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This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory.

World’s most comprehensive guide to primates - in pictures
A new book features, for the first time ever, illustrations of every single primate species (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 16, 2013 Category: Science Tags: World news guardian.co.uk Animals Editorial Zoology Conservation Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Scarlet macaw genome sequenced | @GrrlScientist
The newly-sequenced scarlet macaw genome will provide many important insights into avian and human biology, behaviours and genetics and will contribute to parrot conservationAfter many years of research into the behaviours, diseases, genetics and life history of scarlet macaws, a team of scientists have taken their studies to the next level. Christopher Seabury, an Assistant Professor of Genetics at Texas A&M University's college of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Ian Tizard, Director of the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center and a Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Texas A&M University's college of ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 15, 2013 Category: Science Authors: GrrlScientist Tags: Blogposts Genetics Biology guardian.co.uk Birds Zoology Environment Science Source Type: news

World's most extraordinary species mapped for the first time
(Zoological Society of London) The black-and-white ruffed lemur, Mexican salamander and Sunda pangolin all feature on the first map of the world's most unique and threatened mammals and amphibians, released today by the Zoological Society of London. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - May 15, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

Edinburgh zoo's pandas help boost visitor numbers by 51%
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland says Sunshine and Sweetie are headline act after profits increase more than £5mEdinburgh's romantically doomed giant pandas may have failed to mate but they have brought good fortune to the city's zoo, boosting its income and visitor numbers to record levels.The zoo's charitable owners, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said its overall income jumped by more than £5m to nearly £15m last year, and the number of visitors leapt by 51% following the arrival of Tian Tian and Yang Guang in late December 2011.The society has taken another step to protect the pandas' value to the zoo...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 7, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Severin Carrell Tags: Edinburgh The Guardian Biology World news Animal welfare Animals UK news Scotland Animal behaviour Zoology Science Source Type: news

Zoology student captures unique collection of Peruvian wildlife
An aspiring professional wildlife photographer and second-year student at the University of Bristol has captured a unique collection of images from Manu National Park in Peru. (Source: University of Bristol news)
Source: University of Bristol news - May 7, 2013 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: news_text Tags: Other news Source Type: news

More on sexy dinosaurs
Did all those crests, horns and knobs on the heads of dinosaurs help them identify each other correctly? asks Dr Dave Hone As readers may know, I've been away in Canada for the last few weeks, and coupled with a rush at work, the Lost Worlds had rather ground to a halt. However, my trip to Alberta has been incredibly productive, so there's lots of things to come once I've cleared the inevitable work backlog that appears whenever one goes away. I want to start with a paper of mine that came out while I was away as this is the latest in a series of ongoing exchanges in the scientific literature on the origins and functions o...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - May 6, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Dr Dave Hone Tags: Blogposts guardian.co.uk Dinosaurs Fossils Science Source Type: news

New to Nature No 102: Lobariella sipmanii
A beautiful, newly discovered lichen from Colombia is the result of a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a photosynthetic algaA new species of lichen was found growing on lower to mid-height stems and small trunks of Diplostephium revolutum, a composite, in Bogotá, Colombia. It is only the second species in its genus with a cyanobacterial symbiont (a bacterium that obtains its energy through photosynthesis) but is distinct from all other species in several respects, including its strongly veined and stained surface.While this is a beautiful new find, it is perhaps most remarkable for the context in which it was d...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 27, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Quentin Wheeler Tags: Biology World news Features Fungi The Observer Zoology Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Premature Hardening Of The Zona Pellucida Can Be A Cause Of Infertility
Scientists in Mainz and Aachen have discovered a new mechanism that controls egg cell fertility and that might have future therapeutic potential. It was revealed by Professor Dr. Walter Stocker of the Institute of Zoology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) that the blood protein fetuin-B plays an important and previously unknown role in the fertilization of oocytes. Fetuin-B, first identified in the year 2000, is formed in the liver and secreted into the blood stream. During a joint research project with researchers at RWTH Aachen University headed by Professor Dr... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - April 26, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Fertility Source Type: news

