Animal News



January 16, 2009

 

23:16   Healthy Pet Food Deli Opens For Pampered Pups  
 
 From the looks of things, a dog's life is a good life. Between exercise, fresh air and playing with friends, they expend a lot of energy. So how does a pet owner fuel that passion?
 
23:16   Dog Thrower Gets No Jail Time  
 
 A St. Paul man received 300 hours of community service -- but no jail time -- for throwing his ex-girlfriend's dog off a third-floor balcony while his 6-year-old girl and other kids watched.
 
23:16   3 Wisconsin Men Arrested In Deer Killings  
 
 Three Weyauwega, Wis. men accused of corralling and running over deer with snowmobiles have been arrested in what a state official described Thursday as an unprecedented thrill killing.
 
23:16   New Family Of Antibacterial Agents Uncovered  
 
 As bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics continue to increase in number, scientists keep searching for new sources of drugs. Researchers have now found a potential new antibiotic agent in the tiny freshwater animal Hydra.
 
23:16   Global Warming Linked To European Viral Epidemic  
 
 An epidemic of the viral disease nephropathia epidemica has been linked to increases in the vole population caused by hotter summers, milder winters and increased seedcrop production by broadleaf trees. Research links outbreaks of this rodent-borne disease to known effects of global warming.
 
23:16   Cooling The Planet By Growing The Right Crops  
 
 By carefully selecting which varieties of food crops to cultivate, much of Europe and North America could be cooled by up to 1 degree Celsius during the summer growing season, say researchers. This is equivalent to an annual global cooling of over 0.1 degrees Celsius, almost 20 percent of the total global temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution. Unlike growing biofuels, such a plan could be achieved without disrupting food production.
 
23:16   Recovery Plan For The Northwest Atlantic Loggerhead Sea Turtle Revised  
 
 A revised recovery plan for the Northwest Atlantic population of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) has been issued by NOAA. The species is listed globally as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
 
23:16   Slight Changes In Climate May Trigger Abrupt Ecosystem Responses  
 
 Slight changes in climate may trigger major abrupt ecosystem responses that are not easily reversible. Some of these responses, including insect outbreaks, wildfire, and forest dieback, may adversely affect people and ecosystems and their plants and animals.
 
23:16   Evolutionary Process More Detailed Than Previously Believed, Study Shows  
 
 New evidence from a study of yeast cells has resulted in the most detailed picture of an organism's evolutionary process to date, says a chemical engineering professor whose findings provide the first direct evidence of aspects, which up until now have remained mostly theory.
 
23:16   Komodo dragon in Va. bites the hand that feeds it (AP)  
 
 AP - A Komodo dragon at the Virginia Aquarium bit the hand that fed it ? literally ? but aquarium officials said the incident Friday was likely more due to excitement than betrayal as the popular expression implies.
 
23:16   Study May Give Hope That Ivory-billed Woodpeckers Still Around  
 
 Until credible sightings popped up three years ago, the scientific world was in agreement that ivory-billed woodpeckers had gone the way of the dodo. A new study reveals that the ivory-billed woodpecker could have persisted if as few as five mated pairs survived the extensive habitat loss during the early 1900's.
 
23:16   Correction: Zoo economy story (AP)  
 
 AP - In a Jan. 13 story about budget cuts to zoos across the country, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Florida lawmakers cut funding for marine mammal care. The proposal was to shift funding sources, but it was not taken up by the full Senate.
 
23:16   Free Antibiotics: Wrong Prescription For Cold And Flu Season  
 
 With an epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections growing, experts are warning grocery-store pharmacies that antibiotics giveaways are an unhealthy promotional gimmick. If grocery stores want to help customers and save them money during cold and flu season, the Infectious Diseases Society of America says, they should offer free influenza vaccinations instead.
 
23:16   Dogs cannot use condoms - Baywatch star tells Mumbai (Reuters)  
 
 
23:16   House Democrats move to overturn Bush species rule (AP)  
 
 AP - A group of Democratic lawmakers on Thursday moved to overturn a last-minute rule by the Bush administration intended to reduce input from government scientists when evaluating whether dams, power plants or other projects might harm endangered species.
 
23:16   Humans Are Reason For Why Domestic Animals Have Such Strange And Varied Coat Colors  
 
 A new study on pigs reveals that the prime explanation for the bewildering diversity in coat color among our pigs, dogs and other domestic animals, is that humans have actively changed the coat color of domestic animals by cherry-picking and actively selecting for rare mutations. This process that has been going on for thousands of years.
 
23:16   Possible New Hope For Crops Battling Parasitic Infection  
 
 Scientists have demonstrated how nematodes, also known as roundworms, manipulate the transport of the plant hormone auxin in order to force the plant to produce food for them. Their findings could open up new possibilities for the development of nematode-resistant plants.
 
23:16   Essential Proteins For Critical Stage Of Malaria Discovered  
 
 Researchers have identified the molecular components that enable the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium to infect the salivary glands of the Anopheles mosquito -- a critical stage for spreading malaria to humans.
 
