SciGlow | All Science News In One Place
SciGlow is a newsletter of science stories from the major research labs. Headlines link to in-depth articles and editorials. SciGlow keeps scientists and others up-to-date on current research.
Capturing elephants to keep in captivity not only hinders their reproduction immediately, but also has a negative effect on their calves, according to new research. Scientists from the University of Sheffield have found long-lasting negative effects on the reproduction of Asian elephants captured from the wild and kept in captivity, in a joint study with … Read more
In a new study published this week (Wednesday 9 October) in the journal Biological Conservation, an international team of researchers recommends the need for additional measures to protect and conserve one of the most iconic Antarctic species – the emperor penguin (Aptenodyptes forsteri). The researchers reviewed over 150 studies on the species and its environment as … Read more
The teeth of mammals experience constant wear. However, the details of these wear processes are largely unknown. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now demonstrated that the various areas of herbivores’ teeth differ in how susceptible they are to dental wear, detailing an exact chronology. “In our clinic, we regularly treat guinea pigs and … Read more
A study led by researchers at international conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and Imperial College London has found that culling drives badgers to roam 61% further afield – helping to explain why the practice, intended to reduce bovine TB transmission, can sometimes exacerbate the problem instead. Published in the Journal of Applied Ecology today (Wednesday … Read more
Scientists have long understood that forest biodiversity is driven in part by something called rare-species advantage – that is, an individual tree has a better chance of survival if there are only a few other trees of the same species around. As a result, when the number of trees of any given species rises, survival … Read more
Partnerships between ant and plant species appear to arise from – but not drive – rapid diversification of ants into new species. Katrina Kaur of the University of Toronto (current institution is the University of British Columbia) and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology. Some plants and ants have mutually beneficial, or “mutualistic,” interactions: … Read more
We humans may consider a long-lived life to be anywhere from 60 to 100 years, depending on where we live. But what about chimpanzees, one of our closest living relatives? Over the years, primatologists have reported on the life expectancies of wild chimpanzees in their native Africa, but few reports on their state in captivity … Read more
The fruit flies in Noah Whiteman’s lab may be hazardous to your health. Whiteman and his University of California, Berkeley, colleagues have turned perfectly palatable fruit flies – palatable, at least, to frogs and birds – into potentially poisonous prey that may cause anything that eats them to puke. In large enough quantities, the flies … Read more
By measuring the body length, width and height of free-living southern right whales photographed by drones, researchers were able to develop a model that accurately calculated the body volume and mass of the whales. Because of their large size and aquatic life, previously the only way to obtain data on the body mass of whales … Read more
Jackdaws are more likely to join a mob to drive off predators if lots of their fellow birds are up for the fight, new research shows. The study found that when more birds call out to show they are willing to mob a predator, more other jackdaws join in. University of Exeter scientists say this … Read more