Ecology & Zoology

Pigs Are Behaviorally, Cognitively And Emotionally Complex Individuals, Say Animal Rights Activists

The days of pork may be coming to a close. The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently declared bacon as carcinogenic as plutonium, and now a group of animal activists say pigs are more like people than we know. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 13 2016 - 10:18am

The Biggest Threat To Wild Bees Are... Honey Bees

A lot of environmental fundraising and lobbying has involved bees. There was talk of a neonicotinoid pesticide-induced die-off, until it was determined that pesticides weren't the problem, varroa mites, and the fad of amateur beekeepers who didn' ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 20 2016 - 9:54am

Want Lower Dengue Fever Risk? Have A Warmer Climate

Health researchers predict that the transmission of dengue could actually decrease in a warmer climate, countering previous apocalyptic cocktail projections which included that the lethal virus would spread more easily. Hundreds of millions of people are ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 10 2016 - 11:49am

Adonis At 1075 Years: Europe's Oldest Known Living Inhabitant

In history, 941 A.D. was unspectacular. Small local politics happened, a temple was built, Kievian Rus and the Byzantine Empire had another outbreak of hostilities- but in modern times, it has an interesting distinction. It was the year Europe's olde ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 20 2016 - 12:40pm

Electronic Fences For Cats Are Safe

A study by animal welfare specialists has provided new evidence that using electronic containment systems to restrict where pet cats venture does not result in long-term wellbeing problems. The use of hand-held shock collars on dogs has previously led to ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 9 2016 - 10:41am

Why Shrubs Are More Successful Than Trees

Shrubs are more widespread than trees in nature and on Earth. A new study explains their global success. It turns out that the multiple stems of shrubs are of key importance. This feature contributes to both better growth and better survival than in trees ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 27 2016 - 6:30am

Breakthrough: Successful Ovarian Transplant From One Individual To Another

With the aid of a new immunosuppressive agent known as PIF (preimplantation factor), researchers at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Institute of Primate Research in Nairobi,  Kenya, have successfully transplanted an ovary from one individual to another ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 2 2016 - 8:10am

Molluscs May Provide Chemical Reproduction Insight Beyond Endocrine Disruptor Hype

A new test with molluscs- freshwater mudsnails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)- may enable manufacturers of chemicals and drugs to check their products for harmful effects on reproduction, and avoid the hype and scaremongering of environmental groups.  ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 16 2016 - 7:01am

Convergent Evolution: Why Some Plants Became Carnivorous

In Insectivorous Plants, Sir Charles Darwin pondered carnivorous plants. They live in habitats poor in nutrients, mostly on nitrogen and phosphorous, and have compensated this lack with the ability to digest animals such as insects and other arthropods. Ad ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 6 2017 - 1:38pm

No Hummingbird Collapse; They're In A Boom

Its not a great idea to use surveys, but sometimes those are all we have. After environmental groups drummed up publicity about a colony collapse disorder in honeybees, for example, concerned amateurs began taking up beekeeping. Since nature is not a perfe ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 8 2017 - 7:36am