ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE

The Charming Tale of Giant Pandas—Why These Wall Flowers are the Life of the Party

When they’re chomping down on bamboo shoots they may not seem like the lives of the party, but in a new study published this week in the Journal of Mammalogy researchers with Michigan State University provided the first in-depth look into the lives of Giant Pandas and revealed that there may be more than meets the eye with this not so colorful bunch. Though the endangered species has been the face of many international campaigns, little is truly known about the species and their behavior in the wild. So to find out the truth, researchers electronically tracked five wild pandas for more than 2 years, while they explored the bamboo forests of southwestern China and revealed that though they seem like solitary creatures it appears that panda bears can party with the best of them.

Yawunik Arthropod Revealed—The Toothsome Creature that Gave Rise to Lobsters, Spiders and Butterflies

When you watch butterflies flutter through the sky and lobsters waddle in the sea, you may not readily believe that the two far off species have anything in common. But along with spiders, butterflies and lobsters share quite an interesting collective history-one where an ancient ancestor may have emerged from the sea. Cover the ocean, the land and the skies above the radiation of species into many forms are believed to have originated with a common ancestor as long as 508 million years ago. And in a new study published this week in the journal Paleontology researchers are finally giving a face to ancestor known as Yawunik kootenayi.

‘Traffic Rules’ In Nature—Being a Little Batty

Sitting in traffic on the 210 Interstate Freeway can be quite a pain when you’re on your way to Los Angeles. In fact, in the stop and go traffic you may find yourself going a “little batty”—and you’d never guess just how right you are. When you’re behind the wheel, abiding by the rules of the road, you may just be revealing a bit more of your bat side than usual as a new study published this week in the journal PLOS Computational Biology reveals that humans aren't the only ones who follow “traffic rules” in nature.

Bringing Extinct Animals Back to Life No Longer Just Part of the Movies

Move over Jurassic Park, it seems the idea of bringing extinct animals back to life is now becoming more science rather than science fiction. The idea of reviving long extinct species has fascinated scientists for generations. Now, they have brought the idea one step closer to reality as scientists from Harvard University have managed to insert wooly mammoth DNA into the code of Asian elephants.

Climate Change And the Urban Heat Island in California's Central Valley

Life’s warm in California, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always a beach. Today is March 27th and it’s barely the start of spring, yet we’re currently in the 90s and four degrees above the anticipated high for the day. And with an ever-changing landscape, going from rural to urban through land conversion, researchers expect for the heat of our situation to continue to rise. But some researchers are hopeful that with new technology and new techniques in urban design, California may be able to keep its cool days and its beach appeal even in the Central Valley.

New GPS Study Reveals Giant Pandas Hang in Packs in the Wild

While they may have millions of admirers around the world for their unique looks and lackadaisical personalities, little is truly known about the nature of China’s giant pandas in the wild. Researchers to date have sought to discover exactly how it is that these picky eaters have survived in the wild bamboo forests, but with strict laws governing who and what research is conducted on the endangered species, biologists have had little to no luck in finding out exactly what happens behind the bamboo curtains of the pandas’ homes. That is, until now.

Antarctica's Ice Shelves Melting Faster Than Originally Thought

Times are tough for the massive ice sheets of Antarctica these days with the latest report that the giant floating ice shelves that form a fringe along the continent's coast are beginning to melt and deteriorate much faster than scientists once believed.

Paris Shuts Down Traffic in the City, Saving Babies In the Process

In light of thick smog choking the nation’s capital, France shut down half of the traffic in Paris this week in hopes of mitigating surmounting toxins and pollutants in the air, caused as a byproduct of motor vehicles. But in the process of untarnishing the facade of the “City of Lights” it appears that French officials may also be saving the next generation of French citizens as well.

New Morphing Frog Reveals Its Spiny Ability

In the wild, camouflage and mimicry are powerful abilities that often mean the difference between life and death. But while merely hiding in the background may mean going unnoticed, being able to change one’s form can change odds of survival astronomically when it comes to predation. And though the ability to camouflage may be an uncommon attribute that most species can live without, one fingernail-sized frog in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador is revealing a far rarer ability—making it the first shape-shifting amphibian ever found.

Gulf Stream Slowed by Greenland Ice Sheet Melting

The 2014-15 winter was one of the warmest ever recorded in history according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. However, there is one area of the North Atlantic that hasn't been affected by this warming trend and the phenomenon has been the same since around 1970.
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