Tag: ecology

“Cute” is a word usually associated with Koalas. However, these small sized bears have been recently discussed from an angle distant from that related to their scrumptious looks; one that uncovered the mystery of their deep voices. Koalas have always puzzled scientists with their low-pitched bellows, which are considered about 20 times lower than they should be considering their body sizes. This estimation was made considering that the size of the vocal cords of an animal determines the pitch of their voices. Accordingly, smaller-sized animals are known to produce higher-pitched…

It is well known fact that the most important work that a bee performs is to pollinate. Almost 80% of our flowering crops are dependent on these bees for their pollination process. That constitutes nearly 1/3 of human diet dependent on bees. Now we can imagine how dependent we are on bees for our survival on this planet. However, scientists have been recording an alarming decline in the bee population and have been named as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In last six years approximately 10 million beehives has suffered from…

A longitudinal study conducted by researchers Carla D’Antonio and Stephanie Yelenik was carried over a period of two decades to study the impact of invasive plants, to be one of the few studies conducted over such a period of time in this field of research. D’Antonio of UC Santa Barbara University, worked with postdoctoral scholar Stephanie Yelenik to collect data on grass invaded fields over the time period between mid 1990s and 2012. Field sites chosen were in Hawaa Volcanoes National Park. Data obtained from this study revealed unique results…

We have all experienced the typical disinfectant liquid smell coming from hospitals or used in our homes to clean the floor or kitchen top which many of us don’t like in particular but is very essential in maintaining a germ free healthy life. Imagine how wonderful it would be, if we can lead a germ free life without using these disinfectants. 

As reported in the journal “Ecology and Evolution” , researchers from the University of Minnesota are working on developing a new approach for studying effects of using genetically engineered (GE) insects. GE insects are aspired to be used for purposes of managing pests and insect-borne human diseases. Researchers including David Andow, Aaron David, Joe Kaser, Amy Morey and Alex Roth are working on designing a standardized ecological risk assessment (ERA) for using such an approach. “Our project is trying to get it a little bit further into a standardization —…

Marmosets are small, squirrel-like primates found in South America. They are considered to be the most primitive species of monkeys as they lack the ability to even change their facial expressions (*1). However, Marmosets were recently found to have a new skill that makes them more special than most animals. While different animals are known to call onto each other for purposes of mating or territorial defense, Marmosets have taken it to a new level of actual conversing. This discovery moves marmosets from being cute animals, to being courteous and…

Having the Asian Elephant as a close relative, the long extinct woolly mammoth now has hope to come back to life. Scientists are studying the possibility of having hybrid animals give birth to an animal that resembles the woolly mammoth. Although it might sound like a remotely possible science fiction movie, the actual theoretical basis for the work is there. The first step in the process is creating the genetic map of the woolly mammoth (i.e., genome mapping). Reportedly, work in this area has already taken place, as researchers have…

As increasingly more species in the animal kingdom are haunted by the ghost of extinction, scientists are researching on some pretty drastic interventions to reserve threatened life. After its successful use on plants, facilitated adaptation through genetic engineering is considered as a practical option for now. In a recent article of mine, A Spotlight on Evolution, I shed light on environmental changes causing Bonbos to move and get redistributed into new places due to anthropogenic environmental changes, which significantly affected their behavior. New research is now focusing on moving genes…