Representatives Lipinski, Reichert Receive BESC Award
Representatives Daniel Lipinski (D-Illinois) and Dave Reichert (R-Washington) are the recipients of the 2013 Biological and Ecological Sciences Coalition (BESC) Congressional Leadership Award. The award is given to recognize congressional leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting public policy that advances the nation’s scientific research enterprise. “We are fortunate to have two such strong supporters of the natural sciences in Congress,” said Nadine Lymn, co-chair of BESC and director of public affairs for the Ecological Society of America. “Representatives Lipinski and Reichert ha...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 24, 2013 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Edinburgh panda artificially inseminated with dead male's sperm
Sperm from Tian Tian's mate Yang Guang and Bao Bao, who died in Berlin zoo last year, is used in effort to impregnate herEdinburgh zoo's female panda Tian Tian may give birth to a cub conceived with sperm from a male who died last year after the zoo resorted to artificial insemination to increase the chances of a pregnancy.The zoo said it had used artificial insemination with Tian Tian early on Sunday after it became clear she and her mate Yang Guang were not going to mate naturally, despite days of coaxing and waiting.But to maximise the chances for a live birth, the team of Scottish, Chinese and German specialists in Edi...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 22, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Severin Carrell Tags: Edinburgh The Guardian World news Animals UK news Scotland Animal behaviour Reproduction Zoology Science Source Type: news

Giant pandas after artificial insemination - video
Two giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo roam their enclosures and chew on bamboo. Tian Tian, the female, was artificially inseminated on Sunday morning (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 22, 2013 Category: Science Tags: guardian.co.uk Endangered species Animals UK news Editorial Animal behaviour Reproduction Zoology Conservation Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Shifts in physiological mechanisms let male bats balance the need to feed and the urge to breed
(University of Chicago Press Journals) A forthcoming article in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology reveals shifts in the mechanisms bats use to regulate metabolism throughout their seasonal activity period. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - April 15, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

Scientists Call for Greater Access to Biodiversity Resources, Data
This report strongly emphasizes research applications while also highlighting important educational components and focusing on workforce training that will be necessary to achieve and sustain NIBA,” said McDade. The National Science Foundation already is showing earnest commitment to achieving many of the goals identified in the report through several current funding initiatives, notes Hanken. “Full implementation of NIBA will require additional investments by other federal and state agencies that hold major biocollections.” The report identifies many specific activities that can and should be led by in...
Source: Public Policy Reports - April 10, 2013 Category: Biology Authors: AIBS Source Type: news

Bumblebees use logic to find the best flowers
(Queen Mary, University of London) Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London and the Zoological Society of London have discovered why bees copy each other when looking for nectar -- and the answer is remarkably simple. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - April 4, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

Will Cloning Ever Save Endangered Animals?
In 2009 the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. (Embrapa) and the Brasilia Zoological Garden began scavenging and freezing blood, sperm and umbilical cord cells from roadkill and other wild animals that had died, mostly in the Cerrado savanna--an incredibly diverse collection of tropical forest and grassland ecosystems home to at least 10,000 plant species and more than 800 species of birds and mammals, some of which live nowhere else in the world. Specimens were collected from the bush dog, collared anteater, bison and gray brocket deer, among other species. [More] (Source: Scientific American Topic - Stem Cell Research)
Source: Scientific American Topic - Stem Cell Research - March 11, 2013 Category: Stem Cells Tags: Technology,Chemistry,History of Science,Biotechnology,Technology,Biotechnology,Biology Source Type: news

Animal testing: it's time the British public saw the reality for themselves | Victoria Martindale
British law cloaks animal experimentation in secrecy despite supposed freedom of information. This inconsistency should stopAs the United States opens its doors to allow public access to all federally funded scientific research, including increasingly controversial experiments on animals, similar transparency should be upheld on this side of the Atlantic.When the Freedom of Information Act came into force in 2000, its purpose was to provide access to information under the public's "right to know" on the premise that transparency is fundamental to a healthy democracy. It lulled the public into a sense of openness, scrutiny ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 2, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Victoria Martindale Tags: Comment Animal research guardian.co.uk Politics Freedom of information Zoology Science Comment is free Source Type: news

