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Plants & Animals news
Reeds boost mosquito spread in rivers and ponds
Reed, an invasive alien plant that is abundant on the banks of many rivers, ponds and canals, can encourage the growth of common mosquito populations in the absence of natural predators. When the plant's litter accumulates, ...
Plants & Animals
1 hour ago
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Tiny songbird crosses Sahara by flying night after night
Every year a small songbird, no heavier than a letter, crosses the Sahara Desert, the Mediterranean and the Arabian Desert on its migration. New research from Lund University in Sweden now reveals how the tiny bird manages ...
Plants & Animals
3 hours ago
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Do polysaccharide-degrading enzymes also help build polysaccharides?
Most of the carbon fixed by plants through photosynthesis is ultimately stored in the cell wall, primarily in the form of polysaccharides such as cellulose, xylan, and glucomannan. Yet how plants efficiently synthesize these ...
Plants & Animals
4 hours ago
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Mozambique 'sky island' expeditions found four new species of chameleon that are already at risk from forest loss
Tropical rainforests are known for their unique biodiversity, with species found nowhere else on Earth. But nearly 30% of tropical rainforest has been destroyed or has become seriously degraded since 1990. Many of these forests ...
Plants & Animals
5 hours ago
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Black grouse eye test reveals best flags to protect birds from fatal cables
There is a silent killer lurking in the French Alps: ski lift cables. Over the last 60 years, the wires have accounted for almost 600 recorded landfowl deaths in the region. Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) account for ~70% ...
Plants & Animals
7 hours ago
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Citizen science helps ID elusive seabird, paves way for more citizen-backed discoveries
Vast online archives of photos, videos and sound recordings collected by the public are reshaping how scientists study the natural world, allowing researchers to answer questions that were once out of reach. A new study led ...
Plants & Animals
9 hours ago
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One of Los Angeles' best-adapted urban creatures: Lizards
March's record heat made it the most abnormally warm month in recorded U.S. history, bringing plants into bloom early and coaxing animals out of their winter hiding places ahead of schedule. Among the creatures making an ...
Plants & Animals
9 hours ago
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Honeybees pass their math test, upending an animal intelligence debate
We've run the numbers and the verdict is in: Honeybees do have the ability to process numerical information. New research led by Monash University has now addressed recent international debate over whether bees are truly ...
Plants & Animals
9 hours ago
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New study presents the eLTER Framework of Standard Observations for long-term, integrated environmental monitoring
A new study published in Earth's Future introduces the eLTER Framework of Standard Observations (eLTER SO)—a structured, harmonized system designed to support consistent long-term environmental observation across Europe. ...
Plants & Animals
21 hours ago
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Promiscuity and parental behavior in birds are driven by demographics, not the other way around
New research shows that variation in mating behaviors, parental care and differences in ornamentation of the sexes in bird species is driven by demographics rather than vice versa. An international team of researchers from ...
Plants & Animals
23 hours ago
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Chalk-stream salmon could become an official sub-species
Chalk-stream salmon should be officially classified as a sub-species, new research suggests. Scientists from the University of Exeter and INRAe (France) carried out detailed genetic testing of salmon from 42 rivers in England, ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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What's in a name? Study finds two dahlia-damaging viruses are variants of same species
For decades, two different viruses were believed to be responsible for a common, untreatable disease in dahlias, a colorful, high-value flower grown worldwide. Virologists at Washington State University have now learned that ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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A philosopher's serpent: New grass-green pitviper discovered in China's Giant Panda National Park
Draped in a uniform coat of vibrant grass-green and possessing eyes that shimmer like amber, a newly discovered pitviper is the latest hidden jewel to be found in the misty mountains of western Sichuan, China.
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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Coral reefs are secretly connected across vast oceans—and that's crucial for their survival
Lord Howe Island lies in the middle of the ocean, about 700 kilometers northeast of Sydney. It's covered in lush forest and fringed by the world's most southerly coral reef ecosystem.
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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When humidity changes, so do the colors of sweat bees
Nature is a riot of color. In the animal kingdom, many species, from insects to cephalopods, use their permanent color or change it for communication, camouflage, and thermoregulation. While this type of reversible shift ...
Hidden nest cameras debunk long-standing myth about how cuckoos lay their eggs
An international team of ornithologists has overturned one of the oldest assumptions in natural history by directly documenting how common cuckoos lay their eggs in host nests located inside cavities. The findings, published ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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Edible orchids are being overharvested in the Mediterranean—how to protect these astonishing blooms
Each spring, the meadows and hillsides of the Mediterranean draw tourists to admire flowering orchids. But in some regions, these astonishing blooms are steadily declining—or at risk of disappearing altogether.
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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Discovering a favorite pit stop and communication hub for cloud forest canopy dwellers
In his time spent in the lush canopies of Costa Rica's cloud forest, UConn Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. student Jeremy Quirós-Navarro has worked as an arborist, helped place camera traps, collected ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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Both bonobos and dolphins form unexpected alliances with 'outsiders'
Cooperation is a pillar of human society, promoting an exchange of skills and knowledge between different individuals and social groups. Humans typically do not only cooperate with their own family, friends and members of ...
Whale strandings draw emotional responses. But repeated rescues can cause more harm
A humpback whale repeatedly restranding in shallow waters in the Baltic Sea for more than three weeks has become the focus of a complex debate about reconciling compassion for animals with ethical, evidence-based decision ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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More news
Plants can sense the sound of rain, new study finds
Getting the jump on evolution: Cane toads adapt at speed
Plastics found in tomato and wheat crops stunt growth, study finds
Rose pangenome maps 55,000 genes, opening new path for breeding
Better-fed calves are more motivated to play, pioneering study shows
Alkaline cement tiles boost baby coral survival from 12% to 52%
Cocaine pollution alters salmon behavior in the wild, study reveals
Other news
Room to move: Neutron scattering shows how proteins behave in crowded environments
Preserved orchids show pollination has fallen 60% since the 1970s
If birds are fancy dancers, are they smarter, too?
One of the world's rarest mice is adapting to climate change
What if humans could regrow tissue? New study moves science closer
