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July 25, 2008 1:18:32 PM CDT

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Stories related to: nature

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14 Stories

  • July 2008

    • Roots of Speech Found in Humming Fish

      newser  |  National Geographic  |  Jul 18, 08 3:13 AM CDT

      Roots of Speech Found in Humming Fish

      The songs of birds, the hums and grunts of toadfish, and the lofty speech of humans all use the same ancient brain circuit, despite an evolutionary split 400 million years ago, reports National Geographic . Researchers have discovered that the base of the hindbrain and upper spinal cord is the starting point for all vocalizations. More »

      Tags

      animal  • evolution  • brain  • fish  • speech  • nature  • amphibians

  • June 2008
  • May 2008

    • Homosexuality: It's Perfectly Natural

      newser  |  LiveScience  |  May 19, 08 7:28 PM CDT

      Homosexuality: It's Perfectly Natural

      It may throw a wrench in Noah's ark-stocking plans, but same-sex relationships appear in many animal species, reports LiveScience.com. The long list of animals that practice gay sex includes bears, penguins, gorillas, and dolphins, among others. But scientists question the act's evolutionary purpose, because it doesn't aid in reproduction. It may be an adaptation for nurturing offspring, or just a dry run. More »

      Tags

      science  • homosexuality  • gay  • nature  • biology  • biodiversity

    • 10 High-Tech Survival Items

      newser  |  Wired  |  May 4, 08 1:09 PM CDT

      10 High-Tech Survival Items

      Wired sees a distinct lack of cool high-tech outdoor gear, and gives its favorite examples of steps in the right direction: The Cocoon, a hanging teardrop-shaped tent/sleeping bag. The Adamant, an earthquake-proof bed. The Bedu Emergency Rapid Response Kit, a keg full of enough essentials to keep a family alive for up to 5 years. The Urban Skiff, a portable sailboat. The Firun Inflatable Sled, a snowsled that folds down into a backpack. More »

      Tags

      list  • technology  • GPS  • nature  • outdoors  • wilderness

  • April 2008

    • Darwin's Papers Now Online

      newser  |  BBC  |  Apr 17, 08 4:48 PM CDT

      Darwin's Papers Now Online

      A vast collection of the papers of Charles Darwin is now online, providing public access to volumes once restricted to Cambridge scholars, the BBC reports. 20,000 items are available, including the first draft of his seminal book on evolution, travel notes and personal pieces such as family recipes, Reuters reports. “Darwin changed our understanding of nature forever,” says the project’s director. More »

      Tags

      science  • research  • evolution  • nature  • biology  • Charles Darwin  • natural selection

  • March 2008

    • Cheating, Corruption Rampant in Ant Society

      newser  |  LiveScience  |  Mar 13, 08 12:00 PM CDT

      Cheating, Corruption Rampant in Ant Society

      A power-mad elite is secretly rigging the system so their offspring rise to power, LiveScience reports. That’s the situation a team of researchers has discovered in ant society—not exactly the epitome of community collaboration once thought. Until now, it appeared that any properly-fed larvae could hatch into a queen, but now researchers have found a secret ant elite, which has evolved a DNA strand more likely to produce ruling offspring. More »

      Tags

      DNA  • evolution  • nature  • animal behavior  • larvae  • nature vs. nurture  • ants

  • January 2008

    • Arnold Don't Surf (Apologies to Robert Duvall)

      newser  |  Los Angeles Times  |  Jan 11, 08 2:35 PM CST

      Arnold Don't Surf (Apologies to Robert Duvall)

      California's budget mess has Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposing to shutter 48 state parks, the Los Angeles Times reports, to the outrage of devoted citizens. Schwarzenegger's list includes Gold Rush-era Sutter's Fort in Sacramento and San Simeon State Park near Hearst Castle. The Governator's no-new-taxes budget is aimed to close a $14.5-billion shortfall over the next 18 months. More »