Spectacular Russian jellyfish of the White Sea – in pictures
They look like aliens or underwater explosions, but they're actually jellyfish – shot in the freezing waters off Russia. Diver Alexander Semenov plunged into the freezing waters of the White Sea, off the coast of north-west Russia, to document them (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 26, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Biodiversity Marine life guardian.co.uk Animals Editorial Zoology Environment Wildlife Source Type: news

The ultimate chimp challenge
(Zoological Society of London) Scientists are putting their bananas away, because chimpanzees don't need any persuading when it comes to getting stuck into brain games. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - February 23, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

New Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences is misguided | @GrrlScientist
We should celebrate the scientific breakthroughs that benefit the many, not the fewLike a lot of people, I awoke this morning to the news of the new Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Initiated by multibillionaires Art Levinson, Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan and Yuri Milner, the Breakthrough Prize is intended to recognise "excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life." Winners are awarded $3 million each and since this is a prize, they can spend this money in any way they wish. According to the website, this prize is "dedicated to advancing breakthroug...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 21, 2013 Category: Science Authors: GrrlScientist, Bob O'Hara Tags: Blogposts guardian.co.uk Science Source Type: news

New Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences is misguided | GrrlScientist
We should celebrate the scientific breakthroughs that benefit the many, not the fewLike a lot of people, I awoke this morning to the news of the new Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. Initiated by multibillionaires Art Levinson, Sergey Brin, Anne Wojcicki, Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan and Yuri Milner, the Breakthrough Prize is intended to recognise "excellence in research aimed at curing intractable diseases and extending human life." Winners are awarded $3 million each and since this is a prize, they can spend this money in any way they wish. According to the website, this prize is "dedicated to advancing breakthroug...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 21, 2013 Category: Science Authors: GrrlScientist, Bob O'Hara Tags: Blogposts guardian.co.uk Science Source Type: news

'Alien' wildlife in Europe wreaks €12bn damage a year, study shows
From tiger mosquitoes to ragweed, more than 10,000 invasive species are putting increasing pressure on the natural worldAnimals and plants brought to Europe from other parts of the world are a bigger-than-expected threat to health and the environment costing at least €12bn (£10bn) a year, according to a study published on Thursday.More than 10,000 "alien" species have gained a foothold in Europe, from Asian tiger mosquitoes to North American ragweed, and at least 1,500 are known to be harmful, the European Environment Agency (EEA) said."In many areas, ecosystems are weakened by pollution, climate change and fragmentatio...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 21, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Biodiversity Biology World news guardian.co.uk Endangered species Europe Animals Plants Zoology Conservation Environment Invasive species Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Panda eyes focused as Yang Guang and Tian Tian seek each other out
Edinburgh Zoo keepers hope mating in March will follow male giant panda's eagerness to see waiting femaleAs is the case with its occasionally more subtle human counterparts, it seems that in the spring a giant panda's fancy turns to thoughts of love. Photographs from Edinburgh Zoo on Wednesday suggested that the UK's only male giant panda, Yang Guang, was keen to get cracking.Were his sorties to the gate of the enclosure of the female giant panda, Tian Tian, not proof enough of his intentions, he has recently begun to execute handstands against trees, walls and rocks, and to leave scent marks as high up as he can.Having ob...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Sam Jones Tags: Edinburgh The Guardian Zoos News Animal welfare Animals UK news Scotland Animal behaviour Zoology Source Type: news

Pandas in Edinburgh zoo 'may be ready to mate soon'
Tian Tian and Yang Guang start to display courtship behaviour, raising hopes of a successful matingThe UK's giant pandas could be ready to mate within the next month, according to zoo experts. Both the female Tian Tian (Sweetie) and the male Yang Guang (Sunshine) have started to show important changes in their behaviour, indicating their readiness to mate soon, panda specialists at Edinburgh Zoo said.Yang Guang recently began doing handstands against trees, walls and rocks, scent-marking as high up as possible – known as a display of virility in the wild. Meanwhile Tian Tian has started calling out to the male – which ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 17, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Edinburgh The Guardian Biology News UK news Scotland Animal behaviour Conservation Environment Science Source Type: news

