Nature
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Seeing stars
This sea creature detects light with cells all over its body.
The brittle star Ophiocoma wendtii, shown above, is a relative of sea stars and sea urchins that lives among the brig...
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Scientists successfully clone monkeys
Macaques may be the first of genetically identical primates.
Chinese scientists have announced the successful creation of two cloned monkeys, representing a major advance in clon...
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Meet a fly named after Schwarzenegger
Amazon insect is contender for world’s smallest fly.
Fiji is home to the endangered Ba humbugi snail, and in Borneo is found the type of mushroom Spongiforma squarepantsi...
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Warmer temperatures cause birds to shrink
Maximum temperatures a big influence on body size.
The common house sparrow (Passer domesticus) hopping about your feet at a cafe or train station may provide clues int...
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Population of “world’s rarest fish” discovered
As few as 20 new specimens gives hope to marine researchers.
An undersea area just the area of two tennis courts holds a newly discovered population of what is thought to be the ...
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Seabirds excrete 690 million kg of poo yearly
Birds make significant but overlooked contributions.
So, here’s a question for your next trivia quiz night: What is the weight of the nitrogen content of total global sea...
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Crows use hooked tools
Research finds crows make hooks to gain more food in less time.
The manufacture and use of tools has long been touted as a line of demarcation between humans and non-human animals: ...
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Birds yearn for the bright lights of cities
Data reveals migratory flocks head for inner urban roosts.
For many species of migratory birds, it seems that the lure of bright lights and big cities might be too difficult to...
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Friends with drawbacks: social marmots die early
The idea community living leads to long lives doesn’t always hold.
There are many studies showing that in humans a good social life correlates positively with longevity. Social interac...
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Hawaiian exotics show genetic drift
Invasive species lends understanding to evolutionary process.
An invasive bird population in Hawaii provides a window into genetic drift – evolutionary changes typically seen over...
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Green turtles of the Great Barrier Reef
Gobal warming has an impact on male turtles.
A green sea turtle from the northern Great Barrier Reef. Camryn Allen/NOAA Fisheries The north of the Great Barrier ...
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Females fall for robot fiddlers
Biologists use robotic crabs to test whether its real love.
Female fiddler crabs have a thing for males who fiddle fast – or possibly just fancy a fling with a crustacean robot,...