      Tags

      California  • Arnold Schwarzenegger  • nature  • outdoors  • parks

  • December 2007

    • Scientists Spot 6 Giraffe Species

      newser  |  BBC  |  Dec 24, 07 3:40 AM CST

      Scientists Spot 6 Giraffe Species

      Giraffes had long been thought to be one species with several subspecies, but researchers now believe they have identified six distinct species—some of which are on the brink of extinction, reports the BBC. Only 160 Nigerian giraffes remain. But there's hope the researchers' find will spur greater conservation efforts. More »

      Tags

      evolution  • wildlife  • nature  • giraffes

  • November 2007

    • Jelly-cide: 100,000 Salmon Killed

      newser  |  AFP  |  Nov 22, 07 12:00 PM CST

      Jelly-cide: 100,000 Salmon Killed

      An attack of killer jellyfish has wiped out Northern Ireland’s only salmon farm. More than 100,000 fish died in the seven-hour attack, causing estimated losses of $2.1 million, AFP reports. The 35-foot-deep wave of jellyfish covered 10 square miles. The mauve stinger normally prefers warmer Mediterranean waters and has never been seen off British shores in such numbers. More »

      Tags

      agriculture  • fish  • fishing  • Northern Ireland  • nature  • salmon  • jellyfish

  • October 2007

    • Earth Not Only Getting Warmer, but Wetter

      newser  |  Reuters  |  Oct 10, 07 4:21 PM CDT

      Earth Not Only Getting Warmer, but Wetter

      The earth, long known to be getting warmer, is also getting more humid, and human activity is to blame, Reuters reports. Findings based on computerized climate models confirmed long-standing predictions that the rising temperatures brought about by trapped greenhouse gases would lead to humidity increases. Only models with "the human effect" factored in showed such an uptick. More »

      Tags

      global warming  • nature

  • September 2007

    • Oh Poop! Hikers Have to Pack it Out on Whitney

      newser  |  New York Times  |  Sep 5, 07 4:07 AM CDT

      Oh Poop! Hikers Have to Pack it Out on Whitney

      If you you brought it with you—even internally—you've got to pack it back down. That's the new policy on Mt. Whitney where officials have to deal with excrement left by thousands who take to the heights every year.  Air lifting bags of human waste from high-altitude outhouses has been deemed too risky, the New York Times reports. More »

      Tags

      nature  • waste  • hiking

  • July 2007

    • UK Floods Linked to Warming

      newser  |  Independent (UK)  |  Jul 24, 07 4:43 AM CDT

      UK Floods Linked to Warming

      Central Britain is under water after record rains, and scientists are now saying that the heavy downfall is caused by man-made global warming. Britain's sodden summer, with swollen rivers, thousand homeless and water plants failing, has been caused by a southward shift of the jet stream. Not unprecedented, the Independent reports, but just what a new study predicts with warming. More »

      Tags

      Great Britain  • global warming  • United Kingdom  • flooding  • nature  • rainfall

    • A Megaflood Made England an Island

      newser  |  Guardian (UK)  |  Jul 19, 07 8:23 AM CDT

      A Megaflood Made England an Island

      England became an island as a result of a massive flood that tore through a land bridges to France 400,000 years ago, a study of  high-resolution sonar images of the bottom of the English Channel shows. The torrent of water and boulders carved the cliffs of Dover, and left deep scars on the channel bed, researchers report in the journal Nature . More »

      Tags

      France  • science  • England  • nature

    • Butterfly Evolves in Blink of Eye

      newser  |  BBC  |  Jul 13, 07 8:20 AM CDT

      Butterfly Evolves in Blink of Eye

      One of the fastest evolutionary changes ever observed has been witnessed by scientists studying butterflies in the South Pacific, the BBC reports. Blue Moon butterflies managed to fight off a deadly parasitic bacteria by developing suppressor genes to fight the bacteria in just six years. Hard-hit males rebounded from 1% of the population to 40% in that time. More »

      Tags

      science  • evolution  • nature  • butterflies

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