Tags: Nature

Scientists Have Discovered Earliest Evidence Of Life On Earth

The earliest evidence for life on Earth is graphite found to be a biogenic substance in 3.7 billion-year-old metasedimentary rocks discovered in western Greenland and microbial mat fossils found in 3.48 billion-year-old sandstone discovered in Western Australia.

Thousands of Endangered Antelope Deaths Have Scientists Investigating a Serious Concern

In central Kazakhstan entire herds of saiga antelope lay dead-more than 120,000, or nearly half of the species worldwide. These animals died off within two or three weeks, a shocking pace. This is an unprecedented mass mortality events for saiga antelopes relative to the total population size, and the last case in 2010 saw only 12,000 dead saiga.

Were Dinosaurs Warm Blooded Like Modern Animals?

For years the accepted theory was that dinosaurs were cold blooded, much like modern reptiles today. However, a study then showed that they were neither cold blooded or warm blooded like animals today. However, a paleontologist revisited that study focusing on the metabolism and growth of the dinosaurs. The re-analysis then provided evidence that dinosaurs were actually warm blooded like many of today's modern animals.

Scientists Use 3D Printed Eggs to Study the Art of Deception among Birds

3D printing has already established itself within the scientific community. It's been used to produce tools aboard the International Space Station, replicate body parts for surgical procedures, and now it's found a new niche among biologists studying bird behavior. It turns out, 3D printers produce mighty fine eggs.

Parasitic 'Dementor' Wasp Leaves Prey Without Free Will

You may think a wasp that can zombify its prey with venom in order to eat it alive sounds like the stuff of nightmares, but it's actually the stuff of biodiversity. Called the dementor wasp, this terrifying insect was just discovered last year-along with 138 other new species-in the Greater Mekong Region of Asia, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports today.

Clever Birds use Weight and Sound when choosing their Nuts

In yet another example of avian ingenuity, researchers from Poland and Korea have discovered that birds have the ability to use weight and sound to distinguish more desirable peanuts from their less desirable counterparts.

Ancient DNA Shows Dogs Split from Wolves Much Earlier than Previous Estimates

The long relationship between humans and dogs has just been pushed back by tens of thousands of years, thanks to a small piece of rib bone found during an expedition to the far northern reaches of Siberia. And the genetics show that dogs split from wolves much earlier than we once believed.

Seeing With Its Skin—How An Octopus Can Live In the Deep

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara have discovered that the octopus, uniquely adept with camouflage, can "see" with its skin. The study found that the California two-spot octopus can sense light using light-sensitive proteins, similar to those found in eyes, in its skin.

The Forecast Calls for Chance of Spiders in Australia

Australia has always been a land of the strange and bizarre. It is home to some of the world's most unique animals, from the kangaroo, to the wombat, to the lovable Tasmanian devil. So the fact that it's raining spiders should come as no surprise.

A Special Mother’s Day Gift: A Baby Beluga

Mother's Day took on a whole new meaning for the folks at the Georgia Aquarium following the triumphant birth of a beluga whale - the first to be born to parents bred in captivity. And mother and baby are doing just fine.

Finding the Origins of Chinook Salmons Through the ‘Otolith’ of the Inner Ear

Over the course of many years researchers have sought out to find exactly where Alaska’s Chinook salmon are hatched. The process is known, the migratory patterns are mapped, yet for any given fish caught in the wide open ocean, the story of its origins are often shrouded in mystery—but now that has changed. With a simple chemical marker, accumulating in the inner ear bone of the salmon known as an “otolith”, researchers now believe that they can trace the origins of any Chinook salmon back to the exact waters from which they came before they emerged in Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

Seismic Changes on Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano Prompt Warnings And New Research

After a stunning increase in seismic activity an an apparent drop in the lava lake at the summit of Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano within the national park, researchers and seismologists in Hawaii are concerned that pressure in the volcano is continuing to change—and are sounding what appears to be an indefinite alarm until more can be determined. In the last two days alone, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have identified small earthquakes at the highest rate to date, setting a new record at one earthquake every couple of minutes. And with the seismic changes, researchers with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory are hoping that a few changes can help save lives in the event that an eruption could occur.

A Wintry Affair—How Oregon's Lost Lake Disappears

The volcanic roots of Oregon's Mount Hood National Forest become evident each year when the mysterious Lost Lake vanishes. Near the Hoodoo Ski Area, the water of Lost Lake escapes through a hole on the north shore like water down a drain.

Why Whales Are Known To Have Some Nerve

Marine biology researchers from the University of British Columbia (UBC) have discovered a unique nerve structure that allows massive rorqual whales to fish effectively. The nerves within the tongues and mouths of these whales can "stretch" to more than twice their resting length and then snap back into position effortlessly.

Could Excess Carbon Dioxide Be Coming From The Trees? New Forest Models Predict CO2

For several years now researchers have come to find a perplexing missing amount of carbon dioxide in their data. Models have repeatedly missed the mark, and though researchers don’t exactly know where all of the carbon emissions are coming from and where they are going, many assumed that the answer had to lie in the ‘sink’ of the world’s oceans. But now researchers at the Imperial College London are finding that perhaps the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide has something to do with forests—or rather, what humans leave behind.

Overfishing Leads to Aggressive Competition in Caribbean Coral Reefs

While they may make great loofas, in the coral communities of the Caribbean reefs sponges are a greater threat than perhaps even humans. Aggressive competitors for resources and space, these nefarious neighbors have been known to use shading, smothering, snot and even toxins to kill their coral counterparts, literally living on what’s left of their remains. And without many natural predators, these sponges continue to damage reef-building corals unless kept under control.

Life Underneath Antarctica May One Day Reveal Life On Colder Planets

Though it may be hard to imagine life abounding in the frigid tundra that is Earth’s Antarctica, that doesn’t mean that life cannot exist there. Recent studies looking into the develop and sustainability of life in the frozen wasteland has developed promising results in showing that life may too exist on other exoplanets or exomoons further out in space that may share a similarly cold surface. But in a new study published this week in the journal Nature Communications, researchers with the University of Tennessee Knoxville have discovered a series of underground lakes that could harbor life—pointing ever-more towards the possibility of life far off from what humans can withstand.

How Toxic is LA's Air? Should You Fear For What's Happening to Your Brain?

We all know the dangers of air pollution. But studies have shown that air pollution could affect more than just your respiratory system. Past studies have shown that extended exposure especially in urban environments can increase the risk of autism in unborn children, and, in a new study, could even cause your brain to shrink over time.

Aid Arrives in Nepal: Who Was First on the Scene

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Nepal, International rescue and relief teams have begun to converge on Kathmandu, Nepal's capital. Rescuers continue to poor in to the city even as hope fades that more survivors will be found. The quake that hit on Saturday has now been reported to have claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people.
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