survival

Inconsistent human behaviour around animals putting wildlife at risk

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A computer model suggests that wildlife may face survival problems if some of the humans in the environment help wild animals while others hunt them Life 16 March 2022 By Christa Lesté-Lasserre Feeding wild animals might give them the misleading impression that all humans will offer assistance d3sign/Getty Images Well-meaning humans might be inadvertently putting … Read more

Predators Have Evolved to Not Overexploit Their Resources. Can Humans Do The Same?

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People have been trying to understand how predators and prey are able to stay balanced within our planet’s ecosystems for at least 2,400 years. The Greek author Herodotus even raised the question in his historical treatise Histories, written around 430 BC.   And when Charles Darwin published in 1859 his revolutionary theory of evolution in … Read more

Animal behaviour: Female mammals that suckle another’s young have more offspring

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By Christa Lesté-Lasserre Suckling piglets suckling a sow Shutterstock / Thuwanan Krueabudda Mammals that share their milk produce more offspring over the course of the year – and the benefits are even greater than those seen when nursing mothers are supported in other ways, such as being provided abundant food or parenting help. The findings suggest … Read more

Personalised medicine: Australia aims to end childhood cancer deaths

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An Australian plan to eliminate childhood cancer deaths using personalised medicine will be made available to all Australian children with the condition from 2023 Health 15 February 2022 By Alice Klein DNA sequencing helps offer a personalised approach to cancer Getty Images/iStockphoto An ambitious Australian programme to use personalised medicine to reduce the number of children … Read more

Lung cancer: Cheap blood test detects tumours at an early and treatable stage

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Lung cancer screening has always been expensive, but a simple blood test that detects lipids associated with tumours may offer a cheaper alternative Health 2 February 2022 By Alice Klein Blood samples can now be used to search for early signs of lung cancer Medicimage/Alamy A blood test that can detect lung cancer before people … Read more

Babies can tell who’s closely related from whether they share saliva

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Infants and toddlers seem to expect people who exchange saliva, for example by taking bites of the same food, to be close enough to comfort each other if one gets upset Mind 20 January 2022 By Alice Klein Sharing a spoon may be a sign of a close bond kate_sept2004/Getty Images Babies and toddlers can … Read more