Life
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Ecosystems
Forest Field Trip
Take a hike in the woods of Kentucky in this electronic field trip. The site offers an overview of forest ecology and management for grades 4 to 8. It includes video clips, an interactive game, a slideshow about the American chestnut, information about forest careers and tree products, activity pages, and a teacher’s guide. Go […]
- Animals
Males as Nannies? First test for wasps’ hidden baby-care skills
Young male wasps, in the absence of females, can care for larvae.
- Paleontology
Ancestor of Kings: Early progenitor of T. rex had a crest
Paleontologists have unearthed remains of the oldest known dinosaur of the tyrannosaur clan.
- Animals
Hawk skin sends UV signal
The patch of skin above a hawk's beak looks orange-yellow to us, but to another hawk, it may broadcast ultraviolet sex appeal.
- Animals
Cyber Salmon
To learn about chum, chinook, and coho salmon, try this Web site from the Alaska Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Learn about the people of Alaska, several salmon species, and salmon habitat. The site includes salmon-related activities and lesson plans for various grade levels. Go to: http://cybersalmon.fws.gov/index.html
- Animals
Bird-Safe Rx: Alternative drug won’t kill India’s vultures
Researchers have found an alternative to the livestock drug that has accidentally poisoned a majority of the vultures in India and neighboring countries.
- Animals
Poor Devils: Critters’ fights transmit cancer
Tasmanian devils transmit cancer cells when they bite each other during routine squabbles, producing lesions that are often fatal.
- Animals
New candidates for smallest vertebrate
Two recent scientific papers have described fish species that could, depending on the definition, be the world's smallest known vertebrate.
- Animals
Eggs Scramble: Fungi trick termites into babysitting
A fungus may be taking advantage of hardworking termite nursemaids by tricking them into tending egg-shaped fungal reproductive bodies along with real termite eggs.
-
- Paleontology
First Steps
Using materials as diverse as lobster eggs, dead birds, and the headless carcass of a rhinoceros, scientists are conducting experiments that scrutinize the first steps of the fossilization process.
- Ecosystems
Life Underfoot: Microbial biodiversity takes surprising twist
When it comes to numbers of bacterial species, rainforest dirt is virtually a desert, but desert dirt bursts with biodiversity.