Birdbooker Report 259 | @GrrlScientist
Compiled by an ardent bibliophile, this weekly report includes Grassfinches In Australia; Freeway Birding: San Francisco to Seattle; Common Spiders of North America; Starfish: Biology and Ecology of the Asteroidea; and Amphibians & Reptiles of Indiana, all of which have been recently published in North America and the UKBooks to the ceiling, Books to the sky,My pile of books is a mile high.How I love them! How I need them!I'll have a long beard by the time I read them. ~ Arnold Lobel [1933-1987] author of many popular children's books. Compiled by Ian "Birdbooker" Paulsen, the Birdbooker Report is a weekly report that has ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 17, 2013 Category: Science Authors: GrrlScientist Tags: Blogposts guardian.co.uk Science Source Type: news

New to nature No 99: Phagocata flamenca
This Andalucian flatworm, with its flamenco ruffles, is among six new species discovered on the Iberian peninsulaPlanarians are freshwater flatworms of the order Tricladida, scavengers and predators on other invertebrates, hermaphroditic, and capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction. They are distinguished from other flatworms by their trifurcate digestive tract and ovaries positioned in front of the brain. Familiar laboratory animals noted for their regenerative properties, they can be cut in half transversely with both head and tail halves developing into new whole worms, or split at the front to induce the develo...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 16, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Quentin Wheeler Tags: Spain World news Features Animals The Observer Zoology Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Knut the polar bear lifesize model to go on show in Berlin
Natural History Museum will open special entrance to admit thousands of fans to view recreation featuring bear's own furThe legend of the polar bear Knut, who became the darling of the zoological world before his death, two years ago, is to live on in a lifesize model, to be unveiled at the weekend.The model of the bear is to go on display at Berlin's Natural History Museum, and is expected to attract thousands of fans. The museum will open a special entrance just for the Knut visitors, who will be able to see the model for free.Made out of a dermoplastic, covered with Knut's fur and using glass eyes, the model was moulded...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 12, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Kate Connolly Tags: Leonardo DiCaprio Museums Germany Culture World news guardian.co.uk Europe United Nations Animal welfare Knut Climate change Animals Film Education Environment Science Source Type: news

Chick magnet? It's all about what you eat
(Zoological Society of London) Chicks that stock up on their five-a-day outshine their love rivals in later life, a new study shows. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - February 12, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

Ancestor of humans and all other mammals was small furry insect eater
Scientists reconstruct the animal that gave rise to every placental mammal following the extinction of the dinosaursAn identikit picture of a small furry ancestor of humans and most other mammals has been pieced together by scientists.The shrew-like creature weighed less than half a pound, had a long tail and ate insects. It evolved some 200,000 years after a massive asteroid impact led to the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.From this small beginning sprang every "placental" mammal – which give birth to mature live young – including dogs, cats, rodents, whales and humans.Placental mammals are the large...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 7, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Evolution Biology World news guardian.co.uk Taxonomy Dinosaurs Animals Zoology Science Source Type: news

What is life? The physicist who sparked a revolution in biology | Matthew Cobb
Erwin Schrödinger introduced some of the most important concepts in biology, including the idea of a 'code' of lifeSeventy years ago, on 5 February 1943, the Nobel prizewinning quantum physicist Erwin Schrödinger gave the first of three public lectures at Trinity College, Dublin. His topic was an unusual one for a physicist: "What is Life?" The following year the lectures were turned into a book of the same name.One of Schrödinger's key aims was to explain how living things apparently defy the second law of thermodynamics – according to which all order in the universe tends to break down. It was this that led my colle...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 7, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Matthew Cobb Tags: Blogposts Genetics Biology guardian.co.uk Physics Biochemistry and molecular biology Science Source Type: news

Wonders of Life by Brian Cox – digested read
John Crace reduces Brian Cox's journey through the marvels of the known universe to a more manageable 600 wordsHere's a photo of me standing on a rock looking wistful. Here's another photo of me sitting on a bench looking soulful. Here's yet another photo ... Cut them out. Put them on your wall. Make a calendar. B xxxI confess that when we began thinking about Wonders of Life, my first thought was "Why me?" as I gave up biology as an academic subject in 1984. But then I looked in the mirror and I thought: "Yeah. That's amaaazin." Evolution, DNA and butterflies. They're amaaazin, too. I mean, look at this blade of grass. It...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 3, 2013 Category: Science Authors: John Crace Tags: The Guardian People in science Astronomy Biology Culture Particle physics Brian Cox Books Editorial Zoology Science and nature Source Type: news