23:16   Novel Explanation For A Floral Genetic Mystery  
 
 Scientists have put forth a novel explanation of the evolutionary driving force behind a genetic switching circuit that regulates flower development and survival. The hypothesis is based around the obligatory pairing of certain molecules.
 
23:16   Prairie Soil Organic Matter Shown To Be Resilient Under Intensive Agriculture  
 
 A recent study has confirmed that although there was a large reduction of organic carbon and total nitrogen pools when prairies were first cultivated and drained, there has been no consistent pattern in these organic matter pools during the period of synthetic fertilizer use, that is, from 1957-2002.
 
23:16   Biofuel Carbon Footprint Not As Big As Feared  
 
 Some researchers have blasted biofuels' potential to increase greenhouse gas emissions, calling into question the environmental benefits of making fuel from plant material. But a new analysis says these dire predictions are based on a set of assumptions that may not be correct.
 
23:16   Now You See It, Now You Don't: Scientists Unraveling The Mystery Of Camouflage  
 
 Marine biologists have discovered three broad classes of camouflage body patterns. This study of cephalopod camouflage has implications for analyzing camouflage tactics throughout the animal kingdom.
 
23:16   New Technique To Tap Full Potential Of Antibody Libraries Developed  
 
 Antibodies are the attack dogs of the immune system, fighting off bacterial and other invaders. Massive libraries of synthetic antibodies that mimic this natural response, for instance to attack proteins critical to a particular cancer, are also available, but current techniques have allowed scientists to screen these antibodies for effectiveness against only a very limited number of disease-causing agents.
 
23:16   E. Coli Persists Against Antibiotics Through HipA-induced Dormancy  
 
 Bacteria hunker down and survive antibiotic attack when a protein flips a chemical switch that throws them into a dormant state until treatment abates, researchers report in Science.
 
23:15   Fish Guts Explain Marine Carbon Cycle Mystery  
 
 Research reveals the major influence of fish on maintaining the delicate pH balance of our oceans, vital for the health of coral reefs and other marine life. The discovery could help solve a mystery that has puzzled marine chemists for decades. Published in Science, the study provides new insights into the marine carbon cycle, which is undergoing rapid change as a result of global carbon dioxide emissions.
 
23:15   New Genetic Model Predicts Plant Flowering In Different Environments  
 
 Botanists have created a model that precisely charts the genetic and environmental signals that guide the life cycle of a scientifically important plant species. The model, published in Science, could help scientists better understand how plants will respond to climate change.
 
23:15   Mutant Host Cell Protein Sequesters Critical HIV-1 Element  
 
 Scientists have identified a new way to inhibit a molecule that is critical for HIV pathogenesis. The research presents a target for development of antiretroviral therapeutics that are likely to complement existing therapies and provide additional protection from HIV and AIDS.
 
23:15   Origin Of Jawed Vertebrates: Prehistoric Fish Provides New Piece In Evolution's Jigsaw Puzzle  
 
 Scientists describe the skull and jaws of a fish that lived about 410 million years ago. Their study may give important clues to the origin of jawed vertebrates.
 

January 15, 2009

 

11:04   Burnsville Boy Allowed To Keep His 7 Chickens  
 
 An 11-year-old Burnsville boy is getting to keep his chickens. The Burnsville City Council has directed its staff to rewrite the suburban community's animal ordinance to allow backyard chickens.
 
10:52   Gray Wolf Comeback Continues  
 
 The government de-lists gray wolves from the Rocky Mountain endangered species list.
 
10:52   Possible Mammoth Tusk Found on SoCal Island  
 
 A complete tusk believed to belong to a mammoth is uncovered off the California coast.
 
09:58   Primate Culture Is Just A Stone's Throw Away From Human Evolution, Study Finds  
 
 For 30 years, scientists have been studying stone-handling behavior in several troops of Japanese macaques to catch a unique glimpse of primate culture. By watching these monkeys acquire and maintain behavioral traditions from generation to generation, the scientists have gained insight into the cultural evolution of humans.
 
09:58   Biologist Enhances Use Of Bioinformatic Tools And Achieves Precision In Genetic Annotation  
 
 Biologists have enhanced the use of bioinformatic tools for the identification and annotation of certain fungal and bacterial genes.
 
09:58   How The Sensory Organs Of Bacteria Function  
 
 Bacteria can occur almost anywhere on earth and exist under the most varying conditions. If these tiny, microscopic organisms are to survive in these environments, they need to be able to rapidly detect changes in their surroundings and react to them.
 
02:42   Pediatric Vaccine Effectively Prevents Pneumococcal Meningitis, Study Suggests  
 
 A standard pediatric vaccine used to prevent several common types of life-threatening infections also effectively reduced the rates of pneumococcal meningitis in children and adults, according to a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, based on a detailed review of pneumococcal meningitis cases, also noted an increase in strains of pneumococcal meningitis not susceptible to the vaccine and those resistant to antibiotics.
 
