|
Subject |
Comments |
Views |
Author |
Date Written |
Dumbo Octopus
|
view preview
The Dumbo Octopus belongs to the genus Grimpoteuthis, and is given its nickname based on its resemblance to the large-eared Disney elephant. They can live up to 7,000 meters below the surface, though many are found between 1,000 and 4,000 meters. It feeds unlike any other octopus, by skimming the surface of the sea floor looking for crustaceans to swallow whole. The largest specimen on record was 1.8 m (6ft) long, weighing 5.9 kg (13 pounds).
|
|
|
1 |
4089 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The plastisphere
|
view preview
Much of the debris in our oceans consists of small fragments of detritus no larger than a fingernail. These confetti-like plastic pieces act as microbial reefs – their own ecosystems – in the vast open ocean. Scientists are studying them to help better understand the predation and symbiosis in these mini ecosystems themselves and also how they are affecting the ocean and its other communities on a broader scale.
|
|
|
2 |
3331 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Two new gigantic viruses
|
view preview
Have you heard about two new gigantic viruses that have been discovered? They measure around 1 micrometer long & half that across – larger than some eukaryotic cells! Massive genomes up to 2.5 Mb (millions of base pairs) are present to match their giant size. Their discovery raises many questions on viral diversity that remains unexplored.
|
|
|
1 |
2255 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
New species discovered in the Western Hemisphere
|
view preview
Meet olinguito, or Bassaricyon neblina, the first species of carnivore discovered in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years. This cute teddy bear-like nocturnal mammal is native to Central and South America, and spends most of its time in the treetops, coming down to the forest floor occasionally to eat fruits such as guava.
|
|
|
0 |
3938 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A peculiar lobster has been discovered
|
view preview
1 out of every 50-100 million lobsters has split coloring. One side is typically a dark brown, while the other side is blue, orange, or red. These individuals usually exhibit traits of both males and females.
|
|
|
0 |
4869 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Vulnerability to tuberculosis
|
view preview
If you’re not already acquainted, meet Mycobacterium tuberculosis – a wildly successful bacterium that has marched in lockstep with our population growth and history. The cause of tuberculosis, this bacterium is said to infect a new host every single second. Research lead Caitlin Pepperell from University of Wisconsin-Madison remarked, "Evolutionary theory predicts that M. tuberculosis populations should be vulnerable to extinction. Yet it is obviously highly prevalent. It must have some incredibly clever strategies and tricks to hang on." A paper published last month in PLoS Pathogens investigated 63 genomes from the bacteria and related pathogenic mycobacteria to gain insight into how natural election pressures have shaped its evolution and ...
|
|
|
0 |
3413 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Beetles the size of period
|
view preview
The water beetle is about 1 mm in length and has been named Hydraena ateneo. Most of the discoveries made in the Philippines occur in their forests, making this discovery even more surprising.
|
|
|
2 |
3548 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
These aren't snakes, people - they are lizards
|
view preview
Four species of legless lizard have been identified in the sand dunes of Antioch, California. This picture introduces Anniella grinnelli, one of the recently found species. It has a bright yellow belly and a lilac back with deep purple lines, and was named after Joseph Grinnell, the first director of the Berkeley Zoology Museum.
|
|
|
0 |
2604 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Can anyone whisper, evolution?
|
view preview
Zookeepers at Central Park Zoo in the US assumed their cotton-top tamarins were falling silent every time someone entered their enclosure, but spectrograms, which provide visual representations of sound, revealed what was really going on. These little monkeys were actually whispering their alarm calls instead of shouting them, which is the first evidence of whispering in a non-human primate species.
|
|
|
1 |
3066 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Self-exploding ants
|
view preview
Carpenter ants ( Camponotus cylindricus) are found in Borneo and expel the lethal sticky substance to defend their colony. Both ant and invader are killed in these attacks; they fall from the canopy as a pair into the leaf litter below, to eventually be eaten by something. Most of the bodies of the south-east Asian Camponotus cylindricus ants are for storage of the deadly secretion. The insects react quickly - when researchers lightly touched them with forceps their abdomen walls ruptured. ...
|
|
|
0 |
2509 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
It's no wonder this species was so hard to find
|
view preview
Biologists from James Cook University have discovered a new species of leaf-tailed gecko in Australia. The lizard is highly camouflaged against the granite boulders it lives on and grows to around 12 cm. It's been named the Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko ( Saltaurius eximius) after the region in northern Queensland where it was found.
|
|
|
0 |
6442 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Imagine staying in flight for six months straight
|
view preview
New data shows alpine swift can spend up to 200 days in the air. It is a mystery how the birds are able to physiologically accomplish this feat. While their diet is relatively straightforward, they feed on airborne insects, how they rest in midair is not known.
|
|
|
0 |
3585 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Massive flying squirrel
|
view preview
Named Biswamoyopterus laoensis, with a suggested common name of the Laotian giant flying squirrel. It weighs around 1.8 kg and measures about 42 inches (1.08 m) in total length – the body is about 18 inches (0.46 m) long and the tail is 24 inches (0.62 m) long.
|
|
|
0 |
2495 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
A new species of giant fish as been discovered
|
view preview
The new species is member of the arapaima genus, which contains some of the world’s biggest freshwater fish that breathe air and weigh up to 200kg. Found in the central Amazon of Brazil, the new fish has been named Arapaima leptosoma and is the first new species of arapaima described since 1847.
|
|
|
2 |
3942 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Oreo cookies are more addictive than cocaine
|
view preview
Researchers have found that Oreos are as addictive as cocaine, at least for lab rats. According to the new study, eating the black and white cookies activated more neurons in the rat brain’s pleasure centre than drugs such as cocaine.
|
|
|
1 |
3395 |
duddy |
10 years ago |