Today's sloths might be known as slow, small animals, but their ancestors developed large body sizes at an amazing rate, according to an evolutionary reconstruction published today in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary ...
Evolution
Sep 10, 2014
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While countries with dog control policies have curbed an infectious and gruesome canine cancer, the disease is continuing to lurk in the majority of dog populations around the world, particularly in areas with many free-roaming ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 3, 2014
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A new species of carnivorous crustacean has been identified, which roamed the seas 435 million years ago, grasping its prey with spiny limbs before devouring it. The fossil is described and details of its lifestyle are published ...
Archaeology
Aug 22, 2014
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A handful of genes arm the woodrat against the toxic chemicals in its foodstuff, the creosote plant, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Ecology.
Ecology
Aug 15, 2014
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The mysterious spotted green pigeon (Caloenas maculata) was a relative of the dodo, according to scientists who have examined its genetic make-up. The authors say their results, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary ...
Evolution
Jul 15, 2014
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Low light levels, similar to those found in urban areas at night, can have a significant effect on melatonin production in birds at night. This suggests that melatonin could be mediating changes in bird behaviour at night. ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 10, 2013
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Koalas living at the edge of their natural habitat range behave differently to those living well within in it, finds a study published in the open access journal Movement Ecology this week. The research has implications for ...
Ecology
Sep 16, 2013
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Forget talking to plants to help them grow, gently rubbing them with your fingers can make them less susceptible to disease, a paper in the open access journal BMC Plant Biology reveals.
Plants & Animals
Sep 16, 2013
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African annual fish take the adage 'live fast, die young' to a whole new level with the discovery that their short lifespan is accompanied by the most rapid sexual maturation of any vertebrate species. The find, reported ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 5, 2013
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Male fiddler crabs tread an evolutionary fine line between growing an enlarged claw better for signalling to females or one better for fighting finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology. ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 16, 2013
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