02:42   Huge Population Of Endangered Asian Elephants Living In Malaysian Park  
 
 New data released by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) reveals that a population of endangered Asian elephants living in a Malaysian park may be the largest in Southeast Asia.
 
02:42   Free-range Chickens Are More Prone To Disease  
 
 Chickens kept in litter-based housing systems, including free-range chickens, are more prone to disease than chickens kept in cages, according to a new study.
 

January 14, 2009

 

23:03   Human Hunting Shapes Animal Populations  
 
 Hunting practices have a big effect on animal populations -- but is it reversible?
 
23:03   Deep Sea Fish Uses Mirrors to See  
 
 Scientists capture a deep-sea fish and find it uses mirrors to focus light in its eyes.
 
22:13   Government makes decision on gray wolf protection (AP)  
 
 AP - The Bush administration on Wednesday announced plans to remove gray wolves in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains regions from the federal endangered species list.
 
14:50   Gov't Makes Decision On Gray Wolf Protection  
 
 The Bush administration has announced plans to remove gray wolves in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains regions from the federal endangered species list.
 
14:50   Crocodile Owner Says He'll Get His Pet Out Of Town  
 
 A Fergus Falls, Minn. man says his pet crocodile, Billy, isn't dangerous, but he'll comply with a police order to move the 3-foot reptile out of town.
 
14:44   Alaska to sue over beluga whale protection (AP)  
 
 AP - The state of Alaska says it will go to court to challenge the federal decision to protect beluga whales in Cook Inlet under the Endangered Species Act.
 
14:44   Government makes decision on gray wolf protection (AP)  
 
 AP - The Bush administration says it is removing gray wolves in the western Great Lakes and northern Rocky Mountains from the federal endangered species list.
 
12:29   Little Or No Evidence That Herbal Remedies Relieve Menopausal Symptoms  
 
 There is no strong evidence either way for several herbal remedies commonly taken to relieve troublesome menopausal symptoms, concludes an article in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin. And for some, there is hardly any evidence at all.
 
12:29   Nations That Sow Food Crops For Biofuels May Reap Less Than Previously Thought  
 
 Global yields of most biofuels crops, including corn, rapeseed and wheat, have been overestimated by 100 to 150 percent or more, suggesting many countries need to reset their expectations of agricultural biofuels to a more realistic level.
 
12:29   New Invasive Fish Spreads Through The Ebro Delta  
 
 Biologists have researched and described for the first time in Europe the spread of the invasive dojo loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) fish species. The fish comes from East Asia and was first discovered in the Ebro delta in 2001. Since then, it has occupied various parts of the river during its lightning spread, and is now definitively established. The researchers do not rule out that it could occupy new areas within coming years and threaten the survival of native species.
 
00:22   Dog-Gone Cold: Bundling Up Fido During Cold Snap  
 
 Minnesotans know by now It's going to be a cold week, and even if your pets can't tell you, they think so, too. That's why the Animal Humane Society is reminding people to take the proper steps to keep your pets safe this week.
 
00:22   Pet Crocodile Gets The Boot In Fergus Falls  
 
 Police in Fergus Falls are telling a local man that he needs to give his pet crocodile the boot.
 
00:22   Voracious Sponges In Underwater Caves Save Reefs  
 
 Tropical oceans are known as the deserts of the sea. And yet this unlikely environment is the very place where the rich and fertile coral reef grows. Dutch researchers have investigated how caves in the coral reef ensure the reef's continued existence. Although sponges in these coral caves take up a lot of dissolved organic material, they scarcely grow. However, they do discard a lot of cells that in turn provide food for the organisms on the reef.
 
00:22   High-tech Imaging Of Inner Ear Sheds Light On Hearing, Behavior Of Oldest Fossil Bird  
 
 The earliest known bird, the magpie-sized Archaeopteryx, had a similar hearing range to the modern emu, which suggests that the 145 million-year-old creature -- despite its reptilian teeth and long tail -- was more birdlike than reptilian.
 
00:22   Genetic Variation Cues Social Anxiety In Monkeys And Humans  
 
 A genetic variation involving the brain chemical serotonin has been found to shape the social behavior of rhesus macaque monkeys, which could provide researchers with a new model for studying autism, social anxiety and schizophrenia.
 
00:22   Diabetes: Human Beta Cells Can Be Easily Induced To Replicate  
 
 Researchers have successfully induced human insulin-producing cells, known as beta cells, to replicate robustly in a living animal, as well as in the lab. The discovery not only could improve models and methods for studying diabetes, but also opens up new possibilities for treating the condition.
 
00:22   Texas State Dinosaur Facing Name Change: Case Of Mistaken Dino-identity  
 
 A Texas legislator is seeking a name change for the official state dinosaur, after master's level research at Southern Methodist University revealed the titleholder was misidentified. The Texas State Dinosaur, currently identified as Pleurocoelus, is actually Paluxysaurus jonesi - a new genus and species unique to Texas.
 