'There's no successor to David Attenborough - that's impossible'
As the nation's voice of science and natural history nears retirement, a host of presenters prepare to take up the challenge"I'm not going to be doing this when I'm 92," Sir David Attenborough said late last year – although given the veteran broadcaster is now 86 and still producing as many programmes as ever, it might be far from certain.This week, Attenborough gave the clearest indication yet of the person he sees as his natural successor, saying that if he had a torch, he would hand it to Brian Cox, the physics professor turned presenter.Cox declared himself "lost for words" at the compliment, insisting that Attenboro...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 1, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Esther Addley Tags: Television industry News guardian.co.uk Media David Attenborough BBC UK news Science & amp; radio Source Type: news

'A successor to David Attenborough? That's impossible'
As the nation's voice of science and natural history nears retirement, a host of presenters prepare to take up the mantle"I'm not going to be doing this when I'm 92," Sir David Attenborough said late last year. Given that the veteran broadcaster is now 86 and still producing as many programmes as ever, that may be far from certain.This week, Attenborough gave the clearest indication yet of who he sees as his natural successor, saying that if he had a torch, he would hand it to Brian Cox, the physics professor turned presenter. Cox declared himself "lost for words", insisting that Attenborough still had many great programme...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 1, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Esther Addley Tags: Television industry News guardian.co.uk Media David Attenborough BBC UK news Science & amp; radio Source Type: news

Japanese zoo holds fancy-dress practice run for animal escapes – in pictures
A staff member from Tama zoo in Tokyo dressed up as a zebra during a drill practicing what to do if an animal escapes (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 1, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Zoos World news Japan guardian.co.uk Animals Editorial Zoology Source Type: news

The Universe Within by Neil Shubin – review
From walking fish to the human eye, life on Earth was shaped by a succession of cosmic accidentsWe come trailing not Wordsworth's clouds of glory but clouds of primal hydrogen and remnants of a galactic nebula, a fabric of cold stardust and droplets of water more than 4bn years old. We arrive with billions of years of accumulated baggage: with, for instance, an internal waste disposal system first developed in a jawless fish more than 500m years ago; and a body clock determined by the planet's spin as it orbits the sun. Spring fades into summer not because that is the natural order of things, but because the same cosm...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 1, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Tim Radford Tags: The Guardian Astronomy Biology Culture Reviews Books Science and nature Source Type: news

Daphne Jackson Fellowship Opportunities
A Daphne Jackson Fellowship is a unique fellowship designed to return scientists, engineers and technologists to their careers after a break. Fellowships are normally undertaken on a part-time basis in a university or research establishment in the UK. They are flexible and include a tailored training programme designed to update the skills and knowledge of the Fellow thus allowing them to return at the appropriate level to their career. The Fellowship is normally part-time for two years and the Fellow is paid a salary, with a small additional allowance for expenses such as conference attendance. Fellowships are held withi...
Source: Society for Endocrinology - January 30, 2013 Category: Endocrinology Source Type: news

Why are there redheads? Birds might hold the clues
(University of Chicago Press Journals) In a study released in the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Ismael Galvan and Anders P. Møller examined the survival rates and chestnut feather coloration of barn swallows and other species of birds, to unearth factors favoring the evolution of pheomelanin in spite of its costs. They found that under conditions of low stress, birds with larger amounts of pheomelanin survived better, suggesting the pigment may serve a beneficial role. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - January 28, 2013 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news

It's goodbye Lenin, hello dinosaur as fossils head to Mongolia museum
Ulan Bator to transform its Lenin museum into a centre housing prehistoric fossils, including a Tyrannosaurus bataar specimenOnce he bestrode his world, lending his name to more museums, streets, monuments and public institutions than any other 20th-century figure. But in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator, at least, it is goodbye Lenin, as a political dinosaur makes way for the real kind.Mongolia is to transform a museum once dedicated to the Soviet dictator into a centre for its wealth of fossils, including a 70m-year-old Tyrannosaurus bataar specimen.The grand building in Ulan Bator, which still boasts a giant bust of Vl...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 27, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Tania Branigan Tags: The Guardian Russia Museums Culture World news Dinosaurs Fossils Zoology Mongolia Science Source Type: news

