Credit: PixabayMost people are familiar with Rudolph Zallinger’s illustration “The March of Progress” which depicts human evolution from the early primate ancestor Dryopithecus to modern Homo sapiens. While evolution is a captivating process, it doesn’t always move in a straight line as Zallinger’s image suggests.The notion that evolution progresses in a one-way path from...
Credit: PixabayThe appearance of four-limbed animals, or tetrapods, marked a crucial milestone in the evolutionary path of numerous modern species, including humans.Our latest study in Nature, reveals ancient fossil footprints from Australia that challenge the established timeline of early tetrapod evolution. The findings also indicate that significant chapters of this evolutionary story may have unfolded...
Credit: PixabayWhen donning salmon hats and harassing yachts, orcas may seem playful, but they remain the ocean's top predators. A sobering example of their prowess comes from the Gulf of California, where a pod of orcas, including a male named Moctezuma, has developed sophisticated hunting techniques to target whale sharks—the ocean’s largest fish.Orcas Showcase...
Credit: PixabayWhen people converse, they quickly take turns speaking and sometimes interrupt each other. Researchers who have compiled the largest dataset of chimpanzee "conversations" have discovered that chimps also communicate using gestures in a similarly rapid manner. These findings, reported on July 22 in Current Biology, reveal that chimpanzees follow a rapid-fire pattern similar...
Credit: PixabayResearchers at Colorado State University have found that elephants respond to being called by name, using name-like calls to address each other. This behavior, observed in wild African elephants, represents a unique ability among nonhuman animals, according to a new study in Nature Ecology and Evolution.Researchers from CSU, Save the Elephants, and ElephantVoices...
Credit: CanvasWe eat many animals like cows, pigs, chickens, deer, and rabbits. But most of these animals don’t eat other animals. Instead, they are herbivores or omnivores. So why do we avoid eating carnivores?1. Safety ConcernsOne reason is safety. Carnivores might carry more parasites, microbes, and heavy metals because they eat other animals. Each...
The reason behind the sapphire tower's name is quite evident. Image Credit: HannaTor/Shutterstock.comIn the natural world, there are events that demand patience. Take the upcoming American cicadapocalypse, for instance, which might not grab headlines. On the flip side, over in Birmingham, UK, botanists are buzzing with excitement over the blooming of their sapphire tower.Puya...
VespAI Bait Station. Credit: PixabayNew research showcases the use of Artificial Intelligence in detecting invasive Asian hornets, highlighting a potential threat. Exeter researchers developed VespAI, an automated system attracting hornets to a monitoring station, capturing standardized images with an overhead camera.VespAI, from University of Exeter researchers, accurately detects Asian hornets, facilitating rapid responses. These...
The application of dust produced via "enhanced rock weathering" has been found to significantly increase soybean and maize yieldsDepositphotosA recent study by scientists from the University of Sheffield's Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation indicates that using crushed rock on farmers' fields could reduce greenhouse gases and increase crop yields by up to 16%.The...
Credit: DepositphotosRoald Dahl's concept may have validity: plants emit sounds when subjected to harm. However, these sounds differ from human screams. They manifest as popping or clicking noises in ultrasonic frequencies beyond the human auditory range, intensifying when the plant undergoes stress.According to a study published in 2023, this could represent one of the...
