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Is Self-Fumigation for the Birds?

By Guest PostJune 4, 2014Natureanthony straub, better workday, bilder, biologists, birds, darwin, ecuador, endangered species, floreana island, galapagos islands, guernica, hashed passwords, hurricane andrew, hydrophobic polymer nanofibers, isabela island, japanese volcano, kim cameron, king solomon, malerei, mammals, monika fink, nanobubble membrane, nashorn handel, north atlantic hurricanes, sakurajima volcano, santa cruz island, schwarzmarkt, siyuan xian, university of utah, user account, yahoo users

Save Threatened Species by Giving Them Treated Cotton for Nests

When University of Utah biologists set out cotton balls treated with a mild pesticide, wild finches in the Galapagos Islands used the cotton to help build their nests, killing parasitic fly maggots to protect baby birds. The researchers say the self-fumigation method may help endangered birds and even some mammals.

“We are trying to help birds help themselves,” says biology professor Dale Clayton, senior author of a study outlining the new technique. The findings were published online May 5, 2014, in the journal Current Biology. (more…)

Biologists Turn Back the Clock to Understand Evolution of Sex Differences

By Guest PostMay 9, 2012Nature, Scienceabderrahman khila, antlers, battle, darwin, ehab abouheif, evolution, hooks, locke rowe, male guppies, mating, mcgill university, moose, peacocks, plumage, rheumatobates rileyi, rna interference, sex differences, sexes, traits in nature, tusks, university of toronto, walruses, water striders, wild colours

Battles of sexes shown to spur adaptive sex differences

Sex differences account for some of the most of the spectacular traits in nature: the wild colours of male guppies, the plumage of peacocks, tusks on walruses and antlers on moose. Sexual conflict – the battle between males and females over mating – is thought to be a particularly potent force in driving the evolution of traits that differ in males and females.

However, the genetic processes responsible for producing such traits are not well understood, nor how they evolved from their simpler less elaborate ancestral forms. We tend to assume that each tiny step in evolution is an advantage. But are they really? (more…)

Scientists Trace Evolutionary History of What Mammals Eat

By Guest PostApril 17, 2012Nature, Scienceanimal ecology, antelope, bats, big cats, carnivory, cows, darwin, davis, deer, duke university, environmental biology, evolutionary race, evolutionary time, extinct, feeding habit, george gilchrist, herbivory, louise roth, macroevolutionary diversification, mammal, meat, national science foundation, omnivore, plant eater, primates, rabbits, rodents, samantha hopkins, samantha price, ungulates, university of california, university of oregon

*Feeding habits haven’t always been what they are today*

The feeding habits of mammals haven’t always been what they are today, particularly for omnivores.

Some groups of mammals almost exclusively eat meat–take lions and tigers and other big cats as examples.

Other mammals such as deer, cows and antelope are predominantly plant-eaters, living on a diet of leaves, shoots, fruits and bark. (more…)

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Is Self-Fumigation for the Birds?

Biologists Turn Back the Clock to Understand Evolution of Sex Differences

Scientists Trace Evolutionary History of What Mammals Eat