Ecology & Zoology

The Herculean Feats Of Strength Of The Anolis Opalinus Lizard Get Some Answers

Are male Jamaican anole lizards masking some deep insecurity? Overcompensating for small body parts? Nothing quite that dramatic, though the reason they begin and end the day with displays of reptilian strength, like push-ups, head bobs and extensions of a ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 28 2008 - 5:51pm

Fear Not, Climate Warriors, Global Warming Will Not Lead To Toad Invasion

If you live in Melbourne, Australia or even Sydney and are concerned that climate change will make your great cities ripe for a cane toad invasion, fear no more. Yes, that is one of the many doomsday scenarios out there about climate change, but according ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 31 2008 - 11:20am

Discovery- First New Living Species Of Giant Clam In Two Decades

Researchers report the discovery of the first new living species of giant clam in two decades, according to a report in Current Biology. While fossil evidence reveals that the new species, called Tridacna costata, once accounted for more than 80 percent of ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 31 2008 - 11:38am

Heroes In A Half Shell

When asked if he felt bad killing the hundreds of oysters he serves daily at the popular Brophy Brothers Seafood Restaurant in Santa Barbara 28 year-old Andy Vogel, an employee for ten years, said the thought hadn't crossed his mind. Oysters are not j ...

Article - Audrey Amara - Sep 3 2008 - 2:11am

Bumblebees Versus Robotic Crab Spiders For Flight Arena Domination

Bumblebees learn to avoid camouflaged predators by sacrificing foraging speed for predator detection, according to scientists from Queen Mary, University of London. One of the bumblebee's main predators is the crab spider. Crab spiders hunt pollinatin ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 4 2008 - 12:16pm

Why Do We Duet? 'Aggressive Audio Warfare' (and Sonny And Cher)

If you can’t help but sing your heart out with your best friend when you hear Aladdin's A Whole New World or Johnny Cash and June Carter’s Jackson, maybe you can learn a thing or two about duets from birds. Vocal duets in the animal kingdom have long ...

Article - Matthew Brown - Sep 5 2008 - 11:30am

'Enzymatic Knob' Discovery In Plant Defenses May Mean Natural Pesticides

Even closely related plants produce their own natural chemical cocktails, each set uniquely adapted to the individual plant's specific habitat. Comparing anti-fungals produced by tobacco and henbane, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological S ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 7 2008 - 1:13pm

Which Forests Are The Best Carbon Sinks? New Study Says Old Growth Deserves A New Look

Contrary to the national "carbon budgets" as outlined in the Kyoto Protocol, a new analysis in Nature suggests that old growth forests are "carbon sinks" and they continue to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and mitigate climat ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 10 2008 - 2:51pm

What Happened To The First Rainforests? Global Warming Got Them Too, Says Study

We hear lots of concern about global warming and the world's rainforests, though they have even begun to thrive under warming conditions- but what about ancient rainforests, long before the Dawn of Man and the destruction we apparently set into motion ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 11 2008 - 1:54pm

Virgin Trains Changes To Eco-Friendly Uniforms

All 3,000 Virgin Trains staff (that get seen by customers) will be sporting a new look today following the delivery of new uniforms. The difference? All of the Wensum-supplied garments are 'eco-friendly.' What does that mean? Leave it to Richard ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 14 2008 - 10:56am