Clownfish communicate "loudly" to establish and defend their status in social groups and not to attract mates, according to a Belgian study published in the journal PLOS ONE. These fish, which live in symbiosis with the evil anemones on coral reefs and made popular by the animated film Pixar Finding Nemo, form social groups in which the hierarchy depends on body size.
An Asian elephant named Koshik, who lived in South Korea for five years when he was just a baby, is capable of pronouncing five Korean words, according to scientists at the University of Vienna in a study published by the journal Current Biology.
For the first time, researchers have conducted acoustic analysis to show that a beluga whale has developed the ability to mimic human voices. "The cetacean has modified its vocal mechanisms to emit sounds that resemble those of a person's speech," explains Sam Ridgway of the National Marine Mammal Foundation.
A group of British scientists has concluded that sardines and herring have an optical mechanism in the skin that allows them to adjust their reflections to the environment and thus escape predators. Specifically, it is about layers of guanine crystals on your skin that work as reflectors of light. Its properties could be used for the improvement of optical instruments such as LED headlights and fiber optics.
Biologists at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) have been inspired by the concept of Twitter, the microblogging service used to publish short text messages known as tweets, to observe what happens when birds come into contact while in Liberty.
Two species of mice live in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California that share habitat and genetic lineage, but have very different social lives. The California mouse or Peromyscus californicus is monogamous, while the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is sexually promiscuous. By studying their differences at the genetic level, researchers have shown that promiscuity helps strengthen the immune system.
A study led by the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) has analyzed the evolution of the reproductive forms of amphibians and the passage of egg-laying from the aquatic environment to the terrestrial environment. The work, published in the magazine Evolution, reveals that the conquest of the terrestrial environment implied an increase in the size of the eggs, as well as a reduction in the size of the adults and the number of eggs per laying.
If there is anything that defines rodents, it is precisely their teeth. Not in vain its name comes from the Latin rodere, which means "to gnaw", and refers to the use that these mammals give to their incisors when eating. Now, Australian and Canadian scientists have discovered on the island of Sulawesi (Indonesia) a very peculiar new species of rat that lacks teeth.
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.
