Biology – Page 29 – Esoteric news

November 21, 2016

The Coati Is Part Raccoon, Part Monkey, and Part Pig

If the coati had a rich internal life, it would probably be having a major identity crisis. The post The Coati Is Part Raccoon, Part Monkey, and Part Pig appeared first on WIRED.

November 18, 2016

The Biologist Trying to Make the First Pregnancy Test for Sharks

Because you can't make a shark pee on a stick. The post The Biologist Trying to Make the First Pregnancy Test for Sharks appeared first on WIRED.

November 16, 2016

80,000 reindeer have starved to death as Arctic sea ice retreats

Knock-on effects of weather have frozen snow in recent years, causing tens of thousands of reindeer to starve – and stoking fears of more famine to come this year

November 16, 2016

Creative cockatoos skilfully make tools from different materials

A parrot genius known to make tools has now shown that it does this with a specific purpose in mind, making useful items from twigs, wood and cardboard

November 15, 2016

How our brains recall celebrities is mirrored by search engines

When you Google Bill and Hillary Clinton together, you get over 100 million hits. Now we know cells in our brains group memories of people in a similar way

November 10, 2016

Giggling rats reveal the most ticklish part of our brains

The neurons involved in the enjoyment of tickling have been discovered in rats, which emit ultrasonic squeals of delight when tickled on their belly or feet

November 10, 2016

Using egg leftovers could double the number collected in IVF

Combining an egg's genetic leftovers with donor cells may be a way to double the number of eggs available for IVF in women whose ovarian reserve is running low

November 10, 2016

Bet You’ve Never Seen Snow Leopards Mating Before

To capture a snow leopard for Planet Earth II, the crew had to combine patience, luck, and a lot of fancy tech. See it all here in glorious 360 degrees. The post Bet You've Never Seen Snow Leopards Mating Before appeared first on WIRED.

November 7, 2016

Silly Mudskipper. Fish Aren’t Supposed to Be Walking on Land

One particular fish hasn't seemed to make up its mind about living in the water or on land: the mudskipper. The post Silly Mudskipper. Fish Aren't Supposed to Be Walking on Land appeared first on WIRED.

November 4, 2016

A Groundbreaking 30-Year Old Evolutionary Experiment Is Still Going Strong

At first, the biologist Richard Lenski thought his long-term experiment on evolution might last for 2,000 generations. Nearly three decades and over 65,000 generations later, he's still amazed by evolution's "awesome inventiveness." The post A Groundbreaking 30-Year Old Evolutionary Experiment Is Still Going Strong appeared first on WIRED.