WEIRD ANIMALS
The venom of Australian funnel web spiders could have life-saving potential. pelooyen/Depositphotos – By Nick Lavars 2021 Jul 15 – As unlikely as it may seem, the venom of the deadly funnel web spider could prove a valuable source of a number of life-saving …
A new “super glue” uses enzymes from the venom of the lancehead snake to stop bleeding. ammmit/Depositphotos – By Michael Irving 2021 Jul 15 – During surgery or traumatic injury, quickly stopping bleeding can save lives. Now, scientists have recruited an unlikely ally to …
A two-inch-long ant that once roamed Wyoming rivals today’s hummingbirds in size. (Image credit: Bruce Archibald) – By Stephanie Pappas – Almost 50 million years ago, ants the size of hummingbirds roamed what is now Wyoming, a new fossil discovery reveals. These giant …
Life was already getting harder for dinosaurs before an asteroid wiped them out. metha1819/Shutterstock – Fabien Condamine, Chercheur au CNRS en Phylogénie et Evolution Moléculaire, Université de Montpellier 2021 Jun 30 – Some 66 million years ago, on the Yucatán peninsula in México, a …
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 …