Biotech. Paleo. Squid. Mimicus. Medicin. Himalaia. Extinto. Weird New Ghostshark Found; Male Has Sex Organ on Head. September 22, 2009—California has a new star, the Eastern Pacific black ghostshark. But the newly identified species prefers to stay out of the sun—and the spotlight. And with a club-like sex organ on its forehead, the male ghostshark isn't likely to get any leading man roles. Pictured alive underwater (top) and preserved in a museum collection (bottom), the new ghostshark uses winglike fins to "fly" through its dark habitat, thousands of feet deep off the coasts of California and Mexico's Baja California peninsula, a new study says.
(See map.) The ghostshark seems to have flown under the scientific radar too. Since the 1960s experts have been finding specimens of the strange, 3-foot-long (0.9-meter-long) fish, which ended up nameless in museum collections around the world. Ghostsharks in Chimerical Company The shark-like animal belongs to the mysterious and little-studied chimaeras, perhaps the oldest group of fish alive today. (Related: "Bloodsucking Lamprey Found to Be 'Living Fossil.'")
Sea turtles' migration mystery is 'solved' 25 February 2011Last updated at 00:25 By Camille Ebden BBC News Loggerhead sea turtles are able to navigate oceans when still hatchlings. Until now, how species such as loggerhead sea turtles manage to migrate thousands of miles across oceans with no visual landmarks has been a mystery. Now researchers from the University of North Carolina believe they have found the answer.
Loggerhead sea turtles appear to be able to determine their longitude using two sets of magnetic cues. It is the first time this ability has been shown in any migratory animal. This research is published in the journal Current Biology. Continue reading the main story This not only solves a long-standing mystery of animal behaviour but may also be useful in sea turtle conservation” End QuoteDr Kenneth LohmannUniversity of North Carolina Suprising discovery Although several species of turtles are known to use magnetic cues to determine latitude, it was believed that this wasn't possible for longitude. Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Are there plenty more fish in the sea? 26 October 2010Last updated at 11:43 By Susan Watts Newsnight science editor, BBC News Continue reading the main story Mapping Canada's salmon life cycle The pristine waters of British Columbia's Fraser River, a few hours' drive upstream from Vancouver, belie the activity beneath.
Below the tranquil surface, the river has just witnessed one of nature's most spectacular natural phenomena - the return of the sockeye salmon, and this year it is the biggest salmon run in a century. This year, despite dire predictions from scientists, 34 million sockeye salmon came back to the exact stretch of river where they were born to spawn. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote The global picture is that we have lost 80-90% of the big fish” End QuoteProfessor Daniel PaulyUniversity of British Columbia But what makes this even more astonishing is that it comes just one year after only one million fish returned.
Susan Watts on whether reports on declining global fish stocks are correct. Ladybird made into 'zombie' bodyguard by parasitic ... 23 June 2011Last updated at 09:29 By Paul Rincon Science reporter, BBC News The developing wasp bursts out through the ladybird's abdomen A parasitic wasp protects itself from predators while cocooned by turning its ladybird host into a "bodyguard". After a female wasp injects its egg into the ladybird, the larva munches on its host's internal tissues before breaking out through the abdomen. In some cases the partially paralysed ladybird remains sitting on the parasite as it spins a cocoon. Researchers think venom from the wasp makes the ladybird twitch and grasp - warding off predators. This uncharacteristic behaviour by the ladybird begins at the point that the parasite breaks out of its body. Details of the work have been published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.
It'll cost you However, by co-opting the ladybird into guarding its cocoon, the parasitic wasp Dinocampus coccinellae seems to incur a cost, the researchers found. DEFORMED FROG PICTURE: Sign of Parasites on the Rise? September 22, 2009—You might call it a teenage mutant ninja frog—minus the ninja. In northern California, foothill yellow-legged tadpoles are developing into juvenile frogs with missing legs and eyes, like the animal seen above in 2008. These deformities are possibly caused by outbreaks of an alien parasite from Eurasia that usually attacks fish used in aquaculture and the aquarium trade, a new study says. Anchor worms flourished in the South Fork Eel River in 2006 and 2008, when heat waves pushed maximum weekly average water temperatures to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23.7 degrees Celsius), researchers found.