New to Nature No 98: Xerophytacolus claviverpus
Two new genera of leafhoppers have amazing waterproofing properties, and are happy to be herded about – by antsTwo new genera of leafhoppers, Xerophytavorus and Xerophytacolus, were recently described by Michael Stiller of the biosystematics division of the ARC Plant Protection Research Institute in South Africa, with two new species assigned to each. One Xerophytavorus species is from Malawi and the remaining three are from South Africa.With more than 20,000 species it is dangerous to generalise too much about leafhoppers, but I will try. Members of the family Cicadellidae, they are small, more or less triangular-shaped...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 26, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Quentin Wheeler Tags: World news Features Animals Insects The Observer Zoology Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Dung beetles navigate by the stars
The scarab beetle may make its living by rolling balls of dung, but it's looking at the starsThe humble dung beetle is the first insect known to navigate by the stars. Like sailors of old and Saharan nomads, it can orientate itself by watching the sky.On clear nights, a myriad of stars shine over the deserts and savannahs of Africa where the dung beetle, or scarab, makes its home. While the beetle's compound eyes are probably too weak to see individual stars, it uses the light of the Milky Way to keep it on a straight course, scientists have found.The beetles feed on animal dung, which they fashion into a ball and roll to ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 25, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Astronomy Biology World news guardian.co.uk Animal behaviour Zoology Science Space Source Type: news

The week in wildlife - in pictures
A penguin's eye view, wintry wonders and clever quails are among the pick of this week's images from the natural world (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 25, 2013 Category: Science Tags: Marine life World news guardian.co.uk Birds Animals Editorial Animal behaviour Zoology Environment Winter Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Common pesticides 'can kill frogs within an hour'
This study was performed under laboratory 'worst-case' conditions. Under normal agricultural conditions amphibians are not exposed to such pesticide concentrations. According to our knowledge, no significant impact on amphibian populations has been reported despite the widespread and global use of the fungicide pyraclostrobin."Brühl said the method, a single spray directly on to the frogs, sometimes at just 10% of the label rate, was a "realistic worst-case" scenario. He added that in the field, multiple sprays of a variety of pesticides was likely and that chemicals might run off into ponds where frogs lived.Sandra Bell,...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 24, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Damian Carrington Tags: Farming Biology World news guardian.co.uk Endangered species Animals Pesticides Conservation Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Citizen science project Opal marks its fifth anniversary - in pictures
The first findings from a massive five-year UK citizen science project involving have been released (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 24, 2013 Category: Science Tags: guardian.co.uk Water Editorial Insects Gardens Zoology Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Fellowship stipend available, Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons, UK
To celebrate two centuries of world-leading research on these extraordinary collections, and thanks to the generosity of the Board of Trustees of the Hunterian Collection, a stipend is available to attract a visiting researcher to spend a period of collections-related study at the Royal College of Surgeons. The College’s Museums and Archives seek an outstanding scholar to work on the collections in the academic year 2013–14, to further enhance knowledge and understanding of the collections and to generate valuable academic and/or engagement outputs, with a stipend of up to £15,000. The proposed work may ...
Source: Society for Endocrinology - January 23, 2013 Category: Endocrinology Source Type: news

Penguin cam gives bird's eye view of hunting in Antarctica - video
Japanese scientists have recorded video footage from Adélie penguins as they forage for food in Hukuro Cove, Antarctica (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 21, 2013 Category: Science Tags: World news guardian.co.uk Oceans Birds Animal behaviour Antarctica Zoology Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Penguins are lethally efficient hunting machines, video reveals
In more than 14 hours of filming using cameras strapped to 11 Adélie penguins, not once did a bird fail to capture its preyHungry penguins with tiny video cameras strapped to their backs have given scientists a rare glimpse of their spectacular and voracious feeding habits.Footage from Adélie penguins in waters off the coast of Antarctica showed the birds darting at krill, snapping up fish, and hunting down prey beneath sheets of floating ice in the Lützow-Holm bay area.In more than 14 hours of film captured from 11 birds, not once did a penguin miss its target. Some marine creatures had no time to hide, while others tr...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 21, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Ian Sample Tags: Biology World news guardian.co.uk Birds Animals Animal behaviour Antarctica Zoology Conservation Environment Science Wildlife Source Type: news