00:22   When It Comes To Sleep Research, Fruit Flies And People Make Unlikely Bedfellows  
 
 You may never hear fruit flies snore, but rest assured that when you're asleep, they are too. Scientists have shown that sleep/wake cycles of fruit flies and vertebrates are regulated by some of the same "cellular machinery" as humans. This is significant because the sleep-regulating enzyme that was analyzed is one of only a few possible drug targets for circadian problems.
 
00:22   Novel Findings On The Evolution Of Parasitism  
 
 Scientists discover a conserved signaling module controlling the formation of dauer or infective larvae in nematodes.
 

January 13, 2009

 

19:38   Black abalone latest endangered species in Pacific (AP)  
 
 AP - The federal government is giving endangered species protection to the black abalone, a Pacific Coast mollusk that is being pushed to extinction by overfishing, disease and changing ocean conditions.
 
13:53   Astronaut Dessert Redefines 'Space Chimps' (SPACE.com)  
 
 SPACE.com - Next month, an astronaut will launch to the International Space Station (ISS), taking with him eight endangered species chimpanzees packed aboard the space shuttle. The apes are not part of a biological study, as NASA launched nearly 50 years ago, but are rather for dessert.
 
05:06   Fruit Flies Put Evolution in Reverse  
 
 Will a modern organism placed in an ancient setting evolve in reverse? Not exactly.
 
05:06   Tasmanian Tiger's Mysterious Die-Off Explained  
 
 The extinction of the Tasmanian tiger has long been a mystery -- until now.
 
05:06   Effort to Remove Species Creates More Problems  
 
 Efforts to remove rabbits from an island reveals the hazards of tinkering with ecosystems.
 
05:06   Iceland Pressed by Pro-Whaling Groups  
 
 Whaling groups in Iceland argue for the expansion of catch quotas.
 
05:06   Zoos, aquariums face the ax in NY, elsewhere (AP)  
 
 
02:05   'Rogue Snowmobilers' Round Up, Run Over Deer  
 
 A group of snowmobilers in central Wisconsin herded and killed four deer and severely injured a fifth in what a warden called a senseless act of cruelty on Monday.
 
02:05   Swan Deaths Follow Effort to Force Migration  
 
 In the three decades since Minnesota began breeding and releasing trumpeter swans back into the wild, the recovery program has exceeded all expectations.
 
02:05   Snowy Owls Turning Up At Raptor Center  
 
 On a table in the Raptor Center treatment room, a great horned owl is wrapped in a towel, enduring an examination. It got tangled up in a fishing hook and line. Veterinary technician Greg Hansen says someone found it along a riverbank.
 
01:43   Tiny Insect Develops Long-term Memory  
 
 If a specific butterfly anti-sex scent is coupled with a pleasant experience, then parasitic wasps are able to develop long-term memory and respond to this scent that they do not instinctively recognize. After successfully ‘hitch-hiking’ with a mated female cabbage white butterfly and parasitizing her eggs, the parasitic wasps are able to remember the route and navigate it again.
 
01:43   Rats Say: Manhattan Rules!  
 
 If you leave it up to the rats, New York City beats New Orleans any day. Researchers have invented a novel way to test urban designers’ city plans. Instead of using humans as guinea pigs, the scientists went to their nearby zoo and enlisted lab rats to determine the functionality of theoretical and existing plans.
 
01:43   Structure Of Key Ebola Protein Discovered  
 
 Scientists are a step closer to finding a way to counter the Ebola virus. They have recently solved the structure from a key part of the Ebola protein known as VP35.
 
01:43   Hair Of Tasmanian Tiger Yields Genes Of Extinct Species  
 
 All the genes that the exotic Tasmanian Tiger inherited only from its mother will be revealed in a new article. The research marks the first successful sequencing of genes from this carnivorous marsupial, which looked like a large tiger-striped dog and became extinct in 1936. The research also opens the door to the widespread, nondestructive use of museum specimens to learn why mammals become extinct and how extinctions might be prevented.
 
01:43   Organic Soils Continue To Acidify Despite Reduction In Acidic Deposition  
 
 Scientist's understanding of how soils have responded to decreases in acidic deposition at the regional scale is limited, but a recent study confirms that the acidification of soils in watersheds slows the recovery of aquatic ecosystems, an effect that is threatening the health of forests in the northeastern United States.
 
01:43   Mink Control Vital To Save Water Voles In Britain  
 
 Keeping water vole and mink populations apart is vital if efforts to reintroduce water voles, one of Britain's most endangered mammals, are to be successful.
 
01:43   While The Cat's Away: How Removing An Invasive Species Devastated A World Heritage Island  
 
 Removing an invasive species from sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, a World Heritage Site, has caused environmental devastation that will cost more than A$24 million to remedy, ecologists have revealed. Writing in the new issue of the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, they warn that conservation agencies worldwide must learn important lessons from what happened on Macquarie Island.
 
