New research into hedgehogs injured by robotic lawn mowers discovers a significant but solvable animal welfare and conservation problem
From Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) 02/02/24 Scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) analysed 370 documented cases of hedgehogs being injured (cut) by electric gardening tools in Germany. Almost half of the hedgehogs found between June 2022 and September 2023 did not survive the injuries. The data […]
Live animal transport regulations not ‘fit for purpose’, major international study finds
From University of Bristol 26/01/24 A ‘fitness check’ of regulations in five countries meant to protect animals during transportation, has deemed that they all fall short of fully protecting animals during transport. Findings from this interdisciplinary work involving animal welfare scientists and a law lecturer which compared animal transport rules designed to protect the billions […]
World’s smallest “fanged” frogs found in Indonesia
From Field Museum 08/01/24 In general, frogs’ teeth aren’t anything to write home about—they look like pointy little pinpricks lining the upper jaw. But one group of stream-dwelling frogs in Southeast Asia has a strange adaptation: two bony “fangs” jutting out of their lower jawbone. They use these fangs to battle with each other over […]
Riding sound waves in the brain
From ETH Zurich 28/12/23 Brain tumours, brain haemorrhages and neurological and psychological conditions are often hard to treat with medication. And even when effective drugs are available, these tend to have severe side effects because they circulate throughout the brain and not just the area they are meant to treat. In light of this situation, […]
Wasps that recognize faces cooperate more, may be smarter
From Cornell University 22/12/23 A new study of paper wasps suggests social interactions may make animals smarter. The research offers behavioral evidence of an evolutionary link between the ability to recognize individuals and social cooperation. Furthermore, genomic sequencing revealed that populations of wasps that recognized each other – and cooperated more – showed recent adaptations […]
Biopesticide is harmless to mammals but can wipe out colonies of wasps that benefit plants
From Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo 16/12/23 Some wasps and bees are able to recognize sick nestmates by smell and can prevent their entry into the nest to avert infection of the entire colony, assuring its survival and that of the species in the long run. A study supported by […]
New bottlenose dolphin sense discovered: they feel electricity
From Journal of Experimental Biology 04/12/23 Born tail first, bottlenose dolphin calves emerge equipped with two slender rows of whiskers along their beak-like snouts – much like the touch-sensitive whiskers of seals. But the whiskers fall out soon after birth, leaving the youngster with a series of dimples, known as vibrissal pits. Recently Tim Hüttner […]
Deep sea mining stresses jellyfish
From Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR) 25/11/23 The deep sea is home to one of the world’s largest communities of animals about which we still know very little. Yet it is already subject to a growing number of human-induced environmental pressures. How do its inhabitants respond to these stressors? A new study led […]
Small doses of mushrooms can have a beneficial effect on mental disorders
From University of Southern Denmark 16/10/23 A new research result from the University of Southern Denmark opens the door to the possibility of using psilocybin, the active compound in mushrooms with psychedelic properties, as a therapeutic tool through microdosing. Psilocybin has long been recognized as a classic psychedelic substance and has recently been investigated for […]
All you can eat: New obesity breakthrough allows you to lose weight while pigging out
From Institute for Basic Science 01/09/23 This is a significant development that brings hope to the one billion individuals with obesity worldwide. Researchers led by Director C. Justin LEE from the Center for Cognition and Sociality (CCS) within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) have discovered new insights into the regulation of fat metabolism. The […]