(PhysOrg.com) -- It has been known for decades that some birds are able to sense the Earth's magnetic field and set their direction as if following a compass heading, which is an extremely useful ability for birds migrating ...
Cryptochromes are light-sensitive molecules that exist in bacteria, plants and animals. In animals, they are involved in the control of the body's circadian rhythms. In birds, cryptochromes are also involved in the light-dependent ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 23, 2016
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577
University of Alberta neuroscientists have identified the neural circuit that may underlie intelligence in birds, according to a new study. The discovery is an example of convergent evolution between the brains of birds and ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 3, 2018
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1954
A new study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution suggests that birds have two alternative strategies for coping with the difficulties of humanity's increasingly chaotic cities—either by having large brains or through more ...
Evolution
Mar 25, 2020
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702
Today, being "birdbrained" means forgetting where you left your keys or wallet. But 66 million years ago, it may have meant the difference between life and death—and may help explain why birds are the only dinosaurs left ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Jul 30, 2021
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Neuroscientist Suzana Herculano-Houzel, with Vanderbilt University, has shaken up the paleontology community with a study she conducted that resulted in evidence of some dinosaurs having neuron density in their brains equal ...
In Aesop's fable 'The crow and the pitcher' a thirsty crow uses stones to raise the level of water in a pitcher to quench its thirst. A new study published online today (06 August) in the journal Current Biology demonstrates ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 6, 2009
5
3
If you encountered an elephant bird today, it would be hard to miss. Measuring in at over 10 feet tall, the extinct avian is the largest bird known to science. However, while you looked up in awe, it's likely that the big ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 30, 2018
1
636
With woodpeckers, the answer's in the question—true to their name, they peck wood. And when they do, they peck hard—with each peck, the bird undergoes a force of 1,200 to 1,400 g's. By comparison, a measly force of 60-100 ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 2, 2018
0
395
When birds migrate over long distances -- sometimes thousands of miles -- they usually end up in exactly the same place year after year. Such accurate feats of navigation, accomplished by millions of birds every year, have ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 16, 2009
2
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