Animals & Plants

Dinosaurs wiped out by asteroid impact that turned earth into a 'hellish' place

The dinosaurs were wiped out by an asteroid that struck the earth with the force of a billion Hiroshimas, according to leading scientists.

Common weedkiller turns male frogs into females

Atrazine, one of the most commonly used and controversial weedkillers, can turn male frogs into females, researchers reported on Monday.

Naptime Helps Babies Remember New Things

Naps play an important role in infant learning by helping children's developing brains retain information, a new study has found.

Is an Animal's Agility Affected by the Position of Its Eyes?

New research from scientists in Liverpool has revealed the relationship between agility and vision in mammals. The study, published in the Journal of Anatomy, sampled 51 species to compare the relationship between agility and vision between frontal eyed species, such as cats, to lateral-eyed mammals, such as rabbits, to establish if the positioning of the eyes resulted in limitations to speed and agility.

DNA Sequencing Unlocks Evolutionary Origins, Relationships Among Flowering Plants

The origins of flowering plants from peas to oak trees are now in clearer focus thanks to the efforts of University of Florida researchers.

Protein Study Shows Evolutionary Link Between Plants, Humans

Inserting a human protein important in cancer development was able to revive dying plants, showing an evolutionary link between plants and humans and possibly making it easier to study the protein's function in cancer development, a Purdue University study has shown.

How the Butterflies Got Their Spots

How two butterfly species have evolved exactly the same striking wing color and pattern has intrigued biologists since Darwin's day. Now, scientists at Cambridge have found "hotspots" in the butterflies' genes that they believe will explain one of the most extraordinary examples of mimicry in the natural world.

Scientists create GM tomatoes 'which stay fresh for a month longer than usual'

Scientists have created genetically modified tomatoes which stay fresh for a month longer than usual.

The tell tail clue to a happy dog... they wag it to the left

Everyone knows that if a dog's ears are up and its tail is wagging vigorously, it is definitely pleased to see you.

Too many superfoods could be harmful

Superfoods such as broccoli, lentils and blueberries could be harmful if consumed in large quantities, according research into the impact of the antioxidants they contain.

Plant flavanoid may help prevent leukemia

Eating foods like celery and parsley which contain the naturally occurring flavanoid apigenin may help prevent leukemia, Dutch scientists said Thursday.

New Understanding of How Plants Use Water

Scientists have discovered more details about how plants use water. Their findings could help to engineer plants that grow better and more effectively in conditions with higher levels of carbon dioxide.

The color of dinosaur feathers identified

The colour of some feathers on dinosaurs and early birds has been identified for the first time, reports a paper published in Nature this week.

Sunflower DNA map could produce plants for fuel

Researchers envision crossbreeding a standard sunflower with the Silverleaf species out of Texas to produce a hybrid with bright yellow flowers burst ing with tasty seeds and thick stalks filled with complex sugars that can be turned into ethanol.

Chimps dance in the face of fire

Unusual behaviors have been observed in wild chimpanzees in West Africa in the face of grass fires. The chimps did not panic or flee, and some made ritualistic displays that suggest they understand fire and do not fear it, and they may even be able to control it. Since chimpanzees are the nearest relatives to humans, the observations may shed some light on how our early ancestors harnessed fire.