Animals, features and articles | Educational Science

Jul 31, 2005

Convergent Evolution in Poison Frogs

Scientists have discovered one of the most intricate examples of convergent evolution with the help of South American poison frogs and ants and their cousins in Madagascar. (And here's an odd fact for smokers: one Madagascan frog studied was found to have nicotine in its system!) Poison frogs can't make...

Jul 31, 2005

With Fresh Blood, Inbred Florida Panthers Rebound

A controversial breeding program has improved the genetic diversity of inbred Florida panthers and the endangered animals are on the rebound, scientists announced today. Yet while the hybrid cats are spreading their range, they're not out of the woods yet. As few as 30 wild panthers roamed the Florida Everglades...

Jul 31, 2005

Gambling Monkeys Compelled by Winner's High

When given a choice between steady rewards and the chance for more, monkeys will gamble, a new study found. And they'll keep taking risks as the stakes rise and dry spells get longer. The research, in which scientists also pinpointed brain activity during the gambling, could provide insight into the...

Jul 31, 2005

Elusive Cheetahs Caught on Film

Wildlife researchers in Iran have captured images of an entire family of extremely rare Asiatic cheetahs. The pictures show an adult female and four young cubs resting in the shade of a tree. The researchers used hidden cameras, though at one point a cheetah approached the camera and nuzzled it...

Jun 30, 2005

Elephant Mimics Truck Sounds

Mlaika is a 10-year-old adolescent female African elephant living in Kenya in a group of semi-captive elephants. During the day she makes sounds you might expect. But she moonlights as a truck. When she is with the other elephants, she makes normal elephant sounds, says Stephanie Watwood of Woods Hole...

Jun 30, 2005

Deadly New Sea Creature Lures Fish with Red Lights

For fish, the red light district is deeper and more dangerous than anyone imagined. A newfound deep-sea relative of the jellyfish flashes glowing red lights on twitching, stinging tentacles to lure fish to their deaths more than a mile below the surface. The discovery is odd, because scientists had figured...

Jun 30, 2005

Mystery of Empty Chicken Sex Solved

Many animals copulate now and then without the delivery of semen. The act is mysterious, because animal sex is thought to be driven solely by the need to reproduce. Are they just fooling around? New research suggests there's a deeper reason. Males, it seems, are insuring their bets by encouraging...

Jun 30, 2005

How a Fly Escapes Your Swat

Trying to swat a fly can be among the most frustrating household activities. Now scientists know why it is so hard. The fly's escape secret: It jumps rather than just trying to fly. In a new study, researchers were interested in how a fly's brain executes the life-saving move. Gwyneth...

Jun 30, 2005

Moral Debate: Procedure Risks Making Monkeys More Humanlike

The insertion of human stem cells into monkey brains runs a real risk of altering the animals' abilities in ways that might make them more like us, scientists said today. A panel of 22 experts — including primatologists, stem cell researchers, lawyers and philosophers — debated the possible consequences of...

Jun 30, 2005

Fake Shark Skin Could Make Navy Fleet Faster

Few creatures spawn more fear than sharks. But these complex fish also have provided inspiration for several useful technologies. One new idea has captured the interest of the U.S. Navy. Shark skin has been used by many cultures as sandpaper. It's kept shipmates safe in slippery-when-wet conditions. Swimsuits modeled on...

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...