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Throughout history humans have preferred their pigs to be black, suggests study
Credit: Jack Jeffrey Photography New research suggests the Polynesians, Europeans and the Chinese have had a penchant for black pigs because of the novelty of their colour. Pigs have played an import..
Snake venom composition could be related to hormones and diet
This news release was issued on 28-Sept-2016 Many people are afraid of snakes, but scientists are now revealing insights about their venoms that could give even ophidiophobes an appreciation for the..
How do birds dive safely at high speeds? New research explains.
Credit: Sunny Jung/Virginia Tech To surprise their prey, some species of seabirds dive into the water at speeds greater than 50 miles per hour. A human diver entering the water that fast would likely..
Dog stool microbiome predicts canine inflammatory bowel disease
Our gut microbiomes -- the varieties of microbes living in our digestive tracts -- may play a role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since dogs can also suffer from IBD, researchers at University of California San Diego School of…
Hearing the same sound twice in each ear helps insects locate their mates
An incredibly advanced hearing system which enables a group of insects to listen to the same sound twice with each ear, helping them to locate the sound's origin with pinpoint accuracy, has been discovered by scientists at the University of…
Wind turbines killing more than just local birds
Wind turbines are known to kill large birds, such as golden eagles, that live nearby. Now there is evidence that birds from up to hundreds of miles away make up a significant portion of the raptors that are killed at these wind energy…
Good food puts bees in good mood
Biologists at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have discovered that after bumblebees drink a small droplet of really sweet sugar water, they behave like they are in a positive emotion-like state. (more…)
Saving two adult eagles per year to save the population of this endangered species
Dying due to electrocution at the power lines is the most common death for Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata), a threatened species in Europe. This is the case of a ringed bird in 2008 -- the baby bird 0M -- in Montserrat Mountain…
Human and avian running on uneven ground
Humans and birds adapt their movement when running on uneven ground. "And even though their adaptation mechanisms and strategies developed completely independently, they do so in very similar ways," says Dr Roy Müller from the Friedrich…
Genes underlying dogs’ social ability revealed
The social ability of dogs is affected by genes that also seems to influence human behaviour, according to a new study from Linköping University in Sweden. The scientists have found a relationship between five different genes and the…