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living world archive: Jul-Sep
2007
Living world news archive: July-September 2007
Eleven new species found in Vietnam's
Green Corridor
(Sep 26, 2007)
Eleven new species, including a snake and two butterflies, have
been discovered in a remote region of Vietnam known as the Green
Corridor, the WWF reveals today. Five orchids and three other
plants make up the rest of the haul of species new to science.
They all appear to be unique to Vietnam's Annamites mountain range.
Read
more. Source: Guardian |
Chimps 'raid' fruit to lure mates
(Sep 12, 2007)
Experts studying the evolution of human behaviour have discovered
chimpanzees will raid fruit to attract a mate. The study found
that males will abscond with fruits like papaya from nearby orchards
and give it to females. The University of Stirling research was
carried out with a small chimp community in the Republic of Guinea
in West Africa.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Godwit makes huge Pacific flight
(Sep 12, 2007)
It's official – the godwit makes the longest non-stop migratory
flight in the world. A bird has been tracked from its Southern
Hemisphere summertime home in New Zealand to its breeding ground
in Alaska – and back again. The bar-tailed godwit, a female
known as E7, landed in New Zealand this past weekend after taking
a week to fly 11,500km from Alaska to New Zealand. Unlike seabirds,
which feed and rest on long journeys, godwits just keep going.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Eels imitate Alien
(Sep 6, 2007)
Researchers studying one species of moray eels have uncovered
a deadly secret that helps the snake-like fish to swallow their
prey. Like the fearsome extraterrestrial from the sci-fi horror
classic Alien, these
real-life beasts have a second, extendable pair of jaws –
encrusted with sharp teeth – that thrusts forward to ensnare
hapless fish and shrimp.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
Cleverest crows opt for two tools
(Aug 16, 2007)
Crows have shown that two tools are better than one when it comes
to problem solving, scientists say. A University of Auckland study
has revealed that New Caledonian crows can use separate tools
in quick succession to retrieve an out-of-reach snack. The birds
were using reasoning that was more commonly seen in great apes
and humans, the New Zealand team reported in the journal Current
Biology.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Ancient microbes 'revived' in lab
(Aug 8, 2007)
Microbes locked in Antarctic ice for as much as eight million
years have been "resuscitated" in a laboratory. Researchers melted
five samples of ice from the debris-covered glaciers of Antarctica
which range in age from 100,000 years to eight million years.
When given nutrients and warmth, the microbes resumed their activity
– although younger microorganisms grew more successfully
than the older ones.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Sugar-rushes keep bats airborne
(Aug 6, 2007)
Nectar-feeding bats burn up sugar faster than any other mammals
on Earth, scientists believe. The UK-German team found that the
creatures began to metabolise nectar within minutes of drinking
it. The researchers said the animals needed to extract as much
energy as possible from their food because their hovering flight
used up so much fuel.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Orangutans use 'charades' to talk
(Aug 2, 2007)
Orangutan communication resembles a game of charades, a study
suggests. Researchers from St Andrews University have shown that
the animals intentionally modify or repeat their signals to get
their messages across. The scientists said they believed all great
apes could have this capability, suggesting that the skill may
have evolved millions of years ago.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Countdown to a synthetic lifeform
(Jul 11, 2007)
Synthetic life could be just around the corner – depending
on what you mean by "synthetic". Last week, genomics pioneer Craig
Venter announced that his team has passed an important milestone
in its efforts to create a bacterial cell whose genome is entirely
synthetic. Venter claims this goal could be achieved within months.
But while Venter's synthetic genome will be housed within an existing
bacterial cell, other scientists are aiming for the even more
ambitious target of building an entire living cell from the basic
chemical ingredients.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
When fish get emotional
(Jul 9, 2007)
Who ever heard of a fish being in two minds about something? Yet
it seems that like humans, fish process information – and
perhaps emotions – on different sides of the brain. Fish
growing up in the wild among predators use their left eye to look
at novel objects, while their offspring raised in captivity use
the right eye.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Piranha 'less deadly than feared'
(Jul 2, 2007)
The piranha's reputation as a fearsome predator may not be fully
deserved, scientists in the UK have announced. Found in the Amazon,
piranha fish have been portrayed as killer carnivores who work
together to overwhelm their prey and strip its flesh. But experts
from St Andrews University say that piranhas are omnivores who
mainly eat fish, plants and insects.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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