Wednesday, 8 February, 2012

Animals watch others and change their behavior to match.

Old museum collection sheds light on vanishing land snails of Polynesia.

New tracking systems watch long-distance migrants move across the ocean. Follow whales, turtles and albatrosses across the watery planet.

Studies of mitochondria show that polar people evolved greater ability to create heat; study has health implications for energy-deficiency diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Flower power: Orchid makes a chemical that attracts wasps by mimicking female pheromone.

Genes of giant tortoises reflect ancient volcanic eruption in Galapagos Islands.

Spotted knapweed produces a chemical that fights other weeds. Read about a natural herbicide.

All carnivorous mammals of Madagascar descended from a common ancestor.

Many things distinguish human from rodent. Those ever-growing teeth. That habit of digging through foundations. The ability to design web pages or dream up the ridiculous game of golf… If you haven’t looked under the hood lately, these talents come from quintessentially human section of brain, the cerebral cortex. How does the cerebral cortex develop?

Arrival of snakehead fish raises question of invasive species, weeds and exotic species. Meet 8 of the worst.