Tyrannosaurus rex, renowned for being one of the most fearsome creatures to have ever lived, evolved a bite that was less impressive in relation to its body size than a tiny Galapagos ground finch, scientists say.
Plants & Animals
Jan 9, 2019
0
164
Darwin's finches show enormous diversity in beak shape and size that varies with diet. The EU-funded Finch Evo-Devo project has used genomics plus – transcriptomics – to explain how 15 species of finch evolved from a ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 30, 2018
0
1
Traffic noise may be associated with an increased rate of telomere loss in Zebra finches that have left the nest, according to a study published in Frontiers in Zoology. Telomeres are caps on the ends of chromosomes that ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 27, 2018
0
255
Songbirds can acquire new abilities both through observation and through trial and error. However, skills acquired with the latter method are more easily adapted to new situations, as scientists at ETH and the University ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 13, 2018
0
25
For a small, reddish-beaked bird called the zebra finch, sexiness is color-coded. Males have beaks that range from light orange to dark red. But from a female's point of view, a male's colored bill may simply be hot, or not, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 1, 2018
0
193
Birds create songs by moving muscles in their vocal organs to vibrate air passing through their tissues. While previous research reported that each of the different muscles controls one acoustic feature, new research shows ...
General Physics
Jul 31, 2018
0
73
In 1835, Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands and discovered a group of birds that would shape his groundbreaking theory of natural selection. Darwin's Finches are now well-known as a textbook example of animal evolution. ...
Ecology
May 9, 2018
1
9
Asst. Prof. Sarah London has long appreciated zebra finches for their unique learning characteristics. The males learn from another male tutor, but their ability to memorize the tutor's song is restricted to a "critical period," ...
Plants & Animals
May 7, 2018
0
309
In the zebra finch, an extra chromosome exists in the reproductive, or germline, cells. (Songbirds have 40 chromosomes and 41 with the extra chromosome.) Known as the germline-restricted chromosome, its sequence is largely ...
Biotechnology
May 3, 2018
0
13
A team of researchers at Lund University has found evidence that suggests a certain protein plays a prominent role in bird navigation. They have published their findings in Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
