By dispersing seeds, animals can rapidly reestablish plant diversity in degraded forests.
Adventurous bird personalities can help population cope with climate change
The areas in the Wadden Sea where red knots, plump migratory birds, spend the winter are under pressure. The Wadden Sea is changing due to human influences such as mining for gas, tourism and due to sea level rise. Ecologists have studied how 'personalities' of individual red knots differ and...
Trends and biases in African large carnivore population assessments
African large carnivores have undergone significant range and population declines over recent decades. Although conservation planning and the management of threatened species requires accurate assessments of population status and monitoring of trends, there is evidence that biodiversity monitoring may not be evenly distributed or occurring where most needed.
New catalyst could be key for hydrogen economy
A light-activated catalyst efficiently converts ammonia into clean-burning hydrogen using only inexpensive raw materials.
525-million-year-old fossil defies textbook explanation for brain evolution
According to a new study, fossils of a tiny sea creature with a delicately preserved nervous system solve a century-old debate over how the brain evolved in arthropods, the most species-rich group in the animal kingdom. Combining detailed anatomical studies of the fossilized nervous system with analyses of gene expression patterns...
Planet’s rarest birds at higher risk of extinction
A new study finds that bird species with extreme or uncommon combinations of traits face the highest risk of extinction.
Gene that guides earliest social behaviors could be key to understanding autism
A new animal study points to a gene that is important for the earliest development of basic social behaviors. The work also suggests that exposure to certain drugs and environmental risk factors during embryonic development can cause changes to this gene, leading to alterations in social behavior that are similar...
Picky eaters are put off by food depending on plateware color
Researchers examining the characteristics of picky eaters have found the color of the bowl food is served in has an influence on taste.
Ancient Roman coins reveal long-lost emperor
A gold coin long dismissed as a forgery appears to be authentic and depicts a long-lost Roman emperor named Sponsian, according to a new study.
Egyptian lagoon vital to Cyprus turtles
The number of green turtles breeding in Cyprus has risen in recent years -- but this bounce-back depends heavily on an Egyptian lagoon where many turtles feed, new research shows.