Tags: Nature

Half the Size, But Twice the Bite—Study Reports European Wolves Are on the Rise

As carnivorous species in the United States, like the Mexican Gray Wolf, face dwindling populations and increased difficulties finding niche habitats, a new study reveals that carnivores in Europe are on the rise—and they are more than twice as abundant. The new study published this week in the journal Science reports that while Europe may be one of the most industrialized landscapes on the face of the Earth, that conservation efforts and restoration practices have led the continent to large-scale success in bringing back continental carnivore populations.

Genomic Study Reveals Pre-Cambrian Explosion of Bird Species, Who Faired Better than Gentle Dinosaurs

They’re far from the scaled reptilian giants that once walked the Earth, but for decades researchers have sought out an evolutionary connection between our winged bird species of today and the dinosaurs that once took flight in prehistoric times. For the past four years, a team of international researchers have fully developed The Avian Phylogenomics Project, in which they have sequenced genomes of nearly all species of the evolutionary branches including a majority of birds known to man. Now that the research is done, the mapping of 48 bird species genomes has evolved into more than two-dozen articles published in the journal Science, as well as a new understanding of how birds may link to their dinosaur ancestors.

Can A Peripheral Anomaly Cause Hummingbirds to Crash?

For decades now, man has modeled their methods of flight from the majestic bird species that have conquered the skies. But what if there’s a glitch in birds’ programming that remains hidden in the secrets of aviation?

More Seafloor Methane Released Into the Pacific Ocean

Increased Seafloor Methane Released Into the Pacific Ocean Water at intermediate depths is observed to be warming up as seafloor methane released into the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate, a recent study found.

What’s Happening to All Our Giraffes? The Disappearing Species Faces Silent Extinction

In what perhaps may be the most shocking upset in the news this week, ecologist revealed last Friday, Dec. 5, that giraffes may be headed towards extinction – and it’s in part due to a lack of awareness of dangers facing the African species. While contemporary studies in Africa’s central savannahs have revealed the collected threats that human encroachment , habitat loss and black market poaching has posed to wildlife communities, researchers say that giraffes are amongst some of the hardest hit populations in the long list of black market species. And without significant change in the way giraffes are protected, they may disappear all together within a matter years.

Albert Einstein Archive Sparks Even More Reasons to Love the Man Behind the Theory—E=MC^2

There’s a point in nearly every individual’s life when they come to realize that their idol is nothing if not human beneath their perfect façade. And for some it’s a tragic state of affairs that reveals this shocking truth. But for others, it’s a sobering revelation that creates a tangible connection between them and their idol. If you’re a fan of genius Albert Einstein, and you’ve even got his haircut to match, this week you will be surprised to learn that you’ll have over 80,000 more reasons to idolize the beloved scientist, including perhaps a love letter or two that reveal a bit of a playboy side to the rebellious physicist. Released beginning this past Friday, Dec. 5, the Princeton University Press and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, whom inherited Albert Einstein’s vast written history in the form of some 80,000 documents he left behind, have digitized what is left of Einstein’s written words in a new online archive called “Digital Einstein”.

NATURE Says Mammals Developed 3D Neural Compass to Better Navigate Terrain

Ever wonder how you could lose your way on the freeway, and still find your destination without Google Maps or MapQuest as an aid? Or how a dog with an attention span of only mere minutes can recall the path least travelled, and find its way home, in spite of the baffling sounds and smells around it? Well as it so happens, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel believe that new research reveals that mammals have developed an internal compass that guides our way. And it’s not just dogs and humans that have evolved the nifty trick deep within the brain.

Violent Californian Subculture Faces Bans as Advocates Stand Up for Coyotes

While California may be one of the most progressive states in terms of animal rights, there’s a subculture that exists within the Western state where marksmen find that wildlife is their main target. Organized coyote hunts, where legal, are sparking a clash between wildlife advocates and anti-coyote interest groups, and marksmen are making money off of the deaths of these key landscape species.

While Some Researchers Find Brains Who can Navigate, Others Just Can’t Find Theirs

News early this morning broke courtesy of a study in the journal Nature, where researchers finally discovered how brains intrinsically can navigate the body, by using what they call a “3-D neural compass”. The study conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel investigated the Egyptian fruit bat and revealed a toroidal shaped grouping of neural cells within the brain that helped the bats differentiate their orientation and the place in a 3-dimensional field.

Earth’s Warm Streak Could Peak in a Decade, If Policymakers Don’t Change

Speed up the models and cut down on your carbon footprints, because a bit of change today could spell better weather and a better Earth only a decade away. While climatologists and researchers across all of science have in recent years discussed the long-term goals of climate change and the effects of carbon emissions, a new study published today, Dec. 2, in the journal Environmental Research Letters reveals that reductions in carbon emissions today will help shape the planet’s atmosphere in as little as 10 years, versus the 30 to 50 year models used by researchers and policymakers until now.

