Human children and wild great apes share their tool use cognition
Young children will spontaneously invent tool behaviours to solve novel problems, without the help of adults, much as non-human great apes have been observed to do. The findings, from the University...
View ArticleStudy suggests that longer-distance migratory birds may be smarter
Birds that migrate the greatest distances have more new neurons in the regions of the brain responsible for navigation and spatial orientation, suggests a new paper published in Scientific Reports.
View ArticleAncient chimpanzee 'Adam' lived over one million years ago, research reveals
Chimpanzees have an ancient common ancestor—or genetic 'Adam'—that lived over one million years ago, according to University of Leicester geneticists.
View ArticleReintroduction of genetically distinct orangutan subspecies has led to...
As their natural habitats continue to be destroyed, increasing numbers of displaced endangered mammals are taken to sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres worldwide. The ultimate goal of these centres...
View ArticleFlowers tone down the iridescence of their petals and avoid confusing bees
Iridescent flowers are never as dramatically rainbow-coloured as iridescent beetles, birds or fish, but their petals produce the perfect signal for bees, according to a new study published today in...
View ArticleMirror mirror: Snail shells offer clue in unravelling common origins of body...
An international team of researchers has discovered a gene in snails that determines whether their shells twist clockwise or anti-clockwise - and could offer clues to how the same gene affects body...
View ArticleMother-infant communication in chimpanzees
Animals other than humans learn how to communicate via the manual modality. Gestures are also important in the communication of great apes. Mothers of chimpanzees, for example, communicate with their...
View ArticleResearcher provides global perspective on honeybee viruses
The global decline of honeybee populations has spurred a number of researchers to examine the role played by the parasitic varroa mite and the deadly Deformed Wing Virus it transmits. In early...
View ArticleRandy red-backed fairy-wrens' duets reduce cuckoldry
The courtship and mating behaviors of the perky Australian red-backed fairy-wren have evolved into nothing short of a free-for-all. The rampant promiscuity of both sexes is legendary.
View ArticleWhen sex roles get reversed, some females develop a 'penis'
In many species, the males develop elaborated sexual traits to attract females and dissuade potential rival males through competition. Some iconic examples are the extraordinary feathers of the...
View ArticleMating without males decreases lifespan
Pristionchus nematodes come in two varieties: Most species consist of typical males and females, but in several species the females have evolved the ability to produce and use their own sperm for...
View ArticleWhy do chimpanzees throw stones at trees?
Chimpanzees often use tools to extract or consume food. Which tools they choose for which purpose, however, can differ depending on the region where they live. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute...
View ArticleBlack widows are color-coded to deter predators without tipping off prey
Secret codes and hidden messages aren't just for computer security experts or kids passing notes in class—animals use them too. The telltale red hourglass of the black widow spider sends a warning...
View ArticleNew spectral analysis algorithm helps identify dialects between whale groups
A team of researchers from Norway and Germany has come up with a computer algorithm that analyses sound recordings that quantify how various noises change over time, allowing for studying the sounds...
View ArticlePenguin brains not changed by loss of flight
Losing the ability to fly gave ancient penguins their unique locomotion style. But leaving the sky behind didn't cause major changes in their brain structure, researchers from The University of Texas...
View ArticleBees 'dumb down' after ingesting tiny doses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos
Honeybees suffer severe learning and memory deficits after ingesting very small doses of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, potentially threatening their success and survival, new research from New Zealand's...
View ArticleResearcher explores close prehistoric relationship between humans and dogs
Anyone who owns a dog is familiar with the "gaze"—that hypnotic, imploring stare that demands reciprocation. It can seem to hold a world of mystery and longing, or just pure bafflement at what makes...
View ArticleGenetics and brain regions linked to sex differences in anxiety-related...
Genetics and specific brain regions are linked to sex differences in chimpanzees' scratching behavior, a common indicator of anxiety in humans and others primates, according to a research study led by...
View ArticleStudy shows whales dine with their own kind
For a few weeks in early fall, Georges Bank—a vast North Atlantic fishery off the coast of Cape Cod—teems with billions of herring that take over the region to spawn. The seasonal arrival of the...
View ArticleA small dragonfly is found to be the world's longest-distance flyer
A dragonfly barely an inch and a half long appears to be animal world's most prolific long distance traveler - flying thousands of miles over oceans as it migrates from continent to continent -...
View ArticleWater-skiing beetles get a bumpy ride
Blink and you've missed it: Manu Prakash from Stanford University, USA, describes how one moment a waterlily beetle (Galerucella nymphaeae) is sat on the surface of a pond and the next it has...
View ArticleResearchers figure out similarities in brain architecture between birds and apes
Some groups of birds are mentally just as smart as apes. This is the conclusion drawn by Prof Dr Onur Güntürkün from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Prof Dr Thomas Bugnyar from the University of...
View ArticleBeetles assert dominance by being a lover not a fighter, new research shows
Beetles that demonstrate same-sex sexual behaviour may be asserting dominance over rival males without having to resort to fighting, a new study has shown.
View ArticleResearchers investigate why seed bugs have evolved extremely long male genitals
By the looks of it, size should be a big thing when it comes to seed bugs mating, but it only matters when more than one mating partner is around to choose from. That is what researchers Liam...
View ArticleParasites help brine shrimp cope with arsenic habitat contamination
Artemia (the scientific name of the small crustacean that is also commonly known as 'sea monkey') is famous for being able to live in extreme environments and has become a model organism used to test...
View ArticleFor females, a little semen may go a long way
For most guys in the animal kingdom, sex is a once-and-done event. Females from species like rabbits and cows get sperm from their mates and not much else. But in a Forum article published March 3 in...
View ArticleBiologists identify six new unique species of the western rattlesnake
There are more species of rattlesnake slithering around western North America than previously thought.
View ArticleResearchers find male frogs infected with fungus have more enticing calls
A pair of researchers with Seoul National University has found that Japanese tree frogs infected with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) fungus make different advertisement calls than uninfected...
View ArticleWoodpecker drumming signals wimp or warrior
Animal behavior researchers at Wake Forest University have found that the highly territorial downy woodpecker interprets drumming intensity from adversaries to figure out who is or isn't a threat.
View ArticleScientists: Possible new octopus species found near Hawaii
Scientists say they have discovered what might be a new species of octopus while searching the Pacific Ocean floor near the Hawaiian Islands.
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