Latest Biology News
We carry DNA from extinct cousins like Neanderthals. Science is now revealing their genetic legacy
Neanderthals live on within us. These ancient human cousins, and others called Denisovans, once lived alongside our early Homo sapiens ancestors. They mingled and had children. So some of who they were never went away — it's in our genes. And science is starting to reveal just how...
Science paints a new picture of the ancient past, when we mixed and mated with other kinds of humans
What does it mean to be human? For a long time, the answer seemed clear. Our species, Homo sapiens — with our complex thoughts and deep emotions — were the only true humans to ever walk the Earth. Earlier forms, like the Neanderthals, were thought to be just steps along the path...
Gator with missing nose and upper jaw finds new home in Florida reptile park
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller. Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in nearby Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of...
Sioux Falls pauses plan to ditch arsenic-contaminated taxidermy display at state's largest zoo
The Sioux Falls mayor announced a "strategic pause" Friday in the city's plans to ditch an arsenic-contaminated menagerie of more than 150 taxidermy animals that fill a now-closed natural history museum at the state's largest zoo. Mayor Paul TenHaken said in a news release that he...
The mutant tomatoes are here, and they come in peace
This is the time of year when, without fail, readers send me photos of their mutant tomatoes. Many look like Jimmy Durante (if you’re too young to know who that is, think Squidward). Others are horned, and some should carry a “for mature audiences only” warning. ...
Ian Wilmut, a British scientist who led the team that cloned Dolly the Sheep, dies at age 79
LONDON (AP) — Ian Wilmut, the cloning pioneer whose work was critical to the creation of Dolly the Sheep in 1996, has died at age 79. The University of Edinburgh in Scotland said Wilmut died Sunday after a long illness with Parkinson’s disease. Wilmut set off a...
Who's that singing? As fall migration arrives, apps that ID birds by sound have taken off
I was sitting in solitude earlier this summer in an Adirondack chair in my backyard, when I realized I wasn't as alone as I'd thought. Thanks to the app I'd just downloaded on my phone — the popular and free Merlin Bird ID — I learned just from listening that I was surrounded by...
Farms with natural landscape features provide sanctuary for some Costa Rica rainforest birds
Small farms with natural landscape features such as shade trees, hedgerows and tracts of intact forest provide a refuge for some tropical bird populations, according to an 18-year study in Costa Rica. For almost two decades, ornithologist James Zook has been collecting detailed...
Maine plans to expand quarantine zones to stop tree-killing pests and protect its timber industry
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine forestry officials are planning a wide expansion of quarantine zones to try to prevent the spread of three invasive forest pests that pose threats to the state's timber industry. The pests are the emerald ash borer, the hemlock woolly adelgid and...
Maine's puffin colonies recovering in the face of climate change
EASTERN EGG ROCK, Maine (AP) — On remote islands off the Maine coast, a unique bird held its own this year in the face of climate change. Atlantic puffins — clownish seabirds with colorful bills and waddling gaits — had their second consecutive rebound year for fledging chicks...
