Topic: Wildlife

May 20, 2013 Shark Siblicide - Unborn baby sharks gobble up their brothers and sisters in the womb.
May 15, 2013 Monkey Food Culture - Vervet monkeys usually adopt the food preferences of whatever social group they join.
May 10, 2013 Sea Creature Roundup - An invasive species could be an unexpected boon for salt marshes.
May 6, 2013 Changing Hare Color - Climate change could make snowshoe hare camouflage less protective.
April 29, 2013 Giant Snail Invasion - Giant East African land snails are wreaking havoc in South Florida.
April 9, 2013 Fairy Circles - Mysterious “fairy circles” on African plains are caused by termites, which destroy patches of grass but help the surrounding grass thrive.
April 8, 2013 Reviving Extinct Species - Using frozen DNA, researchers have created early-stage embryos of an extinct frog.
April 6, 2013 Podcast for 5 April 2013 - LESSONS FROM THE DEAD - Scientists attempt to bring back an extinct frog. Mummies showing signs of heart disease make researchers rethink assumptions about lifestyle and diet. The mysterious death zone within African "fairy circles" explained. Also: a miniature laboratory under the skin monitors blood chemistry.
March 25, 2013 Electric Flowers - Low-voltage electricity may help guide bees to the right flowers.
March 22, 2013 Bird Roundup - Cliff swallows are evolving rapidly in response to an urban environment.
March 19, 2013 Arctic Camels - Camels seem perfectly suited to life in the desert, but they may have evolved those traits in the high Arctic.
March 8, 2013 Podcast for 8 March 2013 - INSECTS & ALCOHOL - Insects that arm their offspring with alcohol. Drinking may have a 10 million year history. And the importance of wild insects to the worldwide food supply. Also: prosthetic ears from a 3-D printer and seals that sleep with one eye open.
March 1, 2013 Podcast for 1 March 2013 - SWEET SCIENCE - What tomatoes can tell us about cutting back on sugar and a diabetes cure for dogs. Also, behind the mechanics of beatboxing, the evolution of whales, and writing your way to a better relationship.
February 15, 2013 Ape Psychopathology – 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting Coverage - Chimpanzees in captivity sometimes suffer from simian versions of psychiatric disorders.
February 7, 2013 Dung Beetle Navigation - Dung beetles use the Milky Way to roll their dung balls in a straight line.
January 18, 2013 Sensitive Reptile Roundup - Some dinosaurs may have used feathers to show off, much like some modern birds.
January 15, 2013 Birdsong Bluster - Female songbirds sometimes have a hard time separating truly worthy male crooners from the fly-by-night wannabees.
January 10, 2013 Detachable Gecko Tails - Gecko tails fall off along pre-determined lines.
January 3, 2013 Stressed-out Scallops - Scientists can assess the health of marine ecosystems by recording the coughing sounds made by scallops.
December 11, 2012 Bird Passwords - An Australian bird thwarts nest invaders by requiring its young to sing a secret call to get fed.
December 10, 2012 Ice Melt & Ice Age - A meltdown of Arctic ice may have triggered the last deep freeze in the Northern Hemisphere.
December 6, 2012 Blind Mole Rats - The blind mole rat, like its distant cousin the naked mole rat, never gets cancer.
November 29, 2012 Coral SOS Signals - Seaweed-covered corals emit a chemical that entices goby fish to clean them.
November 16, 2012 Podcast for 16 November 2012 - BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES & BEETLES - How radar helped solve a migration mystery, why malaria could be heading north, and how dung beetles cool themselves off. Also: a 21st century technology that's helping archaeologists crack an ancient code.
November 12, 2012 Butterfly Migration Radar - Radar data, along with highly coordinated observations, has solved a disappearing-butterfly mystery.
November 9, 2012 Podcast for 9 November 2012 - SURVIVAL - Why female Komodo dragons die young, a whale that sounded like a person, and algae that flee their predators. Also: how the brain's insulation differs between us and chimpanzees, and why that insulation is so important to social development.
November 5, 2012 Komodo Dragon Housework - Housework may be killing female Komodo dragons at an early age.
October 30, 2012 Whale Mimics Humans - A male beluga whale copied human speech patterns.
October 23, 2012 Fleeing Phytoplankton - Scientists report that plant-like organisms called phytoplankton flee their predators just like animals do.
October 19, 2012 Podcast for 19 October 2012 - ANIMAL GENES & BEHAVIOR - The genes responsible for cat coat patterns, why male killer whales are momma's boys, what's behind the hummingbird's aerial acrobatics, and how epigenetics explains honeybee castes.
October 17, 2012 Malaria Heads North - Global warming may drive malaria northward in coming years.
October 11, 2012 Orca Momma’s Boys - Killer whale moms live long past menopause, apparently to support and protect their adult sons.
October 5, 2012 Podcast for 5 October 2012 - SOUNDS & SIGNALS: We revisit one of Science Update's most memorable podcasts about the science of communication, from 2009: Prairie dogs sound the alarm, turning bed bugs against themselves, bird songs vary by climate, and improving forensic voice comparison.
October 3, 2012 Backwards Hummingbirds - New research reveals how hummingbirds fly backwards.
October 1, 2012 Feline Fur Genetics - Scientists have discovered that mutations to a single gene in cats can turn stripes into blotches or even erase color patterns altogether.
September 24, 2012 Tigers Among People - Tigers in Nepal are adapting to the presence of humans by changing their daily routine.
September 21, 2012 Podcast for 21 September 2012 - ANIMAL CONSERVATION - Nepalese tigers co-exist with people, aggression is giving Tasmanian Devils cancer, tadpoles keep their personalities when they become frogs, and a new monkey species is discovered in Africa.
September 20, 2012 Tasmanian Devil Bites - Tasmanian Devils may need to tone down their aggression to survive an epidemic.
September 17, 2012 Frog Personalities - Tadpoles don't lose their personalities when they turn into frogs.
September 12, 2012 Fighting Oil Spills - Food science and conservation biology come together to fight oil spills using a common ingredient in chocolate and peanut butter.
August 31, 2012 Flora & Fauna Roundup - A strange looking tropical plant is helping researchers understand the life-cycle of the cell.
August 21, 2012 Robin Hood Rodents - Tropical rodents called agoutis steal cached seeds from each other, and the behavior may have helped a plant species avoid extinction.
August 10, 2012 Podcast for 10 August 2012 - Dad's diversity and perilous parenthood.
August 2, 2012 Perilous Parenthood - Mating can cost some animals their lives.
July 12, 2012 Foxes & Lyme Disease - Lyme disease correlates with the waning fox population, not an increase in deer.
May 25, 2012 Podcast for 25 May 2012 - FARM SCIENCE - Does exposure to farms and forests stave off asthma and allergies? How to combat viruses with pigs. And why milk goes sour faster than other beverages.
May 15, 2012 Raven Relationships - Ravens remember other ravens as friendly or adversarial, even years later.
May 11, 2012 Podcast for 11 May 2012 - BIRDS & DINOSAURS - Scientists discover T. Rex's feathered cousin, did dino gas warm the ancient earth? And giant fleas that may have pestered the prehistoric giants. Also: why the amorous pursuits of an Australian bird has turned it into a horticulturalist, and how ravens keep track of friend and foe.
May 8, 2012 Gardening Birds - Male Spotted Bowerbirds unintentionally cultivate ornamental plants while attempting to woo the opposite sex.
April 26, 2012 Predators & Plants - Eliminating bears, wolves, and other top predators has far-reaching consequences.