New trait-based approach to global change ecology moves from description to prediction
It's not enough to understand what the effects of climate change are. Society needs ways to...
Heavy metal pollution can increase antibiotic resistance in rivers
Scientists have shown that elevated heavy metal levels in rivers can lead to higher levels of...
Amazon deforestation threatens newly discovered fish species in Brazil
Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History researcher Murilo Pastana and his colleagues have discovered and described...
Komodo National Park is home to some of the world's largest manta ray aggregations, study shows
Through a collaborative effort including the public, scientists from the Marine Megafauna Foundation and Murdoch University...
Fighting white-nose syndrome in bats benefits agriculture, study shows
For years, bats have gotten a bad rap as the creepy creatures lurking in the dark....
Unusually fast beaked whale has special deep-sea hunting strategy
An international team of biologists has successfully used biologgers to reveal insights into the lifestyle and...
Algae reveal clues about climate changes over millions of years
Organisms adjust their cell walls according to environmental conditions such as temperature. Some adaptations involve changes...
Cilia on coral reef polyps found to generate horizontal currents
A large international team of researchers has found that cilia on coral reef polyps generate horizontal...
Not all is rosy for the pink pigeon, study finds
The authors of a major study on the once critically endangered pink pigeon say boosting the...
Global food trade research upends assumptions about how biodiversity fares
In this week's Nature Food, Michigan State University (MSU) researchers find that imports from high-income countries...
Changes in cholesterol production lead to tragic octopus death spiral
For all their uncanny intelligence and seemingly supernatural abilities to change color and regenerate limbs, octopuses...
Peru 'pinger' trial deters dolphins but not whales
A trial of underwater sound devices called pingers reduced the number of dolphins caught in fishing...
A tug of war between survival and fitness: How chameleons become even brighter without predators around
Invasive species offer a rare research opportunity, as they often colonize new environments very different to...
Climate change increases risks of tree death
Planting a tree seems like a generally good thing to do for the environment. Trees, after...
Museum discovers 150-year-old platypus and echidna specimens that proved some mammals lay eggs
Jars of tiny platypus and echidna specimens, collected in the late 1800s by the scientist William...
Long-lost 'bum-breathing' turtle makes its return
A revolutionary new DNA detection method has helped rediscover an iconic species of turtle last seen...
Most Great Barrier Reef coral studied this year was bleached
More than 90% of Great Barrier Reef coral surveyed this year was bleached in the fourth...
DNA provides unique look at moa and climate change
Ancient moa DNA has provided insights into how species react to climate change, a University of...
Soil microbes use different pathways to metabolize carbon
Much of what scientists think about soil metabolism may be wrong. New evidence from Northern Arizona...
Nonlethal parasites reduce how much their wild hosts eat, leading to ecosystem effects
A new study led by Washington University in St. Louis uses a mathematical model and a...
Shipping poses significant threat to the endangered whale shark
Marine biologists from the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and the University of Southampton have led ground-breaking...
Tropical spider can hide underwater for 30 minutes
A tropical spider species uses a "film" of air to hide underwater from predators for as...
Bolder marmoset monkeys learn faster than shy ones
Individual traits seem to drive our learning success: for instance, conscientious individuals often show higher academic...
Landscapes with higher proportions of forest maintain more diverse pollinator communities
About 75% of food crops and more than 80% of wild plants require pollination by insects....
These bats deter predators by buzzing like hornets
In Batesian mimicry, a harmless species imitates a more dangerous one in an evolutionary "ruse" that...
What ancient pollen tells us about future climate change
Around 56 million years ago, Earth's climate underwent a major climatic transition. A huge release of...
Global bird populations steadily declining
Staggering declines in bird populations are taking place around the world. So concludes a study from...
Malaysia's 'mystery monkey' appears to be a hybrid between a proboscis monkey and a silvery langur
An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests Malaysia's "mystery monkey" is a hybrid...
Counting bug splats on vehicle license plates shows numbers of flying insects has dropped significantly
A team of researchers with the Buglife project, working with the Kent Wildlife Trust, has found...
Invasive species and climate change impact coastal estuaries
Native species in California's estuaries are expected to experience greater declines as invasive species interact with...
Only 10 vaquita porpoises survive, but species may not be doomed
The vaquita porpoise, the world's smallest marine mammal, is on the brink of extinction, with 10...
Understanding how sunscreens damage coral
You can love something to death. That is one way of thinking about a new Stanford...
Resurrecting a 'lost' coral species
With about one-third of the world's corals currently under threat of extinction due to climate change,...
Scientists reveal the neurocircuitry essential for animals to sense environmental cues of imminent danger
Inborn defensive behaviors, such as flight, freeze and fight, are crucial for animals to survive in...
Baby corals are just as susceptible as adults to deadly reef disease, study finds
Baby corals are just as susceptible as adults to a deadly disease that has been spreading...
Jaws hold crucial knowledge on the fate of sharks
Jaws was the only word needed to give the iconic 1970's thriller about a great white...
Cold-survival strategies in animals: A spectrum, not either-or
Animals have three main strategies to survive the freezing temperatures of winter: migrating, remaining in place...
Scientists announce comprehensive regional diagnostic of microbial ocean life using DNA testing
Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI),...
Studying wealth inequality in animals can reveal clues about how their societies evolved
Wealth inequality is a research topic typically reserved for humans. Now, research from the Max Planck...
Beetle iridescence a deceptive form of warning coloration, study finds
A new study published today in Animal Behaviour shows for the first time that brilliant iridescence...
Catastrophe theory can shed new light on how drought affects plants
Sometimes things are fine—until they're not. A boat capsizes. A bridge collapses. The stock market takes...
Indigenous peoples have shucked billions of oysters around the world sustainably
A new global study of Indigenous oyster fisheries co-led by Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History...
Tired Australian magpies sing less, sing later and are less motivated
Sleep deprived Australian magpies are tired and unmotivated, just like humans, according to new research from...
Bacteria make a beeline to escape tight spaces
A newly published study by researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa revealed that bacteria...
Discovery about coral-algal symbiosis could help coral reefs recover after bleaching events
Corals are keystone species for reef and marine ecosystems but coral bleaching due to climate change...
Scientists map living corals for the first time before and after marine heat wave: Winners and losers discovered
As the world sees rising ocean temperatures, it will also see more cases of coral bleaching....
As climate shifts, species will need to relocate, and people may have to help them
Climate change is already affecting plants and animals worldwide and is a growing threat to biodiversity,...
Studies find the seeds of a forest's renewal after wildfire, drought
A forest's ability to regenerate after devastating wildfires, droughts or other disturbances depends largely on seed...
Study supports stronger conservation efforts in Southeast glacial refugia regions
During the last ice age, glaciers covered vast portions of North America.
Exploring the murky history of the chase for the blue whale
The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever existed, weighing as much as two...