Scientists Puzzled: Tasmanian Devils Have Just Broken the Laws of Scavenging
They are the only known scavengers in the world to have picky diets. If there’s one thing that scavengers do, it’s scavenge: feed on whatever…
Ecology
Tracing Back Through Time: The Secret Life of Tasmanian Devils Is Hiding in Their Whiskers
I know what you did last summer: chemical clues in the marsupial’s whiskers can reveal what they ate months – and even seasons – ago….
Deforestation Has Doubled Risk of Flash Flooding in Fast-Growing West African Coastal Cities
Study shows storm frequency has doubled in the region in 30 years, mostly linked to land-use change. The frequency of thunderstorms in some fast-growing African…
Predator-Prey Dynamics: Evolution Happens Faster Than Expected
Using a mathematical model, two scientists of the University of Innsbruck and the University of Helsinki were able to determine that in predator-prey dynamics, both…
Neanderthals Changed Ecosystems 125,000 Years Ago – Were Not “Primal Hippies”
Hunter-gatherers caused ecosystems to change 125,000 years ago. These are the findings of an interdisciplinary study by archaeologists from Leiden University in collaboration with other…
Capturing a True Picture of Wolves in Yellowstone: Reevaluating Aspen Recovery Success Story
New research shows that the effects of wolves on the recovery of aspen has been exaggerated by how it was measured. It’s an environmental success…
A Clean Ocean by 2030: UN Experts’ “Clean Ocean Manifesto”
Interim goals for 2025 and an integrated ocean debris observing system exemplify demands of experts’ “Clean Ocean Manifesto” Reducing marine debris by 50-90% and a…
Humans Guilty of Breaking an Fundamental Oceanic Law of Nature
A new international study carried out by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) has examined the distribution…
Humans Had Significant Role in the Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth
New research shows that humans had a significant role in the extinction of woolly mammoths in Eurasia, occurring thousands of years later than previously thought….
Evidence of Prehistoric Human Activity Discovered on Falkland Islands
Since its first recorded sighting by European explorers in the 1600s, scientists and historians have believed that Europeans were the first people to ever set…
Sex and the Symbiont: Can Algae Hookups Help Corals Survive Climate Change?
Rice biologists’ discovery can be used to help climate-challenged reefs survive for now. A little more sexy time for symbionts could help coral reefs survive…
Solving the Krill Paradox: Researchers Find Whales Eat (and Poop) Far More Than Previously Thought
Research on whale feeding highlights how the precipitous decline of large marine mammals has negatively impacted the health and productivity of ocean ecosystems. From 1910…
Mapping Annual Wildfire Probabilities Across the State of California
Statistical modeling highlights predictive importance of local climate and human activity. Researchers have uncovered new insights into the dynamics that underlie the probabilities of wildfire…
World’s Largest Whales Eat 3x More Than Previously Thought, Amplifying Their Role As Global Ecosystem Engineers
Recovery of baleen whales to pre-whaling levels could restore lost ocean function and may help curb climate change. New research co-authored by Nicholas Pyenson, curator of…
“Sweet Spots” for Fishing Driven by Movement of Plankton Between Tropical Marine Ecosystems
Plankton eaters play key role in transferring offshore resources to coral reef ecosystems. A new analysis suggests that the movement of plankton and plankton-eating fish…
Ancient DNA Reveals How the Ancestors of Modern Horses Migrated
Molecular biologists studied the DNA of ones that migrated from North America to Eurasia and back. An international research team determined that ancestors of modern…
When a Massive Wildfire Tears Through a Landscape, What Happens to the Wildlife?
After massive California wildfire, deer returned home while trees were “still smoldering.” While many animals have adapted to live with wildfires of the past —…
Primates’ Ancestors May Have Left Trees To Survive Asteroid That Wiped Out the Dinosaurs
When an asteroid struck 66 million years ago and wiped out dinosaurs not related to birds and three-quarters of life on Earth, early ancestors of…
