumida Murray) genome -- a genome is the sum total of...
Australian study into how seals react to boats prompts new ecotourism regulations
Unable to differentiate between a predator and a tourist boat carrying humans curious to view a colony of seals while resting in their natural habitat, pinnipeds are quick to react defensively as soon as they sense what they perceive as a potential life threat. The closer the vessel approaches, the more likely it is for...
Spectacular flying reptiles soared over Britain's tropical Jurassic past
Spectacular flying reptiles armed with long teeth and claws which once dominated the skies have been rediscovered, thanks to a palaeontology student's PhD research.
Dr Michael O'Sullivan, at the University of Portsmouth, has uncovered evidence of well armed and substantial flying reptiles from historically important, but overlooked, British Jurassic fossils.
He's also found a new species of...
Climate change affects breeding birds
The breeding seasons of wild house finches are shifting due to climate change, a Washington State University researcher has found.
The effect of climate change on the breeding season of birds has been documented before, but in a limited context. Heather Watts, an avian physiologist, reported her finding in Ibis, the International Journal of Avian Science.
"We...
Snowed in: Wolves stay put when it's snowing
Wolves travel shorter distances and move slower during snowfall events, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists. The effects were most pronounced at night, when wolves hunt, and behaviour returned to normal within a day. Wolf tracks across snow in northeastern Alberta.
Wolf tracks across snow in northeastern Alberta. The study found that wolves...
Game over for Zika? KU Leuven researchers develop promising vaccine
Scientists at the KU Leuven Rega Institute in Belgium have developed a new vaccine against the Zika virus. This vaccine should prevent the virus from causing microcephaly and other serious conditions in unborn babies.
In 2015 and 2016, the world was shocked by the sudden and massive outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America. "The...