Collaborate Disseminate
Ever been caught in the crossfire of a wet dog firing droplets of water away from their fur with a mad shake? Well, they can’t help it. Scientists have discovered the underlying mechanism that drives dogs – and many other hairy mammals – to vigorously … Continue reading The fascinating brain talk that triggers a wet dog to ‘shake it off’
Despite stories of “wasps getting drunk” and “beetles consuming beer,” it has been thought that alcohol consumption in the non-human animal world has not been particularly widespread, deliberate or sought out for a physiological benefit. Now, ecologist… Continue reading Alcohol consumption is widespread in the animal kingdom
Most of us do it, be it romantic, familial, friendly or formal, but kissing among humans and where and how it originated is still hotly debated among historians and anthropologists. Now a new theory has been put forward: That our evolutionary loss of b… Continue reading Why we kiss: A fascinating new theory that predates human life on Earth
A surprise discovery in a remote Australian desert region has given us new clues into the evolution of complex animal life, dating back more than 500 million years. The numerous fossils of the animal now known as Quaestio simpsonorum also show clear le… Continue reading Ancient ‘sea Roomba’ tells a 555-million-year-old story of our evolution
Scientists have discovered evidence that an isolated pocket of complex life may have evolved on Earth more than 2 billion years ago – only to go extinct and take another 1.5 billion years to evolve to that level again. The controversial find could rewr… Continue reading Isolated community of complex life may have existed 2 billion years ago
No creature in the history of planet Earth sparks the imagination quite like Tyrannosaurus rex. But how do we separate the movie-monster myth from the actual animal? Victoria the T-rex, a traveling exhibition currently visiting Melbourne Museum in Aust… Continue reading The life of Victoria the T-Rex, and what Jurassic Park got wrong
An amphibian has lived up to its name, swapping out its usual green coloring for bright blue, in the first-ever record of a magnificent tree frog with this appearance. It’s stunned scientists, who know they’re unlikely to see this again.Continue Readin… Continue reading In a world first, blue frog defies nature with “once-in-a-lifetime” look
Long before dinosaurs roamed the Earth, another giant predator claimed the top spot in its environment. Meet Gaiasia, a huge salamander-like creature that stalked the Permian swamps.Continue ReadingCategory: Biology, ScienceTags: Fossils, Amphibious, L… Continue reading Giant swamp monster was a top predator before the dinosaurs
In the 1800s, a conflict between the founding fathers of evolution divided the community. Charles Darwin believed sexual selection drove the variation in butterfly colors and patterns of males, while contemporary rival Alfred Russel Wallace disagreed, … Continue reading 150-year-old conflict between Darwin and Wallace is resolved – by a machine
In a world first, scientists have discovered that painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) have used favorable winds and a strategy of active flying and autopilot to fly across the world without stops, covering at least 4,200 km (2,600 miles). They be… Continue reading Butterfly takes epic 2,600-mile transatlantic flight, stuns scientists