01:43   As Super-predators, Humans Reshape Their Prey At Super-natural Speeds  
 
 Fishing and hunting are having broad, swift impacts on the body size and reproductive abilities of fish and other commercially harvested species, potentially jeopardizing the ability of entire populations to recover, according to the results of a new study.
 
01:43   Area Of El Bierzo Vineyards In Spain Calculated By Satellite  
 
 Spanish researchers used a computer program able to distinguish grapevines from other crops in satellite images. The tool has been successfully used in the El Bierzo area of León, and can be used to calculate the potential wine production of an area under cultivation.
 
01:43   New Generation Of Salmonella-based, Single Dose Vaccine Candidates To Fight Infant Pneumonia  
 
 One of the major challenges in modern vaccinology is to engineer vectors that are highly infectious, yet don't cause illness. Now scientists have unveiled what may prove a winning strategy in the fight against infant bacterial pneumonia.
 
01:43   Of Mice And Peanuts: A New Mouse Model For Peanut Allergy  
 
 Researchers report the development of a new mouse model for food allergy that mimics symptoms generated during a human allergic reaction to peanuts. The animal model provides a new research tool that will be invaluable in furthering the understanding of the causes of peanut and other food allergies and in finding new ways to treat and prevent their occurrence.
 
01:43   Evolution Of New Brain Area Enables Complex Movements  
 
 A new area of the cerebral cortex has evolved to enable man and higher primates to pick up small objects and deftly use tools. The brain's primary motor cortex turns out to have neighboring "old" and "new" parts. In most animals, including cats, rats and some monkeys, the old primary motor cortex controls movement indirectly through the circuitry of the spinal cord.
 
01:43   Five Invasive Plants Threatening Southern Forests In 2009 Identified  
 
 Ecologists have identified the invasive plant species they believes pose the biggest threats to southern forest ecosystems in 2009.
 
01:43   New Technology Needed To Monitor Rain Forest Destruction  
 
 Human impact on tropical forest ecosystems has reached a "tsunami" stage, say scientists, and will require a new generation of sophisticated remote-sensing technology to monitor the changes. Roughly 1.4% of the world's tropical humid forests was deforested between 2000 and 2005, and that as of 2005 more than half of the forests contained 50% or less tree cover.
 
01:42   Study Of Disease Risk Suggests Ways To Avoid Slaughter Of Yellowstone Bison  
 
 Last winter, government agencies killed one third of Yellowstone National Park's bison herd due to concerns about the possible spread of a livestock disease to cattle that graze in areas around the park. However, such drastic measures may be unnecessary, according to researchers who have assessed the risk of disease transmission from Yellowstone bison to cattle.
 
01:42   Preventing Soil Erosion In Continuous Corn  
 
 The removal of corn residue for the purpose of creating cellulosic ethanol requires changes in tillage for increased efficiency and protection against soil erosion, and a recent study focused on understanding how residue removal and tillage system affect the response of continuous corn to nitrogen fertilization.
 
01:42   Soil Maps Generate Reliable Quaternary Geologic Map  
 
 New research conducted at Iowa State University led to the successful creation of a detailed Quaternary geological map for the Des Moines Lobe with a user-controlled level of scale, with the results of the research published in the Winter 2008 issue of Soil Survey Horizons.
 
01:42   Giant Bird Feces Record Pre-human New Zealand  
 
 A treasure trove of information about pre-human New Zealand has been found in feces from giant extinct birds, buried beneath the floor of caves and rock shelters for thousands of years.
 

January 12, 2009

 

18:46   Super-Predators: Humans Force Rapid Evolution of Animals (LiveScience.com)  
 
 LiveScience.com - Acting as super-predators, humans are forcing changes to body size and reproductive abilities in some species 300 percent faster than would occur naturally, a new study finds.
 
14:14   Microscopic Morphology Adds To Scorpion Family Tree  
 
 Scientists have examined the smallest features scorpion lungs. Tiny morphological features like the sculpting of the hair-like outgrowths on lamellae -- structures that fold like the leaves of a book and give the scorpion respiratory system its name, the book lung -- gives insight into the evolutionary relationships among scorpions.
 
14:14   How Do Cells Count? Scientists Take A Step Further In Unraveling Mystery Of How Cells Control Number Of Centrosomes  
 
 Researchers provide insight into an old mystery in cell biology, and offer up new clues to understanding cancer. Scientitists have unraveled the mystery of how cells count the number of centrosomes, the structure that regulates the cell’s skeleton, controls the multiplication of cells, and is often transformed in cancer.
 
14:13   Clothing To Crow About: Chicken Feather Suits And Dresses  
 
 In the future, you may snuggle up in warm, cozy sweats made of chicken feathers or jeans made of wheat, enjoying comfortable, durable new fabrics that are "green" and environmentally friendly. Researchers in Australia are reporting that new advances are paving the way for such exotic new materials — made from agricultural waste or byproducts — to hit store shelves as environmentally-friendly alternatives to the estimated 38 million tons of synthetic fabrics produced worldwide each year.
 

