Natural Sciences feed

BBC Launches Facebook App "Meet Your Planet"

Jaymi Heimbuch — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:32:00 -0400

A new app from BBC allows you to explore content from their great nature documentaries.

Gay Penguin Pair Adopt an Egg to Raise as Their Own

Stephen Messenger — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:03:07 -0400

"They love each other as if they were male and female, courting each other the same," says one zoo staffer. "But what they want is what they lack: to raise a chick."

Incredible Video of Solar Eclipse Reveals Details of the Sun

Jaymi Heimbuch — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:38:54 -0400

A beautiful time-lapse video taken by a math instructor in Redding, California of yesterday's solar eclipse.

Chimp Finds Hidden Camera, Promptly Makes Out With It (Video)

Stephen Messenger — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:54:22 -0400

Chimpanzees may be native to the jungles of central Africa -- but there's certainly something in their bold smooching style that's undeniably French.

World's First Vegetarian Shark Prefers Heads of Lettuce

Stephen Messenger — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:57:19 -0400

For one nurse shark at an aquatic center in the UK, the taste of meat seems to have lost its luster.

Incredibly Detailed 121MP Photos of Earth With Colors Like You've Never Seen

Jaymi Heimbuch — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:55:00 -0400

A Russian satellite has taken some spectacularly amazing images of our planet. Check out the video.

Mississippi River's Flow Kept Gulf Spill Oil Off Shore More Than Expected

Mat McDermott — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:00:00 -0400

New research shows that spring flood waters rushing into the Gulf created mounds of water that, for a while, kept the oil offshore.

Bear Cubs Form an Adorable Conga Line (Video)

Stephen Messenger — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:04:41 -0400

Grooming plays a crucial role in the lives of social animals -- and when done properly, it can be downright heartwarming.

Parachuting Mice to Battle Invasive Snakes in Guam

Stephen Messenger — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:11:48 -0400

Faced with this unchecked threat, experts have teamed up with an unlikely ally in the battle against snakes -- scores of parachuting mice laced with a lethal payload.

Biodiversity and Language Diversity Hotspots Overlap & We're Losing Both

Mat McDermott — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:42:00 -0400

Thankfully, efforts to protect biodiversity can also protect linguistic diversity and vice versa.

Mysterious Animal Deaths Prompt Peru to Issue Health Alert

Stephen Messenger — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:21:57 -0400

Hundreds of dolphins and pelicans have been found dead on beaches in Peru since February, prompting the government to issue a public health warning.

Biodiversity Loss Could Hit Ecosystems as Hard as Climate Change

Mat McDermott — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:00:00 -0400

With intermediate levels of biodiversity loss, the effect on plant productivity could be as bad as climate change. At high levels, it could be worse.

Citizens Contribute Over 1 Million Observations to National Nature Database

Brian Merchant — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:40:56 -0400

The one millionth observation was registered on the US National Phenology Network today. What's phenology? So glad you asked ...

Amazing Macro Photographs of Insects Covered in Dew

Jerry James Stone — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:36:21 -0400

Creepy crawlies you'd usually steer clear of become jewel-like just after the rain.

Man Relocates 30,000 Bees Found Living in an Attic

Stephen Messenger — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:29:41 -0400

Up until recently, Victoria Clayton and her boyfriend were under the impression that they were the only ones sharing their charming home in Cape May, New Jersey -- but they couldn't bee more wrong.

Wildlife Service Accidentally Killed Over 50,000 Animals

Stephen Messenger — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:27:36 -0400

According to reports, a secretive branch of the Department of Agriculture has been waging an irresponsibly haphazard war against wildlife – ironically, all in the name of conservation.

6.8 Million Birds Die Because of Communication Towers in North America Each Year

Michael Graham Richard — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:23:54 -0400

Every single year, the 84,000 communication towers spread around North-America kill an estimated 6.8 million birds. Some of these towers can be 2,000 feet high and surrounded by a large number of dangerous guy wires.

Yosemite Time-Lapse Video of Landscapes and Stars Is Unbelievable

Jaymi Heimbuch — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:30:00 -0400

You. Must. Watch.

Mosquitoes Blamed For Captive Killer Whale Deaths

Stephen Messenger — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:53:14 -0400

In the open ocean, healthy killer whales live free of any natural predators -- but in captivity, even the smallest of insects pose a lethal threat to these majestic giants.

Photographer Discovers Another World with Macro Photography

Jerry James Stone — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:30:08 -0400

Photographer Sharon Johnstone shows us much of what goes unseen in the natural world.

Time to Celebrate National Park Week!

Michael Graham Richard — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:24:55 -0400

This week is National Park Week, and to celebrate our colleagues at Planet Green are doing all kinds of stuff.

First All-White Killer Whale Ever Seen Filmed in Russia

Michael Graham Richard — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:27:48 -0400

Researchers with the Far East Russia Orca Project (FEROP) revealed on Monday that they succeeded in filming the elusive creature in 2010, but held back on publicizing the rare find until now, as they wanted to study him further.

Bowerbirds Plant Flowers While Impressing Their Mates

Stephen Messenger — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:48:52 -0400

Leave it to a love-struck bird to make our romantic gestures seem suddenly sub par.

Seattle Man Relocates Hundreds of Unwanted Trees

Stephen Messenger — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:33:01 -0400

During the week, Bernie O'Brien leads a normal life as a consultant at an art managing firm in Washington state -- but on the weekends, he transforms into no less than an arboreal superhero.

Kenyan Teen's Invention Saves Lions, Helps Farmers

Jennifer Hattam — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:15:00 -0400

A 13-year-old inventor in Kenya has come up with a low-cost, eco-friendly way to protect his family's livestock that could also serve as a solution to a serious problem in his country -- managing human-wildlife conflict.

Russian Mother Takes On Government, Powerful Interests to Save Moscow's Lungs, the Khimki Forest

Rachel Cernansky — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:05:00 -0400

"The proposed road is not so much just the road, as a larger land grab."

The Battle of Midway is Still Raging...Among Invasive Plant Species

Jaymi Heimbuch — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:00:00 -0400

Along with people came invasive species, and a massive effort to remove two of the most pervasive and deadly plant species is underway.

Orangutans Smarter Than We Think - Apparently Know the Mechanical Properties of Wood

Mat McDermott — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:12:00 -0400

Some new research reveals the skill with which orangutans build their sleeping nests, and hints at their impressive intelligence.

10 or So Things You Should Know About the Future of Feeding the World

Brian Merchant — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:08:00 -0400

Experts weigh in on how to feed 7 billion people in a warming world.

Ask the Experts: What's the Greatest Resource Scarcity We Now Face?

Mat McDermott — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:26:00 -0400

What's the most critical resource constraint we now face and what's creating that scarcity? Janet Larsen from the Earth Policy Institute answers.