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Tag Archives: Adaptation

Perfect pacifier

By Stephen Ornes / May 1, 2013

A mother’s arms can calm a crying infant, say scientists. The tactic works for mice, too, only those mammals use their mouth to cradle their young. Credit: iStockphoto

In people and mice, carrying a baby calms it

Posted in Brain & Behavior | Tagged Adaptation, babies, behavior, calming, carrying, Eastern Virginia Medical School, evolution, getinvolved, Japan, John Harrington, Kumi Kuroda, mammals, mice, mothers, Norfolk, physiology, pups, Riken Brain Science Institute, topstories

No high notes for these blind fish

By Stephen Ornes / April 5, 2013

This southern cavefish is blind and, new research suggests, partially deaf. But don’t feel sorry for the little fish; it may just be adapting to a dark and noisy habitat. Credit: Matthew Niemiller

Cave dwellers that can’t see are also partially deaf

Posted in Animals | Tagged Adaptation, biology, blind fish, blindness, brains, cave fish, cavefish, caves, College Park, Daphne Soares, deaf, deaf fish, evolution, getinvolved, Kentucky, Martina Bradic, neurology, neuromast, New York University, pitch, sounds, Tennessee, topstories, University of Maryland, waves

This shrimp packs a punch

By Roberta Kwok / March 27, 2013

Mantis shrimp are related to crabs and lobsters. They come in a gorgeous array of colors. Credit: Roy Caldwell

Researchers learn a lot from mantis shrimp, colorful marine creatures that possess deadly weapons and complex vision

Posted in Animals | Tagged Adaptation, Amherst, animal behavior, animal communication, animal physiology, arthropod, Baltimore County, Berkeley, biomaterials, biomimicry, cavitation, crab, crustacean, David Kisailus, exoskeleton, feature, Haptosquilla trispinosa, high-speed video, hydroxyapatite, invertebrates, lobster, mantis shrimp, marine science, materials science, oceanography, photoreceptors, praying mantis, receptors, Riverside, Roy Caldwell, Santa Catalina Island, Sheila Patek, sound, stomatopod, Tom Cronin, topstories, University of California, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts, vision

Cool Jobs: Museum science

By Sharon Oosthoek / February 27, 2013

Royal Ontario Museum scientist Oliver Haddrath must wear protective clothing when working with ancient DNA. This ensures his DNA doesn’t get mixed up with the genetic material he is analyzing. Credit: Royal Ontario Museum

Samples collected long ago may hold answers to important questions in science and medicine today

Posted in Ancient Times, Animals, STEM Careers | Tagged Adaptation, ancient DNA, anthropology, antibody, arenavirus, British Museum, Charles Fulhorst, collections, computed tomography, cool jobs, crime scene, CSI, CT scan, Daniel Antoine, deer mouse, Egypt, evolution, feature, flightless birds, forensics, hantavirus, holdings, moa, mummy, Museums, Oliver Haddrath, outbreaks, pack rat, Robert Baker, Robert Bradley, rodents, Royal Ontario Museum, Texas Tech, tinamou, topstories, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, viral RNA, virus, X-ray

Getting a grip

By Stephen Ornes / January 18, 2013

Immerse your hands in water for a while, and wrinkles will form. Those wrinkles improve a person’s grip on wet, slippery objects, says a new study. Credit: Mitchio/Flickr

Wrinkled fingers seem to be an advantage in wet environments

Posted in Body & Health | Tagged 2AI Labs, Adaptation, England, evolution, getinvolved, Mark Changizi, nervous system, neurobiology, neurology, Newcastle University, skin, topstories

Secret signals

By Roberta Kwok / January 15, 2013

Chemicals called pheromones act as messengers between individuals. Many plants and animals — including squid — respond to such secret chemical signals. Credit: Roger T. Hanlon

Animals respond to chemical messages they may not even realize they’re swapping

Posted in Chemistry | Tagged Adaptation, aphids, bombykol, Butenandt, cephalopod, chemical attractant, chemical communication, chemical messenger, Dendrobium sinense, elephant, emperor moth, fear, feature, honeybee, hormones, Jean-Henri Fabre, Jennifer Brodmann, Lamprey, longfin inshore squid, lure, luteinizing hormone, Manfred Ayasse, Marine Biological Laboratory, Monell Chemical Senses Center, nectar, octopus, orchid, pheromones, pollen, Roger Hanlon, sex attractant, silk moth, squid, topstories, Tristram Wyatt, University of Oxford, University of Ulm, Woods Hole, Wysocki

Threatened coral get fishy rescue

By Stephen Ornes / December 6, 2012

When toxic seaweed (green at right) gets too close to a type of coral (yellow structure), this fish, a broad-barred goby (Gobiodon histrio), responds to a distress signal sent by the coral and nibbles the seaweed away. Credit: Danielle Dixson

When toxic seaweed gets too close to this coral, gobies fight and bite back

Posted in Animals | Tagged Acropora nasuta, Adaptation, algae, algal poison, Chlorodesmis fastigiata, climate change, cooperation, coral, Danielle Dixson, ecology, getinvolved, goby, marine ecology, Mark Hay Georgia Institute of Technology, mucus, mutualism, Nancy Knowlton, predators, seaweed, Smithsonian Institution, topstories, toxin

Four-winged dinosaur

By Stephen Ornes / November 12, 2012

Hind wings helped a small dino make tight turns in midair

Posted in Dinosaurs & Fossils | Tagged Adaptation, aerodynamics, biology, dinosaurs, drag, evolution, fossils, getinvolved, Justin Hall, Luis Chiappe, Michael Habib, Microraptor gui, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, physics, topstories, University of Southern California, wings

Cool Jobs: The science of secrets

By Susan Gaidos / October 31, 2012

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee. The chickadee gets its name from its distinctive call. The greater the danger, the more “dees” a chickadee adds to the call’s end. Credit: Christopher N. Templeton

Researchers harness science to encode — and decode — hidden messages

Posted in STEM Careers, Technology & Engineering | Tagged acoustics, Adaptation, Aequorea Victoria, agar, animal behavior, Antibiotics, bacteria, bird of prey, bird song, birdsong, chickadee, Chris Templeton, codes, colors, cool jobs, crime, criminal, cryptography, David Walt, decode, decryption, detective, digital, electronics, encryption, FBI, feature, Federal Bureau of Investigation, fluorescence, fluorescent protein, forensic, global positioning system, GPS, Heather Mahalik, investigator, invisible ink, jellyfish, key, merlin, microbiology, patterns, predator, pygmy owl, raptor, sonogram, topstories, Tufts University, University of Montana, University of St. Andrews, warning calls

The teenage brain

By Amanda Leigh Mascarelli / October 17, 2012

The brain releases dopamine when something makes us feel good — like pulling off an exciting trick. The strength of this “feel good” response in teens helps explain why they sometimes chance real risks. Credit: iStockphoto

Adolescence triggers brain — and behavioral — changes that few kids or adults understand

Posted in Brain & Behavior | Tagged Adaptation, adolescence, Beatriz Luna, behavior, BJ Casey, brain, Brown University, Cornell University, decision making, Eveline Crone, evolution, feature, impulsiveness, incentives, learning, Leiden University, Michael Frank, nerve, neuron, prefrontal cortex, reward center, risk taking, synapses, synaptic pruning, teenager, temptations, topstories, University of Pittsburgh, ventral striatum

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