January 11, 2009

 

21:01   Third shark attack feared in two days in Australia (AFP)  
 
 
16:50   Reverse Evolution In Real-time Provides Key Insights Into Basic Mechanisms Of Evolution  
 
 Evolutionary biology tells us that replaying life's tape will not not look at all like the original. The outcome of evolution is contingent on everything that came before. Now, scientists have turned back the clock on the evolution in the fruit fly to provide key insights into the basic mechanisms of evolution.
 

January 10, 2009

 

22:06   Rare tree kangaroo species has twins at Neb. zoo (AP)  
 
 
16:53   Swans Poisoned, Injured Without Feeding Program  
 
 Dozens of trumpeter swans unaccustomed to foraging have been poisoned and injured after the state halted two feeding programs.
 
15:37   How Bed Bugs Outsmart Poisons Designed To Control Them  
 
 Bed bugs, once nearly eradicated in the built environment, have made a big comeback recently, especially in urban centers such as New York City. In the first study to explain the failure to control certain bed bug populations, toxicologists show that some of these nocturnal blood suckers have developed resistance to pyrethroid insecticides, in particular deltamethrin, that attack their nervous systems.
 
08:40   Great White Tops List of Hardest-Biting Sharks  
 
 It is head width, not overall size, that best predicts how hard a shark's bite will be.
 
08:40   Shiny Urban Surfaces Trap Clueless Critters  
 
 Shiny city surfaces can trap insects drawn to the glint of water.
 
08:40   Mosquito Buzz Actually a Love Song  
 
 Scientists hope to match the buzz of mating mosquitoes to try and curb disease spread.
 
08:40   Luxury Beef Bull Cloned  
 
 The ancestral bull of a high-end brand of beef is cloned by Japanese scientists.
 
08:40   Brown Pelicans Turning Up Injured and Confused  
 
 Brown pelicans are turning up on California shores bruised and confused.
 
06:04   Protests or not, Japan keeps eating whale (AP)  
 
 
01:53   At age 140, lobster to regain his freedom (Reuters)  
 
 
01:53   Lobster to regain his freedom at age 140 (Reuters)  
 
 Reuters - A lobster thought to be about 140 years old will be returned to the ocean after briefly becoming the mascot for a New York City restaurant, an animal rights group said on Friday.
 
01:53   Tests show algae toxin in some sick pelicans (AP)  
 
 AP - A toxic chemical produced by algae has been detected in some sick California brown pelicans that are being found in record numbers along the West Coast, though researchers don't believe it's the primary cause of their widespread illness, wildlife experts said Friday.
 
01:53   PETA: Spearfish school should be called Sea Kitten (AP)  
 
 AP - The activist animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked school officials to change the name of Spearfish High School to "Sea Kitten High School." The new name would "reflect the gentle nature of its current marine namesake," the organization said in a letter to Steve Morford, Spearfish High School principal.
 

January 9, 2009

 

19:37   Sick Kitty's Owner Finds Help To Pay For Surgery  
 
 During these hard economic times, pet owners often have to make some very difficult decisions. A Bloomington woman thought her cat might die without an expensive surgery she couldn't afford.
 
19:24   How Did Life Begin? RNA That Replicates Itself Indefinitely Developed For First Time  
 
 One of the most enduring questions is how life could have begun on Earth. Molecules that can make copies of themselves are thought to be crucial to understanding this process as they provide the basis for heritability, a critical characteristic of living systems. New findings could inform biochemical questions about how life began.
 
19:24   Researchers First To 'See' Reactive Oxygen Species In Vital Enzyme  
 
 Using two simultaneous light-based probing techniques scientists have illuminated important details about a class of enzymes involved in everything from photosynthesis to the regulation of biological clocks.
 
19:24   Why The Swamp Sparrow Is Hitting The High Notes  
 
 Scientists have long thought that a bird's vocal performance is a static characteristic-set once a song is learned. Yet, biologists now explain that songbirds can modulate vocal performance, when it is important to do so.
 
19:24   New Protein Function Discovered  
 
 Researchers have found a new function for one of the proteins involved with chromosome segregation during cell division.
 
19:24   How Did Life Begin? RNA That Replicates Itself Indefinitely Developed For First Time  
 
 One of the most enduring questions is how life could have begun on Earth. Molecules that can make copies of themselves are thought to be crucial to understanding this process as they provide the basis for heritability, a critical characteristic of living systems. New findings could inform biochemical questions about how life began.
 
19:24   How Did Life Begin? RNA That Replicates Itself Indefinitely Developed For First Time  
 
 One of the most enduring questions is how life could have begun on Earth. Molecules that can make copies of themselves are thought to be crucial to understanding this process as they provide the basis for heritability, a critical characteristic of living systems. New findings could inform biochemical questions about how life began.
 
