Historic Loss: Rising Seas Completely Eradicated a U.S. Species for the First Time
The United States has witnessed the local extinction of the Key Largo tree cactus due to sea level rise, a first in the country. The…
Florida Museum of Natural History News
The University of Münster, officially known as Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster, is a prominent German university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia. Established in 1780, it is one of the largest universities in Germany, offering a wide range of disciplines with a strong emphasis on research and education in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The university is also distinguished for its faculties of law, theology, and medicine. WWU Münster fosters a rich academic tradition, with a vibrant intellectual culture and a commitment to fostering a comprehensive education. It boasts an extensive library system, advanced research facilities, and a network of collaborative partnerships with other universities and research institutes worldwide. The university plays a pivotal role in the educational and cultural life of Münster, a city known for its historical importance and high quality of life.
Ultrasonic Illusions: How Tiger Beetles Use Mimicry to Outsmart Bats
Tiger beetles mimic the ultrasonic signals of toxic moths to evade bat predation, a survival strategy exclusive to their nocturnal varieties. As the primary predators…
“Shocking” – Moths Are Strangely Vanishing From Southern U.S. Cities
Insects of all stripes are in the midst of a vanishing act, a catastrophic sleight-of-hand occurring so rapidly that scientists can’t keep up. Things get…
This Ancient Lineage of Cryptic Plants Is Millions of Years Old. They May Be Permanently Gone in Decades.
Scrub mints are among the most endangered plants you’ve probably never heard of. Over half of the existing 24 species are recognized as threatened or…
Scientists Discover Nine New Species of Carnivorous Land Snails in the Remote Forests of Papua New Guinea
Nine recently discovered species of meat-eating land snails have been identified in the secluded forests of Papua New Guinea, known for its rich variety of…
Frankincense and Myrrh Mystery Solved: The Surprising Truth Behind These Ancient Bead-Like Fossils
Mysterious fossils found in India in the 1970s have been identified as part of the Frankincense family, hinting at a southern hemisphere origin and reshaping…
Unlocking the Parrot’s Past: Ancient DNA Reveals Unexpected Extinctions in the Caribbean
A recent study published in PNAS reveals that researchers have successfully retrieved ancient DNA from Caribbean parrots. By comparing this DNA with sequences from contemporary…
Ancient DNA Reveals African Roots of American Cattle
While many associate cattle with iconic American imagery such as cowboys, cattle drives, and vast ranches, these animals were not native to the American continents….
Strange “Skin-Feeding” Behavior in Caecilians Discovered To Help Inoculate Their Young
Wormlike Animals Are First Amphibians Shown To Pass Microbes to Their Offspring A new study on caecilians—a type of amphibian—reveals that their unique skin-feeding behavior…
Mammalian Anomaly: The Secret Armor of African Spiny Mice
Unlike crocodiles, turtles, lizards, dinosaurs, and fish that possess bony plates and scales, mammals have long since exchanged their ancestral armor for an insulating layer…
Weather Anomalies and Insects: First-of-a-Kind Study Unveils Surprising Patterns
With greenhouse gas emissions causing Earth’s climate to steadily heat up, we’re seeing an increasing number of extreme and anomalous weather events. But predicting and…
“Once-in-a-Lifetime Find” – Scientists Discover 5.5 Million-Year-Old Elephant Graveyard in Florida
Approximately five and a half million years ago, a number of gomphotheres, now-extinct relatives of elephants, met their end in or near a river in…
The Origin of Butterflies: A 100 Million-Year-Old Mystery Unraveled
Roughly 100 million years ago, a pioneering group of moths began to venture out during the day instead of night, seizing the opportunity presented by…
Scientists Uncover the Unexpected True Identity of “Tequila” Worms
Mezcal is a distilled spirit produced from the cooked and fermented sap of agave plants. The majority of mezcal drinks, including all tequila varieties, are…
Tails of Survival: The Luna Moth’s Secret Weapon Against Bats
Researchers found that Luna moth tails primarily serve to misdirect bat attacks, with no additional mating advantages or increased visibility to bird predators. In a…
Uncovering the Mystery of Hispaniola’s Lost Rodent Species
The Caribbean island of Hispaniola used to host 11 different rodent species, but now only one remains in the island’s two countries of Haiti and…
Rewriting History – The First Full-Length Genomes for Homosporous Ferns
A new study reveals ferns’ history of DNA hoarding and kleptomania. Ferns are infamous for having an enormous number of chromosomes and massive amounts of…
North America’s Rarest Snake Found Dead
The snake was recently spotted for the first time in four years. After a four-year absence, the rarest snake in North America, the Tantilla oolitica…