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No, Legalizing Rhino Horn Probably Won’t Save Animals from Poaching
Legalizing trade didn't deter poachers from killing more tigers and elephants, and it won't help the rhinos, either
June 17, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
One in 10 Adopted Pets is Lost or Returned After Six Months
Of the one in ten adopted pets that were not longer with their adopted parents six months later, about half of them had been returned to the shelter
June 14, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
At Least 400,000 Hungry Seabirds Drown in Fishing Nets Each Year
The gillnets used by local or artisanal fishers are a big threat to seabirds
June 13, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
2.5 Million Gallons of Toxic Waste Just Spilled in Alberta
Both Alberta and the company responsible, Apache Corp, held off for more than a week on publicly disclosing the information about the spill
June 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Cyborg Cockroaches May Become New Teaching Tools in Neuroscience Classes
Surprisingly, roach neurons aren't that different than human neurons, making the RoboRoach a learning tool for all sorts of basic principles of neuroscience
June 13, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Bacteria Makes Squid Sparkly and Sleepy
Bacteria sets up shop in squid to make it sparkle, and also might tell it when to go to sleep
June 12, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Unborn Turtles Actively Regulate Their Own Temperature
Before hatching, a baby turtle can deliberately move between warm and cool patches within its egg--a behavior that may help determine its gender
June 12, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Jurassic Park’s Stars Would Be Very Different Animals If the Film Were Made Today
In the past 20 years our knowledge about dinosaurs has grown, meaning that some dinosaur-related points depicted in the film are either outdated or entirely wrong
June 11, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet? (and Other Absurd Scientific Studies)
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Scientists figured the answers to this and other pressing questions once and for all
June 11, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
How a Dog Virus Could Wipe Out Tigers
You might not see so much of a similarity between your dog and a majestic tiger (and if you do, you're probably just kidding yourself) but the two animals do share one important threat: distemper virus
June 11, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Vibrant Patterns of Portuguese Men-of-War
Beachgoers despise the stinging animals, but photographer Aaron Ansarov finds surreal beauty in them
June 10, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Deer May Be Peeing Themselves Out of Their Favorite Winter Habitats
Special patches of trees shield deer from harsh winter weather, but deer urine stimulates growth of competitive plants in those havens
June 10, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Is It True That More People Have Been in Space Than Seen a Siberian Tiger in the Wild?
To point out just how dire the tiger situation is, conservationists often say that more people have been in space, than have seen a Siberian tiger in the wild, which might not be true
June 10, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Warming, Rising Acidity and Pollution: Top Threats to the Ocean
Since the last World Oceans Day, we've documented trash in the deep sea, sea snails with acid-weakened shells, high ocean temperatures and more
June 07, 2013 |
By Emily Frost
Gestures of Human and Ape Infants Are More Similar Than You Might Expect
Comparing the body language of baby chimps, bonobos and humans suggests that gesticulation came first in the evolution of speaking
June 06, 2013 |
By Marina Koren
Hummingbird Feathers Reverberate Like Violin Strings
When you think of bird songs, you probably think of songs that come from their mouths. But hummingbirds have a whole different kind of music - one that comes from their feather
June 06, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Earliest Known Primate Weighed Less Than a Golf Ball
The primate's Latin name translates as "ancient monkey," and the fossil is about 7 million years old
June 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Dead Male Guppies Can Make Babies
Female Trinidadian guppies store sperm from males that they mated with and use it to make babies long after the males they mated with died
June 06, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Scientists Discover the Genetic Reason Why Birds Don’t Have Penises
Developing bird embryos do have penis precursors, it turns out, but a genetic signal causes the penis cells to die off during gestation
June 06, 2013 |
By Joseph Stromberg
Female Squid Use Sperm for Both Reproducing And Snacking
Females may even be eating sperm from unattractive males and fertilizing their eggs with sperm from their favorite mates.
June 06, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