19:24   Intestinal Lymphatic Tissue Important For The Absorption And Spread Of The Scrapie Prion  
 
 Scrapie is a transmissible, degenerative and ultimately fatal disease of the nervous system of sheep. The cause of the disease is a prion protein, and absorption from the intestine is assumed to be the natural route of infection. Lymphatic tissue associated with the intestine is important for the early accumulation of prion protein and its subsequent spread to the central nervous system.
 
19:24   Researchers First To 'See' Reactive Oxygen Species In Vital Enzyme  
 
 Using two simultaneous light-based probing techniques scientists have illuminated important details about a class of enzymes involved in everything from photosynthesis to the regulation of biological clocks.
 
19:24   Researchers First To 'See' Reactive Oxygen Species In Vital Enzyme  
 
 Using two simultaneous light-based probing techniques scientists have illuminated important details about a class of enzymes involved in everything from photosynthesis to the regulation of biological clocks.
 
19:24   Why The Swamp Sparrow Is Hitting The High Notes  
 
 Scientists have long thought that a bird's vocal performance is a static characteristic-set once a song is learned. Yet, biologists now explain that songbirds can modulate vocal performance, when it is important to do so.
 
19:24   Why The Swamp Sparrow Is Hitting The High Notes  
 
 Scientists have long thought that a bird's vocal performance is a static characteristic-set once a song is learned. Yet, biologists now explain that songbirds can modulate vocal performance, when it is important to do so.
 
19:24   New Protein Function Discovered  
 
 Researchers have found a new function for one of the proteins involved with chromosome segregation during cell division.
 
19:24   New Protein Function Discovered  
 
 Researchers have found a new function for one of the proteins involved with chromosome segregation during cell division.
 
19:24   Intestinal Lymphatic Tissue Important For The Absorption And Spread Of The Scrapie Prion  
 
 Scrapie is a transmissible, degenerative and ultimately fatal disease of the nervous system of sheep. The cause of the disease is a prion protein, and absorption from the intestine is assumed to be the natural route of infection. Lymphatic tissue associated with the intestine is important for the early accumulation of prion protein and its subsequent spread to the central nervous system.
 
19:24   Intestinal Lymphatic Tissue Important For The Absorption And Spread Of The Scrapie Prion  
 
 Scrapie is a transmissible, degenerative and ultimately fatal disease of the nervous system of sheep. The cause of the disease is a prion protein, and absorption from the intestine is assumed to be the natural route of infection. Lymphatic tissue associated with the intestine is important for the early accumulation of prion protein and its subsequent spread to the central nervous system.
 
17:56   At age 140, lobster to regain his freedom (Reuters)  
 
 Reuters - A lobster thought to be about 140 years old will be returned to the ocean after briefly becoming the mascot for a New York City restaurant, an animal rights group said on Friday.
 
15:47   PETA: Spearfish school should be called Sea Kitten (AP)  
 
 AP - The activist animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has asked school officials to change the name of Spearfish High School to "Sea Kitten High School." The new name would "reflect the gentle nature of its current marine namesake," the organization said in a letter to Steve Morford, Spearfish High School principal.
 
15:47   WWF blasts Greek plans for bluefin tuna-fattening farm (AFP)  
 
 
15:47   Reykjavik faces campaign to allow whaling, expand quotas (AFP)  
 
 
09:57   Andes' Formation Was A 'Species Pump' For South America  
 
 South America is the world’s most species-rich area. There have been many theories as to why, ranging from animals and plants accompanying the continent when it broke loose from Africa to variations in the extent of the rainforests over millions of years creating new species. New research supports the theory that the formation of the Andes was a species pump which spread animals and plants across the continent.
 
02:14   Animals in Bulgaria zoo shiver without gas heating (Reuters)  
 
 Reuters - About 1,300 animals in a Bulgarian zoo were left without gas to heat their enclosures Thursday, the latest victims of the Russia-Ukraine supply row.
 

January 8, 2009

 

21:25   A Good Night's Sleep Protects Against Parasites  
 
 Animal species that sleep for longer do not suffer as much from parasite infestation and have a greater concentration of immune cells in their blood according to a study published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.
 
21:25   Mosquitoes Create Harmonic Love Song Before Mating, Study Finds  
 
 That pesky buzz of a nearby mosquito is the sound of love, scientists have known for some time. But a new study reports that males and females flap their wings and change their tune to create a harmonic duet just before mating.
 
21:25   Displacing Petroleum-derived Butanol With Plants  
 
 As a chemical for industrial processes, butanol is used in everything from brake fluid, to paint thinners, to plastics. According to researchers, butanol made from plant material could displace butanol made from petroleum, just not at the fuel pump.
 
21:25   For Fats, Longer May Not Be Better  
 
 Researchers have uncovered why some dietary fats, specifically long-chain fats, such as oleic acid (found in olive oil), are more prone to induce inflammation. Long-chain fats, it turns out, promote increased intestinal absorption of pro-inflammatory bacterial molecules called lipopolysaccharides.
 
