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Living world news: Animals, plants, and microbes
Plants' natural circadian rhythm genes revealed
(Mar 12, 2012)
A gene that triggers plants to become dormant at night and controls
flowering has been discovered by scientists. Computer models of cress
plants genes showed how 12 genes work together to set plants' internal
clocks, University of Edinburgh researchers said. They found that
a protein, known as TOC1, previously associated with helping plants
to wake up, dampened down gene activity at night.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Tiny lizards found in Madagascar
(Feb 20, 2012)
One of the world's tiniest lizards has been discovered by keen-eyed
researchers in Madagascar. The miniature chameleon, Brookesia
micra, reaches a maximum length of just 29 mm. German scientists
also found a further three new species in the north of the island.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Seagrass 'tens of thousands of years old'
(Feb 8, 2012)
Meadows of seagrass found in the Mediterranean Sea are likely to be
thousands of years old, a study shows. Researchers found genetically
identical samples of Posidonia oceanica up to 15km apart,
which suggested that the species was extremely long-lived. The team
added that the organism, which provides food and shelter for many
species, is under threat from climate change.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Whales 'stressed by ocean noise'
(Feb 8, 2012)
Noise from ships stresses whales nearby, researchers have shown. Ships'
propellers emit sound in the same frequency range that some whales
use for communicating, and previous studies have shown the whales
change their calling patterns in noisy places. Now, researchers have
measured stress hormones in whale faeces, and found they rose with
the density of shipping.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
'Supergiant' crustacean found in deepest
ocean
(Feb 2, 2012)
A huge crustacean has been found lurking 7 km down in the waters off
the coast of New Zealand. The creature – called a supergiant
– is a type of amphipod, which are normally around 2–3
cm long. But these beasts, discovered in the Kermadec Trench, were
more than 10 times bigger: the largest found measured in at 34 cm.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
'The Hoff' crab is new ocean find
(Jan 4, 2012)
UK scientists have found prodigious numbers of a new crab species
on the Southern Ocean floor that they have dubbed "The Hoff" because
of its excessively hairy chest. The animal was discovered living around
volcanic vents off South Georgia. Great piles of the crabs were seen
to come together.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
How penguins 'time' a deep dive
(Dec 8, 2011)
Emperor penguins "time" their dives by the number of flaps they can
manage with their wings. This is according to a new study published
in the Journal of Experimental Biology. It aimed to show
how the birds reached the "decision" that it was time to stop feeding
and return to the surface to breathe.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Shrimp has 'silk-spinning skills'
(Nov 15, 2011)
A tiny underwater creature spins silk in order to bind together its
sand grain house, researchers have discovered. The shrimp, Crassicorophium
bonellii, produces fibres that combine barnacle cement biology
with spider silk production techniques. The resulting "gossamer threads"
are sticky and salt-water resistant.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Piranhas communicate with sound, say researchers
(Oct 14, 2011)
Scientists have discovered that piranhas use sounds to communicate
– often intimidating their rivals rather than attacking. With
underwater microphones, scientists recorded the sounds the fish made
when they confronted one another. They reported in the Journal
of Experimental Biology that each of these three sounds appeared
to contain a different "message".
Read
more. Source: BBC |
How ants build nest-ventilating turrets
(Sep 27, 2011)
Grass-cutting ants build gigantic nests – underground cities
where up to seven million insects live and tend a fungal garden that
feeds their young. Scientists have now discovered how the ants build
nests that stay at the right temperature for this precious fungus
to grow. The ants build porous turrets, specifically to ventilate
the nests.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Crows use mirrors to find food
(Sep 20, 2011)
Clever New Caledonian crows can use mirrors to find food, according
to scientists. Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand,
tested wild-caught crows' reactions to mirrors. The crows did not
recognise themselves but found cached food items by studying their
reflections.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
New Pacific eel is a 'living fossil', scientists
say
(Aug 17, 2011)
A newly discovered eel that inhabits an undersea cave in the Pacific
Ocean has been dubbed a "living fossil" because of its primitive features.
It is so distinct, scientists created a new taxonomic family to describe
its relationship to other eels. The US-Palauan-Japanese team say the
eel's features suggest it has a long and independent evolutionary
history stretching back 200m years.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Giant fungus discovered in China
(Jul 31, 2011)
The most massive fruiting body of any fungus yet documented has been
discovered growing on the underside of a tree in China. The fruiting
body, which is equivalent to the mushrooms produced by other fungi
species, is up to 10m long, 80cm wide and weighs half a tonne. That
shatters the record held previously by a fungus growing in Kew Gardens
in the UK.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Blainville's beaked whales enter stealth
mode
(Jul 25, 2011)
Blainville's beaked whales, which are among the world's most enigmatic
cetacea, go silent in shallow waters. Researchers have discovered
that the whales refuse to communicate with each other near the surface.
By becoming silent, the whales enter a stealth mode that prevents
them being detected by predatory killer whales.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Naked mole rat's genetic blueprint revealed
(Jul 6, 2011)
The bizarre but fascinating naked mole rat is the latest creature
to have its genome sequenced by scientists. A genetic blueprint for
this unphotogenic but remarkable rodent could help researchers understand
why it is so long-lived and also why they appear to have some resistance
to cancer.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Diving bell spiders come up for air just
once a day
(Jun 10, 2011)
Diving bell spiders are the only spiders to spend almost their entire
lives underwater. New research has shown that the bubble of air to
which they are attached while submerged serves as an extra gill and
is replensihed only once a day.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Parrots cooperate in problem-solving
(May 20, 2011)
A French study has shown that African gray parrots are able to cooperate
on tasks, such as pulling on a string to bring a tray of food towards
them. But they don't always choose to do this: some individuals like
working as a team, while others prefer to go it alone. Similar experiments,
on a larger scale, had earlier revealed the ability of chimpanzees
to work together.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Bonobos 'chat' about good foods
(May 3, 2011)
Bonobos communicate where to find their favourite food using barks
and peeps, scientists have found. In the first study of its kind,
researchers in the UK found the apes gave each other specific details
about food quality. The combination of five distinct calls into sequences
allowed others to concentrate their foraging around areas known to
contain preferred kiwi fruits.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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