What Drives Monkeys to Drink—The Fruit-Filled Tale Of Why We Imbibe

As a child, alcoholism was something that surrounded evolutionary physiologist Robert Dudley from the University of California Berkeley. Watching first-hand as his father descended into the addictive disease, Dudley’s first fascinations as a scientist were with what predispositions led to humans’ strong attraction to the intoxicating libations.

You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks, But You Can’t Clean Up Their Drinking Habits

Any pet lover knows that it comes as no surprise to discover that dogs aren’t quite as graceful as their feline friends, the cat. While a kitten will take a hundred little sips to lap up a saucer of milk, a puppy will likely splatter the milk all over the floor before drooling out half of the contents – and we love them for that. But while you may chalk up the messy behavior to a carefree disposition or a hasty nature, behavioral ethologists who study the exquisite techniques of getting a drink have recently discovered that cats and dogs have distinct strategies of their own. And each one benefits the species in its own unique way.

Grand Canyon Wolf—Female Offers New Hope of Grand Canyon Pack’s Return

Earlier this month when news broke that an endangered gray wolf from the northern Rocky Mountains may have made its way all the way to the national forest near Grand Canyon National Park, environmentalists and national park officials questioned the highly unlikely scenario of a lone wolf returning to the park where they were driven to extinction over six decades ago. But new DNA tests, conducted on feces remnants collected by park officials, confirmed on Friday Nov. 21 that the suspect captured in pictures throughout the park since Oct. 30 is indeed a lone wolf – and a female at that.

How Crops Will Change the Atmosphere of the Future—CO2 On the Rise

There’s a lot more to consider when looking at climate change in future models than meets the eye. Yes carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels plays a part, but so can the simple changes in the agricultural practices that feed a growing world. And a new study published this week in the journal Nature reveals that levels of carbon dioxide will likely be on the rise, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, as summer heat and the tail-end of the growing season will spark major crop plants to release CO2 in parts of the growing season.

How Early Man Survived at the ‘Roof of the World’—And Found the Secret to Beer Too

For early man, surviving and conquering niche environments, like that of the Tibetan Plateau of Asia, was a difficult task that required the perfect combination of conditions. Tribes needed to learn how to work together, to traverse harsh terrain, to find/build shelter, and above all they had to learn how to feed themselves year-round. And while the surmounting odds of surviving the domain known as the “Roof of the World” were stacked against them, with extreme altitudes, relentless winds, frigid temperatures and low-oxygen conditions complicating the living conditions they had in their new home, researchers now say that early men were able to conquer this uninhabited ecosystem thanks to a cold-hardy crop used to make beer – barley.

Wandering Northwoods Moose Suddenly Found Dead on Sleepy Eye Farm

It’s been a strange story from the beginning, but now it’s taken an even more tragic turn for the worse. Nearly two weeks ago reporters in Minnesota revealed that a large 7-foot-tall moose, native to the habitat of Northwoods, travelled hundreds of miles to the farmlands of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota and found a temporary new home in Verna and Leonard Wendiner’s backyard.

Should Mysterious Craters in Siberia Be Cause for Concern?

Earlier this past summer when a mysterious giant crater was discovered in northern Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula, many believed the phenomenon to be far too strange to be a natural occurrence. Ironically named “Yamal” which means “the end of the world”, much skepticism surrounded early news of the phenomenon. And when images hit the web a myriad of theories abounded, leading viewers to throw reason to the wind claiming that the crater was either a man-made hoax, a site for a meteorite crash, or even the workings of an alien UFO.

Massive Crater in Siberia Sparks Conversations of UFOs and Bermuda Triangle

For those who have ventured to Siberia in their lifetime, you know that there is a mysterious air about the desolate arctic tundra plains. But earlier this summer when a giant sinkhole was discovered in northern Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula, researchers realized just how strange it may be.

In Chimpanzee Sexual Selection, Nice Guys Finish Last

Behavioral studies of our close relatives the chimpanzee often reveal origins of what we believe to be distinctly “human” interactions. Grooming behavior, child rearing and even gang formation have all been identified in chimpanzee populations, but in a recent study conducted in Tanzania, researchers from Arizona State University say that they may have found the origins or far more disturbing behavior—bullying and male-on-female violence.

Coalition Sues Fish & Wildlife Service For Fate of Mexican Gray Wolves

Early Wednesday morning, Nov. 12, after alleging that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has failed to develop a comprehensive and viable recovery plan for the endangered Mexican Gray Wolf, a coalition of conservation organizations filed a lawsuit against the government agency seeking a court order demanding that such a plan be developed.
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