Animal Science Blog From Biology-blog.comAnimal science blog from biology-blog.com, the place for information.Okapi survived poaching onslaught- September 19, 2008 A set of stripy legs in a camera trap photo snapped in an African forest indicates something to cheer about, say scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society. The legs belong to an okapia rare forest giraffewhich apparently has survived in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park, despite over a decade of civil war and increased poaching........http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2008/okapi-survived-poaching-onslaught.html Gas seismic work not affecting Gulf sperm whales- September 19, 2008 Noise can be irritating and possibly harmful for everything from mice to humans and maybe even 60-foot whales in the Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, there has been concern that man-made noise may be a cause of stress for dolphins, whales and other marine mammals, but the results of a five-year study show that noise pollution particularly noise generated by seismic airguns during geophysical exploration for oil and gas seems to have minimal effect on endangered sperm whales in the Gulf of...http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/8-2008/gas-seismic-work-not-affecting-gulf-sp... 'Redesigned hammer' that forged evolution of pregnancy in mammals- September 19, 2008 New Haven, Conn. Yale scientists have shown that the origin and evolution of the placenta and uterus in mammals is linked to evolutionary changes in a single regulatory protein, as per a report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences "A number of past studies have shown that genes are regulated and altered by changes within their own structures. This is the first work suggesting that the evolution of transcription factors separate regulatory proteins may play an active role in the.http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/9-2008/evolution-of-pregnancy-in-mammals.html Novel fungus helps beetles to digest hard wood- September 19, 2008 University Park, Pa. -- A little known fungus tucked away in the gut of Asian longhorned beetles helps the insect munch through the hardest of woods as per a team of entomologists and biochemists. Scientists say the discovery could lead to innovative methods of controlling the invasive pest, and potentially offer more efficient ways of breaking down plant biomass for generating biofuels........http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/8-2008/novel-fungus-helps-beetles-to-digest-h... Signals from the Atlantic Salmon Highway- September 19, 2008 For years researchers have struggled to understand the decline and slow recovery of Atlantic salmon, a once abundant and highly prized game and food fish native to New England rivers. Biologists agree that poor marine survival is affecting salmon in the U.S. and Canada, but specific causes are difficult to determine in the ocean. Small acoustic tags and associated technology may provide some answers........http://www.biology-blog.com/blogs/permalinks/8-2008/signals-from-the-atlantic-salmon-highw... |