Animals

  1. Genetics

    Spider genomes give hints about venom, silk production

    The genetic codes identify new proteins that may be involved in making and turning on toxins in venom and also those used to make spider silk.

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  2. Animals

    Everyday electronics may upset birds’ compass

    Weak electromagnetic waves, coming from normal university activities, interfere with European robins’ migratory orientation.

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  3. Life

    New bird flu found in Antarctic penguins

    Designated H11N2, the virus was found in less than 3 percent of the 301 Adélie penguins tested and the infection is asymptomatic.

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  4. Animals

    Woodpecker beaks divulge shock-absorbing properties

    Scales, sutures and porosity help the birds hammer without going stupid.

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  5. Animals

    What animal is the world’s best rock climber?

    Lots of animals manage to scale vertical heights, and each has their own way of accomplishing the feat.

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  6. Animals

    Narwhal has the strangest tooth in the sea

    Sometimes called the unicorn of the sea, the male narwhal’s tusk is actually a tooth. Narwhals detect changes in water salinity using only these tusks, a new study finds.

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  7. Animals

    How to milk a naked mole-rat

    For the sake of science, Olav Oftedal has milked bats, bears and a lot of other mammals. But a naked mole-rat was something new.

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  8. Animals

    Some birds adapt to Chernobyl’s radiation

    Some birds seem to fare well in and near the Chernobyl exclusion zone, but overall the nuclear disaster has been bad news for the region’s bird populations.

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  9. Animals

    Bird mimicry lets hustlers keep cheating

    Drongos are false alarm specialists that borrow other species’ warning sounds and freshen up their fraud.

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  10. Animals

    Caiman tears make a salty snack

    An ecologist observed a bee and a butterfly hovering around a caiman, engaging in lacryphagous behavior, slurping up the crocodilian’s tears.

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  11. Environment

    Prestige oil spill linked to drop in seabird chicks

    European shag in colonies affected by the 2002 Prestige oil tanker spill produced fewer chicks than birds in oil-free colonies.

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  12. Animals

    Abandoned frog eggs can hatch early

    If their father doesn’t keep them hydrated, frog embryos react by hatching early.

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