Ecology & Zoology

Bed Bugs Have Favorite Colors- Here Is What They Are

Researchers wondered whether bed bugs preferred certain colors for their hiding places, so they did some testing in the lab. The tests consisted of using small tent-like harborages that were made from colored cardstock and placed in Petri dishes. A bed bu ...

Article - News Staff - Apr 25 2016 - 7:38pm

Scientists Discover Oral Sex In Spiders

Madagascan Darwin's bark spider (Caerostris darwini) are a sexually size dimorphic species from Madagascar, with females several times larger and heavier than males. If you want a weird science project for school, kids, these are the way to go. C. da ...

Article - News Staff - May 1 2016 - 9:18am

Sorry Galileo, Coastal Birds Use Tides And Moon Phases

Galileo is regarded as an important figure today, because he was put under house arrest by his church for ridiculing the Pope, but for much of his career he was derided by other scientists. Both Kepler and mathematics knew Galileo was wrong about the moon ...

Article - News Staff - May 4 2016 - 7:59am

Beekeepers Can Be Hazardous To Bees

Researchers at the University of Maryland and the U.S. Agriculture Department recently found that several parasites and the diseases they vector into honey bee colonies are the source of most of the bee health problems and supposed ‘die-offs’ observed in ...

Article - News Staff - May 5 2016 - 12:31pm

#VultureLivesMatter

Vultures are often cartoon-ish characters in parched deserts. No one wants them around because in western films it means they are just waiting for you to die. Cultural jokes aside, vultures in some parts of the world are in danger of disappearing. And acc ...

Article - News Staff - May 5 2016 - 2:19pm

Varroa Mites Get A Free Pass In Honeybee Surveys

The Bee Informed Partnership conducts an annual survey of commercial and backyard beekeepers so that they can try and track health and survival rates of honey bee colonies.  Though honey bees are just one bee species out of about 27,000, estimates of their ...

Article - Hank Campbell - May 11 2016 - 9:39am

Not Aliens After All: Mysterious Mounds In South America Created By Earthworms

Mysterious spectacular mounds found in the earth in tropical wetlands in South America are created by earthworms, researchers have found. The densely packed, regularly spaced mounds cover large areas of the Orinoco Llanos in Columbia and Venezuela. Until ...

Article - News Staff - May 12 2016 - 6:56am

How Birds Turn Red

In the bird world, the color red has special significance. Many species use red signals to attract mates or deter rivals, adding the color to their beaks, feathers, or bare skin. Generally speaking, as far as many birds are concerned, redder is better. No ...

Article - News Staff - May 20 2016 - 9:14am

Why Can Some Fish Recognize Human Faces?

A species of tropical fish has been shown to be able to distinguish between human faces. It is the first time fish have demonstrated this ability. ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 13 2016 - 10:49am

Dance Of The Dirty Frog: New Mating Position In Indicator Species Discovered

Six mating positions (amplexus modes) are known among the almost 7,000 species of frogs and toads found worldwide. However, the Bombay night frog (Nyctibatrachus humayuni), which is endemic to the Western Ghats Biodiversity hotspot of India, mates differe ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 15 2016 - 6:31am