Mindzilla – Animal World

Animal World

Size Matters for Bee ‘Superorganism’ Colonies, Says Study

November 10, 2021
Mindzilla

La Jolla, CA — Scientists have carefully studied the intricacies of how individual organisms live and act together in groups known as biological collectives. In “superorganisms” such as bee colonies,...

SARS-CoV-2 Variant Detected in Dogs and Cats With Suspected Myocarditis

November 5, 2021
Mindzilla

Hoboken, NJ — A new study in the Veterinary Record reveals that pets can be infected with the alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2, which was first detected in southeast England and is commonly known as the...

Team of Researchers Discover First Dinosaur Era Crab Fully Preserved in Amber

October 21, 2021
Mindzilla

Cambridge, MA — Fossils trapped in amber provide a unique snapshot of the anatomy, biology, and ecology of extinct organisms. The most common fossils found in amber, which is formed from resin exuded...

Scientists Discover Gene that Controls Colour Patterns in Cats

September 9, 2021
Mindzilla

Huntsville, AL — Members of the Felidae family, more commonly referred to as cats, come in a variety of sizes and a range of varying fur colours and patterns. Tigers with black stripes on an orange...

Songbirds Like It Sweet!

July 14, 2021
Mindzilla

Hong Kong, China — Humans can easily identify sweet-tasting foods – and with pleasure. However, many carnivorous animals lack this ability, and whether birds, descendants of meat-eating dinosaurs,...

Next-Generation Sequencing Uncovers What’s Stressing Bumblebees

July 7, 2021
Mindzilla

Toronto, ON — What’s stressing out bumblebees? To find out, York University scientists used next-generation sequencing to look deep inside bumblebees for evidence of pesticide exposure, including...

Trouble for Honeyeaters that Sing the Wrong Song

March 17, 2021
Mindzilla

Canberra, Australia — The critically endangered regent honeyeater is losing its “song culture” due to the bird’s rapidly declining population, according to new research from The Australian...

Plastic contaminants harm sea urchins

December 1, 2020
Mindzilla

Exeter, UK — Plastics in the ocean can release chemicals that cause deformities in sea urchin larvae, new research shows. Scientists soaked various plastic samples in seawater then removed the plastic...

Tarantula Toxin Attacks with Molecular Stinger

November 24, 2020
Mindzilla

Seattle, WA — Oversized, hairy tarantulas may be unsightly and venomous, but surprisingly their hunter toxin may hold answers to better control of chronic pain. A bird-catching Chinese tarantula...

Domesticated Chickens Have Smaller Brains

August 26, 2020
Mindzilla

Linköping, Sweden — Researchers from Linköping University suggest a process by which the timid junglefowl from the rain forest could have become today’s domesticated chicken. When the scientists...

About 94 Per Cent of Wild Bee and Native Plant Species Networks Lost, Study Finds

July 15, 2020
Mindzilla

Toronto, ON, Canada — Climate change and an increase in disturbed bee habitats from expanding agriculture and development in northeastern North America over the last 30 years are likely responsible...

Green is More Than Skin-Deep for Hundreds of Frog Species

July 14, 2020
Mindzilla

Durham, NC — Frogs and toads are green for a very good reason – it makes them harder to see in their leafy environments. Good camouflage allows them to eat and not be eaten. But not all frogs...

Bumblebee Habitats and Diets Change Over Their Lifecycle

July 9, 2020
Mindzilla

Cordoba, Argentina — Bumblebees change their home ranges and dietary preferences after establishing nests, suggesting that diversified landscapes help support bee populations as their needs change...

You Are What You Eat Is as Important for Fish as It Is for People

June 9, 2020
Mindzilla

Vancouver, BC — There is truth in the saying “you are what you eat”; even more so if you are a salmon or herring swimming off the British Columbia coast, a recent UBC study discovered. Juvenile...

Warming Climate Is Changing Where Birds Breed

May 27, 2020
Mindzilla

Logan, UT — Spring is in full swing. Trees are leafing out, flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, and birds are singing. But a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

Migration Patterns Reveal an Eden for Ancient Humans and Animals

May 24, 2020
Mindzilla

Denver, CO — Pinnacle Point, a series of archaeological sites that overlook a now-submerged section of South Africa’s coastline and one of the world’s most important localities for the...

New Bat Species Discovered — Cousins of the Ones Suspected in COVID-19

April 22, 2020
Mindzilla

Chicago, IL — Bats play a huge but poorly understood role in humans’ lives–they pollinate our crops, eat disease-carrying mosquitos, and carry diseases themselves. But we know next to nothing...

Researchers Show How Forest Loss Leads to Spread of Disease

April 8, 2020
Mindzilla

Stanford, CA — Viruses that jump from animals to people, like the one responsible for COVID-19, will likely become more common as people continue to transform natural habitats into agricultural land,...

Fish have Diverse, Distinct Gut Microbiomes, Study Finds

April 2, 2020
Mindzilla

Boothbay, ME — The rich biodiversity of coral reefs even extends to microbial communities within fish, according to new research. The study in Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences reports...

Sea Otters, Opossums and the Surprising Ways Pathogens Move From Land to Sea

March 20, 2020
Mindzilla

Davis, CA — A parasite known only to be hosted in North America by the Virginia opossum is infecting sea otters along the West Coast. A study from the University of California, Davis, elucidates the...

T&C

Privacy