Mammals are a vertebrate class (Mammalia) characterized by endothermy, hair or fur, and the presence of mammary glands that produce milk to nourish offspring. They possess a neocortex, three middle ear ossicles, and a single-boned lower jaw articulating with the squamosal bone. Most exhibit viviparity with complex placentation (except monotremes, which are oviparous) and show determinate growth with advanced parental care and social behaviors. Mammalian physiology includes high metabolic rates, a four-chambered heart, and differentiated dentition, supporting ecological diversification into terrestrial, aerial, and aquatic niches across nearly all biomes.
How have selectively breeding dogs across decades and individual training shaped the way that dogs communicate? New from JNeurosci, researchers at Harvard University, led by Mélina Cordeau, sought to answer this question ...
Veterinary medicine
Aug 10, 2026
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A favorite toy or treat can become dangerous in an instant if it gets lodged in your pet's airway. Because choking is a terrifying emergency for pets and their owners, Dr. Christine Rutter, a clinical associate professor ...
Veterinary medicine
Aug 10, 2026
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30
Scientists—and dog lovers—have long known that dogs are remarkably good at interpreting our laughs, frowns and tears. But the biology behind this ability has remained largely unexplored until now. In a study published in ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 10, 2026
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60
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
We call them "man's best friend," and the evidence supports it. Dogs have been found buried alongside humans in graves dating back 14,000 years. They appear in ancient art from every continent, and they feature in the mythology, ...
Evolution
Aug 9, 2026
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93
Nature is not doing well in Australia. Many unique mammals, birds and insects are struggling. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.
Ecology
Aug 9, 2026
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An international team of researchers has uncovered a previously undetected structure in the birdsong of Bengalese finches that has the same statistical patterns found in human languages.
Plants & Animals
Aug 7, 2026
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109
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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