WEIRD ANIMALS
A close-up micro-CT scan of Ophiojura‘s eight sets of toothy jaws. J. Black/University of Melbourne – By Michael Irving 2021 Jun 18 – While scientists hunt for signs of life on other planets, there are still plenty of utterly alien creatures left to find …
A conservation effort is planting a poisonous flower along the state’s central coast in hopes of lifting butterfly population. Western monarch butterfly populations have sharply declined in recent years. Photograph: Courtesy River Partners – By Erin McCormick in Berkeley Last modified on 2021 …
Researchers think the frog could be widespread across New Guinea. – By Amy Woodyatt, CNN Updated 2021 May 29 – A team of Australian scientists has discovered a curious “chocolate” tree frog in the lowland rainforests of New Guinea. – Tree frogs are …
The Terra device (at right, behind bird) is currently on Kickstarter. Terra Project – By Ben Coxworth May 28, 2021May 28 – Although many people enjoy tracking which types of birds come through their backyards, they can’t be watching their yards all the time. …
While on a routine patrol, Greg Francek came across bone fragments from prehistoric animals that existed millions of years before humans. Ranger Greg Francek uncovers a gomphothere fossil. Photograph: East Bay Municipal Utility District – By Erin McCormick 2021 May 26 – Imagine …
The billion-year-old multicellular microfossil was found at Loch Torridon in the Scottish Highlands. grafxart/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 May 02 – Scientists have discovered the fossil of what may be the earliest multicellular animal ever found. Dating back a billion years, the microscopic …
Scheme involving ‘ bee hotels’ and ‘bee stops’ reaps rewards as census shows no strong decline in urban population. A ‘bee hotel’ in a city park. The structures have helped urban bee populations to thrive by providing cavities for solitary bees to nest. …
Scientists have created human-monkey chimera embryos for the first time. everett225/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 Apr 15 – In a breakthrough new study, scientists have created human-monkey chimera embryos for the first time. These chimeras pave the way for more accurate models of …
Understanding how other animals dream could help us figure out why it’s so important to the human brain, and why it may have been preserved throughout history. Photograph: Alamy – By Sara Harrison 2021 Apr 16 07:00 AM – Fruit flies, octopuses, birds, …
Artist’s impression of Monkeydactyl, or Kunpengopterus antipollicatus. Chuang Zhao – By Nick Lavars 2021 Apr 12 – It’s a common view that opposable thumbs are a key feature that distinguishes us from most other species, but a flying reptile that clambered through the trees …
