Asian Carp Invasion
Scientists are using DNA to track the invasion of Asian carp in the United States.
Lightning Bug Roundup
Fireflies could help doctors deliver the right dose of heparin to prevent blood clots.
Gangster Birds
In the Kalahari desert, a gangster-like bird provides protection to other birds, but at a high price.
Modified Mosquito Roundup
Sterilized male mosquitoes are part of a grand experiment in biocontrol on Grand Cayman Island.
Toxic Cavefish
A toxic plant used in a traditional religious ritual is shaping the evolution of a Mexican cavefish.
Cat Roundup
Tigers are highly endangered in the wild and the remains of over one thousand of the big cats have been seized in the past decade.
Fatherless Snakes
Boa constrictors are the latest addition to the list of vertebrate species in which parthenogensis, or asexual reproduction, has been documented.
Butterfly Medicine
Butterflies use plant-based medicine, but only when it is needed most.
Podcast
UNUSUAL ANIMALS - Mice that smell light, asexual boa constrictors, unloving lobsters, butterfly medicine, and why simply being pink isn't good enough for flamingos.
Flamingo Makeup
Just being pink isn't good enough for a flamingo. A new study reveals that they apply makeup to their feathers to stand out even more.
Podcast
ANIMALS: How dolphins breathe, sea snails that hide their gender, the genetics and epigenetics of ant colonies, and looking mad-cow disease in the eye.
Dolphin DNA
Scientists are testing a new method for obtaining DNA samples from dolphins.
Pigeon Illusions
A listener asks: Why do pigeons bob their heads back and forth when they walk?
Podcast
ANIMALS: A new way to sample dolphin DNA, pain-relief from sea snail venom, beetles born with bifocals, and why pigeons bob their heads when they walk.
Tail-Wagging Birds
A listener asks: Why do some birds bob their tails up and down?
Podcast
ANIMAL UPDATE: Beating aphids at their own game, why some birds bob their tails, ancient terror birds of South America, and more.
Photo licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
GNU_Free_Documentation_License
Octopus Venom
Scientists think venom from Antarctic octopi may have pain-killing properties.
Podcast
CUTTING-EDGE MEDICINE: Re-growing joints and re-constructing faces, the link between gut bacteria and multiple sclerosis, and octopus venoms that could treat pain.
Penguin Calls
The steadiness of a male Adélie penguin's call is what attracts a mate.
NEON Ecological Network
Scientists are planning a large-scale ecological observatory network.
Podcast
SCIENCE OF SOUND: Male penguins attract females by the sound of their voice, tropical wrens sing duets, and there's a new screening test for autism that analyzes speech patterns. Also: exposing "facilitated communication".
*Image originally appeared in: https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0020406