16:34   Ancient Odor-detecting Mechanism In Insects Discovered  
 
 A newly discovered family of receptors in the fly nose fills in a missing piece of the insect olfactory system -- and also suggests a new role for a class of receptors long believed to be confined to the depths of the brain.
 
16:34   Structure Mediating Spread Of Antibiotic Resistance Identified  
 
 Scientists have identified the structure of a key component of the bacteria behind such diseases as whooping cough, peptic stomach ulcers and Legionnaires' disease. The research sheds light on how antibiotic resistance genes spread from one bacterium to another. The research may help scientists develop novel treatments for these diseases and novel ways to curtail the spread of antibiotic resistance.
 
16:34   Half Of World's Population Could Face Climate-induced Food Crisis By 2100  
 
 New research shows that rapidly warming climate is likely to seriously alter crop yields in the tropics and subtropics by the end of this century and, without adaptation, will leave half the world's population facing serious food shortages.
 
16:34   Findings Turn Events In Early TB Infection On Their Head, May Lead To New Therapy  
 
 Masses of immune cells that form as a hallmark of tuberculosis have long been thought to be the body's way of trying to protect itself by literally walling off the bacteria. But a new study in the journal Cell offers evidence that the TB bacteria actually sends signals that encourage the growth of those organized granuloma structures, and for good reason.
 
16:33   How Cheating Ants Give Themselves Away  
 
 In ant society, workers normally give up reproducing themselves to care for their queen's offspring, who are their brothers and sisters. When workers try to cheat and have their own kids in the queen's presence, their peers swiftly attack and physically restrain them from reproducing.
 
16:33   Decline Of Carbon-dioxide-gobbling Plankton Coincided With Ancient Global Cooling  
 
 The evolutionary history of diatoms -- abundant oceanic plankton that remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year -- needs to be rewritten, according to a new study. The findings suggest that after a sudden rise in species numbers, diatoms abruptly declined about 33 million years ago -- trends that coincided with severe global cooling.
 
16:33   Nose-spray Vaccine Against Botulism Effective In First Tests  
 
 A pre-clinical study found a new nasal spray vaccine to provide complete protection against a major botulism toxin, according to a new study.
 
16:33   Stem Cell Troops Called To Repair The Body Using New Drug Combinations  
 
 Scientists have tricked bone marrow into releasing extra adult stem cells into the bloodstream, a technique that they hope could one day be used to repair heart damage or mend a broken bone, in a new study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
 
16:33   Olive Skins Provide Natural Defense Against Colon Cancer, Study Suggests  
 
 Scientists have found that the compound, present in olive skin's leaf and wax, inhibits the growth of HT29 colon-cancer cells. It may provide a useful new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colon carcinoma. Low concentrations of maslinic acid are to be found in plants with medicinal properties, but its concentration in the waxy skin of olives may be as high as 80 percent.
 
10:39   Panda with attitude bites zoo trespasser (Reuters)  
 
 
10:39   Hind Wings Help Butterflies Make Swift Turns To Evade Predators, Study Finds  
 
 New tires allow race cars to take tight turns at high speeds. Hind wings give moths and butterflies similar advantages: They are not necessary for basic flight but help these creatures take tight turns to evade predators.
 
10:38   Droughts And Floods: Extent Of Damage To Vegetation Depends On Sequence Of Events  
 
 When extremes of drought and flood come in rapid succession, the extent of damage to vegetation may depend in part on the sequence of those events, according to a new study.
 
10:38   Chemopreventive Agents In Black Raspberries Identified  
 
 Components of black raspberries have been found to have chemopreventive potential. Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids in black raspberries, inhibited growth and stimulated apoptosis in the esophagus of rats treated with an esophageal carcinogen.
 
10:38   Solution To Darwin's Dilemma Of 1859  
 
 A solution to the puzzle which has come to be known as ‘Darwin’s Dilemma’ has been uncovered. Darwin puzzled, ‘To the question of why we do not find rich fossiliferous deposits belonging to these…periods prior to the Cambrian system, I can give no satisfactory answer’.
 
02:28   Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock (AP)  
 
 

January 7, 2009

 

23:55   Gu Gu strikes again! Panda attacks at Beijing Zoo (AP)  
 
 AP - Gu Gu the panda has struck again, mauling someone who jumped a barrier to retrieve a child's toy, in his third attack on a visitor at the Beijing zoo.
 
23:55   Australia says anti-whaling ship will be allowed to dock (AFP)  
 
 
23:55   Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock (AP)  
 
 
21:37   Panda with attitude bites zoo trespasser (Reuters)  
 
 Reuters - A panda with a record of aggressive behaviour attacked a man who jumped into its enclosure at a Beijing zoo to pick up a toy, local media said on Thursday.
 
21:37   Think pink: Galapagos' rosy lizard is new species (AP)  
 
 
19:04   Charges: Man Starved, Beat Pit Bulls Dead  
 
 A Minneapolis man has been charged with three misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty in connection with the deaths of two pit bulls last year.
 

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