(See map.) Those years were also drier than normal, corralling tadpoles into smaller pools and making them sitting ducks for parasites. Once the parasitic crustaceans enter the gills of a tadpole victim, they feed off the tadpole's tissues until male and female parasites mate. (Related: "Pesticides, Parasite May Cause Frog Deformities. ") —Christine Dell'Amore. Microbial Life in Extreme Environments. BIOKon In Space (BIOKIS) Overview | Description | Applications | Operations | Results | Publications | ImageryISS Science for Everyone Science Objectives for Everyone BIOKon In Space (BIOKIS) involves the investigation of seven experiments sponsored by the Italian Space Agency (ASI-Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) in the areas of cellular biology, radiation and radioprotection, aging, germination and plant growth. These experiments will aim to evaluate various biological species to determine genetic distinctions following short-duration space flight; also, BIOKIS will utilize a variety of dosimeters to monitor radiation.
Science Results for Everyone This investigation evaluates a number of plant and animal species for genetic alterations while monitoring radiation levels using a variety of dosimeters. This content was provided by Pier Luigi Ganga, and is maintained in a database by the ISS Program Science Office. Experiment Details OpNom Principal Investigator(s) Sponsoring Organization Italian Space Agency (ASI) Operations. Follow that microlight: Birds learn to migrate. 27 October 2010Last updated at 05:11 By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News Sky high: The BBC joins Dr Johannes Fritz and his flock on a leg of their odd migration "Yes, people think we're crazy," says Johannes Fritz, with a wry smile.
And surveying the scene, it is easy to see why. We are in a playing field, in a small village in Austria, close to the Slovenian border. In it stands a makeshift camp, with all the usual outdoors paraphernalia. But it is the large aviary, containing 14 northern bald ibis and two human "foster parents" who are gently tending to their avian flock that really draws your attention. That, and the microlights parked nearby. For the past couple of days, this unassuming spot has been home to the Waldrapp team, "Waldrapp" being another name for the northern bald ibis. But the group will not be staying here for long: they are part-way through a month-long effort to take these birds on a 1,300km flight from Germany to Italy. However, this is no ordinary migration. Mamifero venenoso - Solenodon hunt: On the trail of a 'living fossil'
31 May 2010Last updated at 00:40 By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC News, Sierra de Bahoruco, Dominican Republic Scent of a solenodon: Joe Nunez-Mino reveals how sniffing caves can help to track down these "ghosts" of the forests It is swelteringly hot and unbearably humid as we set off on our journey deep into the heart of the Dominican Republic's tropical forests. And as we drive along the bone-joltingly bumpy track, crammed into a truck loaded with enough supplies for our week in the wilderness, the excitement amongst the researchers grows. We are on our way to see if we can track down one of the most strange and ancient mammals in the world - the Hispaniolan solenodon.
But finding one will not be easy: naturalists once thought that you would be more likely to see a ghost than this elusive creature. The solenodon is one of just a handful of venomous mammals Continue reading the main story “Start Quote The problem is that we really don't know anything about these animals ” Long wait. Epidemy Oaks Bacterias. 28 April 2010Last updated at 17:32 By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter, BBC News The UK's two native species of oak trees are affected by the disease The continuing spread of a deadly disease that affects the UK's native oak trees is causing concern among tree professionals and conservation groups. Acute Oak Decline (AOD), caused by a bacterial infection, can kill an infected tree in just a few years.
Some tree experts are comparing AOD to Dutch elm disease, which killed millions of trees throughout the UK during the 1970-80s. They said extra funds for more research into the disease were urgently needed. Although AOD has been confirmed in 55 cases, the number of trees displaying symptoms was steadily increasing, delegates at the Royal Forestry Society's (RFS) annual conference were told. The disease affects the UK's two native species of oak - sessile and pedunculate. 'Extensive bleeding' Acute Oak Decline can kill an infected tree in just a few years 'Major threat'