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News:
Zoology
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December 2004
December 7
Up
from the deep: World's oceans yield thousands of new species.
Threat
of Extinction Plagues More Than 15,000 Species
The annual report card on the state of the planet's species contains some
sobering statistics. According to this year's Red List of Threatened Species,
compiled by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), a total of 15,589 species
are currently at risk for extinction, with more than 3,330 new threatened
plants and animals added to the roll since last year. As it stands now,
one in three amphibians, one in four mammals and one in eight birds stand
to disappear permanently.
November 2004
No zoology articles in November.
October 2004
No Zoology articles in October.
September 2004
No Zoology articles in September.
August 2004
August 8
'Ark'
of DNA May Resurrect the Extinct. July 27, 2004
British scientists announced plans to create a "Frozen Ark" of
preserved DNA from endangered animals and birds, with the eventual hope
of resurrecting species extinct in the future though cloning, project organizers
announced Tuesday.
Dozens
of New Species Found at Panglao? Aug. 2, 2004
An intensive study of marine life off a small island in the central Philippines
may have yielded "dozens of new species of crabs" and other sea
creatures, the head of the project said recently.
Growing Tiny Totally
Tubular Formations. Tucson (SPX) Jul 28, 2004
An accidental discovery may provide insights into the creation of tubular
structures such as those found in caves and at hydrothermal vents.
Whale Carcass
Yields Bone-Devouring Worms. Monterey Canyon CA (SPX) Jul 30,
2004
Scientists studying a whale carcass in Monterey Canyon recently announced
the discovery of two new species of unique worms that feed on the bones
of dead whales.
July 2004
July 10
'Blob Monsters'
are Whale Remains. June 23, 2004
One of the myths of the sea has been skewered by gene researchers, who say
that huge "blobs" of weird tissue that have washed up on shorelines
and sparked tales of sea monsters are in fact the remains of whales. A 13-ton
lump of boneless tissue that came ashore at Los Muermos, Chile, in July
last year ignited speculation that it could be the body of a new species
of deep-sea giant octopus. Alas, tests of fragments of its DNA prove that
the tissue came from a sperm whale, say University of Southern Florida biologists.
The team also checked preserved samples from other blobs. They found that
the "Giant Octopus of St. Augustine" from 1896, the "Tasmanian
West Coast Monster" of 1960, as well as three blobs that were found
in Bermuda and Nantucket in the 1990s were all washed-up whale remains.
See also Microscopic,
Biochemical, and Molecular Characteristics of the Chilean Blob and a Comparison
With the Remains of Other Sea Monsters: Nothing but Whales and Beach
blob mystery solved at last.
New
Fish May Be World's Smallest Vertebrate. AFP / Discovery News. July
8, 2004
Australian scientists claimed Wednesday they had discovered the world's
smallest fish, which lives for just two months and does not grow fins, teeth
or scales.
June 2004
No Zoology articles for June.
May 2004
May 23
Antifreeze
Flounder Reveals Secret. May 13, 2004
A remarkable "antifreeze" protein prevents the flounder from freezing
up in northern polar oceans, according to a study published on Thursday.
Scientists have known for some 30 years that some fish species flourish
in sub-freezing waters thanks to plasma proteins, which cling to microscopic
ice splinters in the blood, stopping the crystals from teaming up into larger
structures that could damage cells.
May 9
Trade
Secret of Sticky Spiders Revealed
For an arachnophobe, the sight of a spider making its way up a wall sparks
fear. For a materials scientist, however, it can provide inspiration. New
findings unravel just how a spider manages to stick to ceilings in apparent
defiance of gravity. The discovery could point the way to novel adhesives.
April 2004
No Zoology articles for April
March 2004
March 28
Envisat Fishes Up
Facts Behind Chilean Giant Squid Invasion. Paris (ESA) Mar 23, 2004
Masses of large ocean-going squid have inundated the shores of Southern
Chile, alarming local fishermen who fear these carnivorous invaders could
threaten fish stocks. Envisat has helped account for their otherwise mysterious
arrival.
There Be Dragons: New Deep-sea Predator Species Discovered. FT. PIERCE,
Fla.
Dr. Tracey Sutton, a fish ecologist at the HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution
in Ft. Pierce, Fla., has discovered a new species in a bizarre and elusive
family of deep-sea predatory fish known collectively as dragonfish. The
find, reported in the current issue of the journal Copeia, is the first
new dragonfish species discovered in more than a decade.
February 2004
February 22
One Order of Snake
Legs, Please. University Park - Feb 11, 2004
The mystery of where Earth's first snakes lived as they were evolving into
limbless creatures from their lizard ancestors has intrigued scientists
for centuries. Now, the first study ever to analyze genes from all the living
families of lizards has revealed that snakes made their debut on the land,
not in the ocean.
Fish
at the movies
Last year's movie smash Finding Nemo impressed many marine biologists with
its scientific accuracy. In this free feature, Alison Abbott meets the young
expert in fish biomechanics who helped to breathe life into the film's stars.
February 15
Four-armed jellyfish
found
Bumpy sea creature is new species. 9 February 2004
Where'd I Put That?
Maybe it takes a bird brain to find the car keys. Birds that hide and recover
thousands of separate caches of seeds have become a model for investigating
how animals' minds work.
January 2004
January 25
Scientists
Solve Chilean 'Blob' Mystery.
When a huge, unidentifiable, gelatinous blob weighing 13 tons and measuring
41 feet long and 19 feet wide washed up on a beach in Chile in July, 2003,
many speculated that it was the remains of a giant sea monster. The fibers,
Pierce’s team found, were totally unlike the fine structure of an octopus
or squid. Further, the molecular test results proved that the blob was the
highly decomposed remains of a sperm whale. See also http://isis2.admin.usf.edu/news/2004/2004.1.8.chilean_blob.html
Mole
rat's magnetic magic revealed
The blind mole rat continually monitors its direction using an internal
compass - the first animal discovered to have this talent.
Monkey morality
Sharing might not be as nice as it's cracked up to be. 14 January 2004.
Puzzled
monkeys reveal key language step
The key cognitive step that allowed humans to become the only animals using
language may have been identified, scientists say.
January 18
Superglue from
the sea
Chemists show how mussels get a grip. Nature, 12 January 2004
Squid
May Inspire New Nanolights
A Hawaiian squid is shining new light on optical nanotechnology: the creature
has a built-in flashlight made up of a previously unknown type of protein.
The discovery could help researchers design novel nanoreflectors.
Ocean Life Depends
On Single Circulation Pattern In Southern Hemisphere. Princeton - Jan
15, 2004
A study has shown that marine life around the world is surprisingly dependent
on a single ocean circulation pattern in the Southern Hemisphere where nutrient-rich
water rises from the deep and spreads across the seas.
Animal Thought
and Communication.
How do animals think and communicate with each other? And what can studying
animals tell us about the evolution of language in humans? See also http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994572