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Museum volunteers discover new species of extinct heron at North Florida fossil site
May 17, 2019 | 16:51 pmWhen the bones of an ancient heron were unearthed at a North Florida fossil site, the find wasn't made by researchers but by two Florida Museum of Natural History volunteers. A previously unknown genus and species, the heron has been[…]
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Scientists propose rethinking 'endangered species' definition to save slow-breeding giants
May 17, 2019 | 13:16 pmConservation decisions based on population counts may fail to protect large, slow-breeding animals from irrevocable decline, according to new research.
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Owning a dog is influenced by our genetic make-up
May 17, 2019 | 13:16 pmScientists have studied the heritability of dog ownership using information from 35,035 twin pairs from the Swedish Twin Registry. The new study suggests that genetic variation explains more than half of the variation in dog ownership, implying that the choice[…]
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True identity of imposter 'pigs' on 17th century map overturns early colonial history of Barbados
May 16, 2019 | 18:17 pmWhich came first, the pigs or the pioneers? In Barbados, that has been a historical mystery ever since the first English colonists arrived in 1627 to encounter what they thought was a herd of wild European pigs. Research is shedding[…]
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Bedbugs evolved more than 100 million years ago
May 16, 2019 | 16:46 pmBedbugs -- some of the most unwanted human bed-mates -- have been parasitic companions with other species aside from humans for more than 100 million years, walking the earth at the same time as dinosaurs.
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Organic animal farms benefit birds nesting in agricultural environments
May 16, 2019 | 15:14 pmEnvironmental subsidies for agriculture awarded by the European Union aim to improve biodiversity in agricultural environments. A recently completed Finnish study indicates that the proximity of organic animal farms increases bird numbers, and this has enabled environmental subsidies to positively[…]
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Evolution in the gut
May 16, 2019 | 15:14 pmEvolution and dietary habits interact and determine the composition of bacteria in the digestive tract. Many microorganisms in the intestine seem to have developed in sync with their host animals over millions of years.
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As bumblebee diets narrow, ours could too
May 15, 2019 | 18:02 pmA new study reveals the loss of plant diversity harms the humble bumblebee at a critical stage in its development from egg to adult.
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Dolphin ancestor's hearing was more like hoofed mammals than today's sea creatures
May 15, 2019 | 13:54 pmPaleontologists are looking into the evolutionary origins of the whistles and squeaks that dolphins and porpoises make -- part of the rare echolocation ability that allows them to effectively navigate their dark environment.
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Escaped pet parrots are now naturalized in 23 US states, study finds
May 14, 2019 | 21:22 pmResearch data on bird sightings finds that 56 different parrot species have been spotted in 43 states, and 25 of those species are now breeding in the wild in 23 different states.
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