Search Results for: Vertebrates
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Paleontology
Rodents tell a geologic tale
The sudden appearance of many new species of rodents in Chile about 18 million years ago may have marked the rise of the southern Andes.
By Sid Perkins -
Air’s oxygen content constrains insect growth
The size to which insects grow is limited by their need to route oxygen to tissues in their legs.
By Ben Harder -
Paleontology
Early tetrapod likely ate on shore
The skull structure of Acanthostega, a semiaquatic creature that lived about 365 million years ago, suggests that the animal fed on shore or in the shallows, not in deep water.
By Sid Perkins -
Paleontology
Society sans frills
The discovery of the fossils of several young dinosaurs in one small space suggests that the members of one dinosaur group evolved complex social behaviors millions of years earlier than previously suspected.
By Sid Perkins -
Paleontology
Amphibious Ancestors
Newly discovered fossils from Greenland, as well as a reexamination of those of previously known creatures, are providing researchers with additional insights into ancient vertebrates' move from water to land.
By Sid Perkins -
Ecosystems
Tortoise Genes and Island Beings
Geneticists and conservation biologists are joining forces to untangle the evolutionary history of giant Galápagos tortoises and to safeguard the animals' future.
By Bryn Nelson -
Animals
Extreme Tongue: Bat excels at saying ‘Aah’
The new champion among mammals at sticking out its tongue is a small bat from Ecuador.
By Susan Milius -
Paleontology
Mastodons in Musth: Tusks may chronicle battles between males
Damage in the fossil tusks of male mastodons suggests that the creatures engaged in fierce combat with rival males at a certain time of year each year of their adult lives.
By Sid Perkins -
Digital Dissection
The same medical technology used to image brain tumors and torn knee ligaments is taking the field of marine biology to a new dimension by allowing anyone with Internet access to examine fish as never before. This Web page describes how researchers at the University of California, San Diego’s Keck Center for Functional Magnetic Resonance […]
By Science News -
Quirky Cardiology: Crocs’ hearts may aid their digestion
The crocodile's ability to direct oxygen-depleted blood to its stomach may be instrumental in digesting large, bony meals.
By Ben Harder -
Genome Buzz: Honeybee DNA raises social questions
Scientists have officially unveiled the DNA code of the western honeybee, the first genome to be sequenced for an animal with ultrastratified societies.
By Susan Milius -
Mammalian ear cells can regenerate
The cells responsible for hearing in mammals may be capable of regeneration, just as those of birds and other vertebrates are.