Sex is necessary for many things, including generating genetic variability. However, it reduces the biodiversity of the species. Why? Among other things, because the greater the genetic variability, the faster new species are generated, but each of them has a low number of individuals, which implies that they have a greater probability of becoming extinct.
An expedition from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) entered a protected area in the tropical Andes of Peru to study its biodiversity. As a result, 365 species so far undocumented have been cataloged in the park, including plants, insects, birds, mammals and reptiles.
German scientists have found the world's smallest chameleon in Madagascar. It's called 'Brookesia micra', and it was found in a tiny archipelago called Nosy Hara. It measures just 26 millimeters from head to tail, fits on a fingertip, and is brown in color, allowing it to hide in leaf litter during the day. And, unlike other chameleons, it doesn't change color.
It can be up to five feet tall, and it smells like rotten meat. Oddly enough, we are not describing any movie monster, but a plant just discovered in Madagascar by a botanist at the University of Utah.
A very high number of rare species are found in the Central Andes. However, most of these areas do not have any protection figure and are increasingly threatened by human activity. These are the results of a study published by Duke University (USA).
It is the Posidonia oceanica, a marine plant endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. Although it looks like an algae, Posidonia has vascular tissues and flowers, and forms extensive underwater meadows with great ecological importance. Now, a CSIC team has found a clone of this species in Formentera that could be more than 100,000 years old.
Although until now it was thought to be an Indonesian fish (Paedocypris progenetica) measuring 8 millimeters, a team of researchers from Louisiana State University has discovered a new species that surpasses this mark. How tall exactly?
Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society of New York and the Museo delle Scienze of Trento (Italy) have discovered a spectacular species of venomous colored snake in a remote area of Tanzania (Africa), which they have named Matilda (Atheris matildae) , and that it has a kind of horn or crest on its head.
Danni Büchner is invited to Sam Dylan's Halloween party. But the "Goodbye Germany" emigrant has no desire for many other party guests. And find clear words.
