Scorpions a clue to restoring ecosystems

Researchers from La Trobe University have found that, in the absence of natural predators such as bilbies, native scorpions are thriving in Australia's damaged sandy landscape.

Did early mammals turn to night life to protect their sperm?

Humans are diurnal—we are active in the day and sleep at night. But diurnalism is by far the exception rather the rule in mammals. About 250-230 million years ago, the mammalian ancestors, called the therapsids, became ...

Mathematical modeling shows why animals see at night

Nocturnal and diurnal mammals see the same—but only for a brief time. When mice are born, the chromatin in the cells of their eyes has a diurnal structure. Day by day, the layout of this chromatin slowly inverts, allowing ...

When every photon counts

The eyes of nocturnal mammals contain particularly large numbers of the highly light-sensitive rods, the photoreceptor type used for night vision. This allows the detection of light levels millions of times lower than daylight. ...

page 1 from 1