Artiodactyls, classified in the order Artiodactyla, are even-toed ungulate mammals characterized by bearing weight primarily on the third and fourth digits of each limb, which are usually of similar size and aligned symmetrically. This order includes diverse families such as Bovidae (cattle, antelopes, goats), Cervidae (deer), Suidae (pigs), and Hippopotamidae (hippopotamuses), and, in many modern treatments, is combined with Cetacea in the clade Cetartiodactyla based on molecular and morphological evidence. Artiodactyls exhibit a wide range of digestive specializations, notably ruminant foregut fermentation in many lineages, and occupy varied terrestrial and semi-aquatic ecological niches.
New research reveals that microbial clocks—forensic tools that track the succession and development of bacteria and fungi involved in decomposition after death—are highly accurate for estimating time since death, or postmortem ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 19, 2026
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10
A study examining how feral water buffalo interact with landscapes has uncovered the pest's disastrous impacts on northern long-necked turtles in the Top End's tropical wetlands.
Plants & Animals
Aug 18, 2026
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Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported, with nearly half a million people diagnosed each year. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, it is most often spread ...
Ecology
Aug 17, 2026
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283
When a dairy cow miscarries, a farmer loses far more than an unborn calf. Feed has been grown, land and water have been used, and greenhouse gases have been released during the cow's pregnancy, but milk production, a future ...
Ecology
Aug 15, 2026
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26
Decades of selective breeding and intensive agricultural practices have reshaped cattle genetics—often at the expense of valuable diversity preserved in traditional herds—according to new research from Aberystwyth University.
Biotechnology
Aug 10, 2026
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56
Far from their origins in the Arabian desert, hundreds of thousands of camels roam outback Australia, where they are used for wild races, an alternative milk source and even to make beer.
Agriculture
Aug 7, 2026
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23
A new study by ancient DNA researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, used paleogenomics to create a genetic roadmap to help guide the restoration of another iconic species once on the brink of extinction: the ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 6, 2026
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43
Agriculture covers more than 40% of Earth's habitable land and plays a central role in both climate change and biodiversity loss. Yet the impact of agriculture is far from evenly distributed across space.
Ecology
Aug 6, 2026
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28
Around 15 years ago, I created a Facebook page for my cat, Sandi. Friends thought it was weird. Today, social media accounts for cats attract millions of followers, cats travel in backpacks and strollers, and surveys consistently ...
Evolution
Aug 6, 2026
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29
Livestock farming requires valuable land to grow fodder, uses vast amounts of freshwater and contributes to global warming through methane and nitrous oxide emissions. And, for many consumers it is important to prevent animal ...
Biotechnology
Aug 6, 2026
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