Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

May 31, 2005

Scientists Reverse Sex Roles in Fruit Flies

Scientists have discovered it is surprisingly easy to reverse sex roles in fruit flies. By changing just one gene, they can make a female perform the courtship ritual of the male. She'll sing, vibrate her wings and lick a potential female suitor. But it's all for naught, as nature doesn't...

May 31, 2005

Super Geckos Excel without Sex

Geckos that forego sex and instead clone themselves are able to run farther and faster than relatives that reproduce the more conventional way. This is extraordinary, said Kellar Autumn from Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. The traditional theory is that when a species gives up sex and reproduces through...

May 31, 2005

Mayan Stingless Beekeeping in Danger

An ancient tradition of beekeeping on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula is on the verge dying out, due to cultural change and loss of habitat. Long before Europeans introduced honeybees (Apis mellifera) to the Americas, Mayan beekeepers harvested honey from the log nests of stingless bees that inhabit the tropical forests. For...

May 31, 2005

Giant Extinct Birds Grew Up Slow

The moa, a large extinct bird from New Zealand, apparently had a decade-long adolescence.? This is unheard of in birds, but it may help explain how early hunters were able to wipe out the giant birds. Moa, which have been extinct for several centuries, were ratites - a group of...

May 31, 2005

Bird's Warning Chirps Reveal Surprising Smarts

Birds squawk and chirp to attract mates and warn of danger. But much of their intelligent chatter has until now eluded human comprehension. The black-capped chickadee not only warns its flock of danger but also communicates the predator's size and relative threat, a new study finds. All with a familiar...

May 31, 2005

How Hummingbirds Hover

As it hovers in front of a flower or feeder, a hummingbird gets lift not only from the down stroke of its wings but also the up stroke. This is similar to the lift generated by insect wings, but new research shows that hummers are not simply bugs with feathers....

May 31, 2005

Insomnia Mania: Newborn Mammals Don't Sleep for a Month

Insomnia takes on a whole new meaning with the discovery that newborn dolphins and killer whales can forego sleep for their entire first month. Hard to believe? Just ask their mothers. The research finds both species of mammals can stay active 24/7 for weeks after birth. Mom gets minimal z's,...

Apr 30, 2005

Free Now, Killer Aquarium Shark Travels 200 Miles

A shark-killing shark recently released into the ocean is on the move and will soon have its complete travel tale told, researchers said today. The great white shark was released from the Monterey Bay Aquarium on March 31 after killing two sharks at the facility. An electronic tag attached to...

Apr 30, 2005

Good Science? Announcement of Dino Discovery Delayed to Promote 'Jurassic Park' Sequel

BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) _ A paleontologist who consulted on the Jurassic Park'' movies acknowledged that he delayed the announcement of a dinosaur find in Montana at the studio's request to help promote one of the film sequels four years ago. The acknowledgment by Jack Horner was in response to a...

Apr 30, 2005

New Monkey Species is First in Africa for 20 Years

The highland mangabey could elude scientists for only so long. This secretive monkey was recently found in the trees of Tanzania, becoming the first new species of monkey discovered in Africa in over 20 years. The find was announced today. Its body is about three feet long and covered with...

Mar 31, 2005

Great White Sharks Tagged off New Zealand

For the first time, great white sharks in New Zealand waters have been outfitted with satellite tags, researchers said today. The devices will help scientists learn where and how deep the creatures go. Four sharks were tagged in the project with devices that collect detailed information about the depth, temperature,...

Mar 31, 2005

Creatures Survive Environment that Dissolves Nails

Life once again proves its resiliency. Scientists from the University of Colorado have found bacteria that live in the rocks of a hot, acidic environment in Yellowstone National Park. Such extremophiles- organisms that can tough it out at sub-zero temperatures or with little water - are the cat's meow to...

Mar 31, 2005

Mystery of Churchill's WWII Monkeys Solved

If you've ever been to Gibraltar, the Mediterranean rock run by the British, you know about the monkeys. Some 200 of them run wild on the tiny peninsula, and they're the only free-ranging monkeys in Europe. They love to climb on tourists' heads and will gladly accept a snack. What...

Mar 31, 2005

Are Great Whites Descended from Mega-Sharks?

Millions of years ago the oceans were ruled by a bus-sized, whale-eating shark with teeth as big as your hand. Scientists have long believed that the prehistoric megalodon shark evolved into today's scariest sea predator, the great white. However, a new study comparing teeth suggests that the great white is...

Mar 31, 2005

Murder and Deceit: How One Bird Gets a Meal

If birds could read, this tale of deceit and murder would shock the avian world. A parasitic bird called the Horsfield's hawk-cuckoo lays an egg in the nest of another bird species, such as the bushrobin. That's just the beginning of the treachery. When the hawk-cuckoo chick is born, it...