Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

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...

Feb 28, 2005

Invasive Creatures Attack Like Internet Viruses

Finally, something good may come of all those computer viruses. Bugs spread on the Internet can serve as a model for controlling invasive species, according to a new study. Scientists used network theory to predict how the spiny water flea, native to Russia, will spread through lakes in Canada. The...

Feb 28, 2005

Scientists Explore 'Lost City' of Strange Ocean Creatures

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A strange world of see-through shrimp, crabs and other life forms teems around a newly explored field of thermal vents near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, scientists report. Towering white mineral chimneys mark the field, named the Lost City, a sharp contrast to the better-known black...

Feb 28, 2005

Big Dog Robot Now in Puppy Stage

The Defense Advanced Research Project Authority (DARPA) Learning Locomotion project seeks to create algorithms that help multi-legged platforms learn to walk in varied terrain. DARPA will be handing out a series of $600,000-$800,000 research grants to teach 6.6-pound, 10-inch Little Dogs to walk. During the 15-month first phase of the...

Feb 28, 2005

Killer Aquarium Shark Released Back to the Ocean

A killer great white shark was released back into the wild Thursday -- under supervision. Scientists have fitted the shark with an electronic data tag to monitor her movements for the next month or longer. The shark was accidentally caught by a halibut fisherman last September and was brought to...

Jan 31, 2005

Name that Monkey: Auction for Right to Name New Species

Newfound species have historically been named for royalty, patrons of science, and sometimes the explorers who find them. Now it's your turn. If you've got the money. An auction later this month will let anyone bid for the right to name a new species of monkey. The brown-and-orange primate (pictured...

Jan 31, 2005

Ship Noise Drowns Out Whale Talk, a Threat to Mating

WASHINGTON D.C. - Whale songs can travel thousands of miles, but an increasingly noisy ocean is drastically cutting down their ability to communicate, shows new research that suggests ever-increasing noise could impede the beasts' ability to navigate and find mates. Whales sing at a low frequency, at the very bottom...

Dec 31, 2004

Dinosaurs Mingled with Cousins of Ducks and Chickens

Evolutionary cousins of chickens and ducks roamed the Earth with dinosaurs more than 65 millions years ago, according to a new study that runs counter to a key assumption about when birds got their footing on the planet. The newly identified bird species, Vegavis iaai, lived during the Cretaceous period...