Sloths simply can't get away from scientists
They have studied their locomotion, snoozing patterns, social lives, appetite and hair. Yes, scientists are fascinated by slothsThe name of the sloth is synonymous with a certain style of sin. But scientists pursue them for other reasons, too. The animals move – something they do on occasion – in what can seem mysterious ways. They hang upside down from tree limbs, and sometimes amble that way there. On the ground, ambling right-side-up is their preferred way to get from here to slightly over there. They often snooze.A study called Three-Dimensional Kinematic Analysis of the Pectoral Girdle During Upside-Down Locomotio...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 21, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Marc Abrahams Tags: The Guardian Research Higher education Features Animal behaviour Science Source Type: news

Science weekly podcast: the Higgs boson, Orion and crabs in pain
There's something physicists haven't told you – until now. This week on Science Weekly we have an extract of Sean Carroll's lecture at the Royal Institution entitled The Particle at the End of the Universe in which he reveals that secret. Sean is a theoretical physicist at Caltech in Pasadena, California. You can watch the whole lecture on YouTube, the Q&A session afterwards, and an interview he gave about what happens next at the Large Hadron Collider.Also this week, Alok Jha meets astronomy blogger Stuart Clark to discuss last week's announcement of a Nasa/European Space Agency Orion collaboration: a programme of missi...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 20, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Alok Jha, Jason Phipps Tags: Nasa Particle physics guardian.co.uk Higgs boson Food & drink Neuroscience Editorial Food science European Space Agency Zoology Environment Wildlife Royal Institution Source Type: news

Alfred Russel Wallace, the forgotten man of evolution, gets his moment
Wallace formed the theory of natural selection, but Charles Darwin's connections ensured he got the gloryAlfred Russel Wallace is far from a household name, but he changed the world. Recovering from a bout of malaria on the remote Indonesian island of Halmahera, the young British biologist came up with an idea that would transform humanity's view of itself: he worked out the theory of natural selection. Wallace wrote down his idea and sent it to Charles Darwin, who had been contemplating a similar theory of evolution for more than a decade. Both versions were read to members of the Linnean Society in 1858.Today Darwin is t...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 19, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Tags: Bill Bailey Charles Darwin Museums Natural History Museum Evolution Biology Culture News BBC2 UK news The Observer Zoology Science Source Type: news

New to nature No 97: Ferrisia uzinuri
Pinpointing new species of mealy bug is of huge benefit to the agricultural industries of afflicted nations worldwideMealy bugs are small, soft-bodied scale insects that attach themselves to plants where they feed on fluids, weakening or damaging the host and sometimes transmitting disease. Their common name derives from dense cottony wax secretions with which they enrobe their body. Sexual dimorphism is extreme in mealybugs with "wasp-like" winged males that lack functional mouthparts and live only days, just long enough to mate, and flightless females that are largely sedentary once they attach to a host plant.In 1893, a...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 19, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Quentin Wheeler Tags: Farming World news Features Animals The Observer Zoology Environment Agriculture Science Wildlife Source Type: news

On the trail of the dinosaur rustlers
Dinosaur fossils are big business, with complete skeletons fetching millions. And that much cash attracts swindlers – whose illegal trade damages science in its wakeFossils are priceless. I mean that in both senses: they are invaluable clues about vanished lives and their worth should never be measured in dollars. But Eric Prokopi made quite a bit of money dealing fossils and, as it turns out, brazenly smuggling them. He pleaded guilty in December 2012 to conspiracy, making false statements to customs officials, illegally importing fossils into the United States and fraudulent transfer of dinosaur bones. He is due to be ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 19, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Brian Switek Tags: Evolution World news US crime Dinosaurs Features The Observer Fossils Zoology Mongolia Science Source Type: news