Birds Migrate Earlier, But Some May Be Left Behind As The Climate Warms Rapidly
June 21, 2008
Many birds are arriving earlier each spring as temperatures warm along the East Coast of the United States. However, the farther those birds journey, the less likely they are to keep pace with the rapidly changing climate. Read more
Domestic Cat’s Ancestors Are in Trouble!
June 20, 2008
Today’s domestic cat derived from the African Wildcat (Felis lybica). New evidence shows that the wildcat was domesticated around 9,500 years ago in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East and Egypt, although it was the Egyptians who truly welcomed the cats into their homes. Not only were they intrigued by the cats’ beauty, they soon realized the cats’ ability to keep the rodent population under control. Read more
Whales Set to Chase Shrinking Feed Zones
June 20, 2008
Endangered migratory whales will be faced with shrinking crucial Antarctic foraging zones which will contain less food and will be further away, a new analysis of the impacts of climate change on Southern Ocean whales has found. Read more
WTI-IFAW Project Ensures Zero Elephant Deaths on Rajaji Railway Track (India)
June 18, 2008
Recommendations of a Wildlife Trust of India-International Fund for Animal Welfare study done in 2001 have ensured zero elephant deaths in train accidents on a railway track that crosses the forests of the Rajaji National Park in the northern Indian Uttarakhand state. Read more
Enzyme Discovery Could Lead to No Scent, No Sex for Japanese Beetle
June 18, 2008
If a male Japanese beetle is unable to detect the sex pheromone released by a female, he won’t be able to locate her and reproduce. UC Davis researchers have discovered how a key enzyme interacts with those pheromones in the beetle’s sophisticated olfactory system, a finding that may lead to important applications for controlling this damaging, invasive pest. Read more
Ebb And Flow of the Sea is the Primary Cause of the World’s Mass Extinctions Over the Past 500 Million Years
June 18, 2008
If you are curious about Earth’s periodic mass extinction events such as the sudden demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, you might consider crashing asteroids and sky-darkening super volcanoes as culprits. But a new study, published June 15, 2008, in the journal Nature, suggests that it is the ocean, and in particular the epic ebbs and flows of sea level and sediment over the course of geologic time, that is the primary cause of the world’s periodic mass extinctions over the past 500 million years. Read more
