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Studies of fungi provide new knowledge of harmful mutations in cells

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Long-lived mushrooms that grow in ‘fairy rings’ accumulate surprisingly few mutations over time. This finding indicates that their protection against harmful mutations is well developed. The results, to be published in the esteemed journal Current Biology, are interesting in terms of both medicine and evolutionary biology. In all living creatures, every cell contains DNA, which encodes … Read more

Despite habitat protection, endangered owls decline in Mount Rainier National Park

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When the Northern Spotted Owl was protected under the Endangered Species Act in 1990, the primary threat to the species was the loss of the old-growth forest it depends on. However, new research published in The Condor: Ornithological Applications shows that the Northern Spotted Owl population in Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park has declined sharply in the … Read more

Medication in the environment affects feeding behavior of fish

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Scientists are increasingly warning that prescription drugs can affect wildlife and ecosystems when they find their way into the environment. In a new Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry study, investigators found that the anxiety and depression drug Escitalopram–at concentrations similar to those measured in the environment – can inhibit fish foraging and eating behavior. Interestingly, the team noted … Read more

Human activity likely affects giraffe’s social networks

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In a new Ethology study, researchers examined information on two adjacent giraffe populations in Kenya to determine whether human activities and high predation affect their social networks. One study site was a premier tourist destination with a high volume of human activity in the form of tourist traffic and lodges, alongside a high density of lions that … Read more

Animal collectives like ants should move through their environment like ‘savvy gamblers’

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Scientists have studied particular examples of this for many years but there are not many unifying frameworks to understand the general organising principles of animal movement. This is especially true for animal collectives like ant colonies, whose individual routes as they search for food can look rather like a ‘random walk’. Now an inter-disciplinary team … Read more

‘Mega-fires’ may be too extreme even for a bird that loves fire

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Fire is a natural part of western forests, but the changing nature of fire in many parts of North America may pose challenges for birds. One bird in particular, the Black-backed Woodpecker, specializes in using recently-burned forests in western North America, but like humans looking for a new family home, it’s picky about exactly where … Read more

Put a charge on it

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Pollutants coming out of cars’ exhausts are harmful to the environment and public health. With the goal of overall curbing car emissions, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a challenge to scientists worldwide: catalytically converting 90% of all critical pollutants (hydrocarbons, CO, NOx etc.) in car exhaust into less harmful substances at 150ºC. However, … Read more

It would take 50 million years to recover New Zealand’s lost bird species

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Half of New Zealand’s birds have gone extinct since humans arrived on the islands. Many more are threatened. Now, researchers reporting in the journal Current Biology on August 5 estimate that it would take approximately 50 million years to recover the number of bird species lost since humans first colonized New Zealand. “The conservation decisions we make … Read more