The three different formations of South Pacific coral-reef islands have long fascinated geologists. Tahiti's coral forms a "fringing" reef, a shelf growing close to the island's shore. The "barrier" reefs ...

Space & Earth - Earth Sciences

May 13, 2013 4.1 / 5 (8) 0 |

Running cockroaches start to recover from being shoved sideways before their dawdling nervous system kicks in to tell their legs what to do, researchers have found. These new insights on how biological systems stabilize could ...

Electronics - Robotics

Feb 22, 2013 5 / 5 (4) 0 |

Henry David Thoreau obsessively recorded the flowering time of plants around Concord, Mass., in the 1850s, while Japanese naturalists took keen note of the flowering time of cherry blossom trees for centuries before that. ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Feb 12, 2013 2.7 / 5 (3) 0 |

Cilia, microscopic whip-like organelles that protrude from the surface of many cell types, are almost ubiquitous. They are present in all eukaryotes—organisms whose cells have a nucleus—and have diversified ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Jan 02, 2013 5 / 5 (3) 1

Even on the evolutionary time scale of tens of millions of years there is such a thing as being in the right shape at the right time. An anatomical difference in the ability to seize the moment, according ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Dec 24, 2012 5 / 5 (5) 8 |

How does evolution innovate? We exist because our ancestors have had the ability to adapt successfully to changes in their environment; however, merely examining present-day organisms can limit our understanding of the actual ...

Biology - Evolution

Dec 11, 2012 5 / 5 (4) 0 |

Scientists have taken a step forward in helping to solve one of life's greatest mysteries – what makes us human?

Biology - Biotechnology

Nov 14, 2012 4.3 / 5 (12) 99 |

(Phys.org)—A comprehensive study at the University of Oregon, using cutting-edge genetic tools, shows that temperate and polar species of animals may be much more resilient to rapid climate change than ...

Biology - Ecology

Oct 11, 2012 not rated yet 0 |

Body hair in mammals is typically thought to have evolved to keep us warm in colder prehistoric times, but a new study suggests that it may do the opposite, at least in elephants. Epidermal hair may have ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Oct 10, 2012 5 / 5 (1) 1 |

Dividing tasks among different individuals is a more efficient way to get things done, whether you are an ant, a honeybee or a human.

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Aug 07, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 0 |

Environmental change is the selective force that preserves adaptive traits in organisms and is a primary driver of evolution. However, it is less well known that evolutionary change in organisms also trigger ...

Biology - Evolution

May 23, 2012 4 / 5 (2) 0 |

The feeding habits of mammals haven't always been what they are today, particularly for omnivores, finds a new study.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Apr 16, 2012 4.8 / 5 (5) 2 |

From miniature elephants to monster mice, and even Hobbit-sized humans, size changes in island animals are well-known to science. Biologists have long believed that large animals evolving on islands tend to get smaller, while ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Mar 23, 2012 4.3 / 5 (3) 2 |

Scientists discover at least 11 examples of sympatric speciation on Lord Howe Island.

Biology - Evolution

Mar 15, 2012 5 / 5 (3) 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The major difference between plant and animal cells is the photosynthetic process, which converts light energy into chemical energy. When light isn't available, energy is generated by breaking ...

Biology - Cell & Microbiology

Feb 27, 2012 5 / 5 (4) 2 |