animals

How ‘Flower Power’ Quite Literally Transformed Earth Millions of Years Ago

by

Following the time of the dinosaurs, it might well be that the evolution of flowering plants drove the explosion in the diversity of life on Earth, according to a 2021 paper. Most of the plants we now eat, drink, wear, and build with are of the flowering variety. They’re called angiosperms, which roughly translates from … Read more

Bacteria: Microbes form complex structures like those seen in animals

by

Bacterial biofilms, slimy collections of microbes, can develop concentric rings containing cells with different biological features Life 6 January 2022 By Alex Wilkins Bacillus subtilis, a soil bacterium, can create concentric rings when it forms a biofilm Kwang-Tao Chou Bacterial biofilms contain a level of structural organisation that we thought was unique to plants and … Read more

Biological Activity on Earth Really Is Affected by The Gravity of The Sun And Moon

by

Those two orbs we see in the sky during the day and night have even more of an influence on the animals and plants on Earth than you might think. The gravitational pull of the Sun and Moon really does appear to affect flora and fauna activity, although the exact mechanisms by which this happens … Read more

Fish: Archerfish prove they can count by spitting at computer screens

by

Previous research has suggested that fish have an innate sense of numbers, but critics say these experiments aren’t the final word. Now, a new study has shown that archerfish really can count Life 24 December 2021 By Michael Le Page Archerfish spit water at their prey Shutterstock / Roberto Dani Can fish count? An experiment involving … Read more

Brazilian wildfires killed nearly 17 million animals in 2020

by

At least a fifth of Brazil’s Pantanal region was burned in 2020 during a historic drought, and the wildfires are estimated to have killed millions of birds, snakes, rodents and primates, among other animals Environment 16 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Land burned by a fire in the Pantanal region of Brazil Rogerio Florentino/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Ferocious … Read more