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Tech NewsWhy Aren’t There Mammals in Super Vivid Colors Like There Are Birds and Bugs?
Plumage. An incredible world, for an incredible phenomenon. Say it with me now: plumage. Picture the colors, their variety and richness. Picture, while you’re at it, some other stuff relevant to this week’s Giz Asks, such as bugs that look shaped from stained glass and sea creatures that look like they’ve been doused in neon … Continued
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ScienceBiologyScientists Find Billion-Year-Old Fossil Life, ‘Something Which Has Never Been Described Before’
On the shores of a Scottish loch lie geologic deposits dating back a billion years, and within the rocks is evidence of the earliest known non-marine multicellular organism, according to a study published in Current Biology. It’s a fascinating new detail in the story of how animals may have evolved from the soup of early … Continued
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EartherConservationThis ‘Map of Life’ Shows Where Undiscovered Species May Be Lurking
Nine years ago, a team of Yale ecologists mapped out the world’s life, a project that showed biodiversity patterns in geographical context; basically, a heat map of animal life. Now, they’ve gone a step further: mapping the likeliest spots for unknown species to still exist, in the hopes that those animals can be documented before … Continued
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ScienceBiologyHuge Fish, Once Believed Extinct, Isn’t the ‘Living Fossil’ Scientists Thought
An analysis of coelacanth DNA suggests its genome has experienced some significant changes in recent evolutionary history, potentially dispelling the popular image of these iconic fish as being “living fossils.” The discovery of a live coelacanth (pronounced “see-lah-kanth”) off the coast of South Africa in 1938 was quite the shock, as these animals were believed … Continued
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ScienceBiologyScientists Uncover the Mysterious Origin of Pterosaurs
Pterosaurs are among the most recognizable creatures from the dinosaur age, yet scientists know very little about their origins. New research finally pinpoints a possible precursor to these flying reptiles. Pterosaurs—the first vertebrates to evolve powered flight—were a wildly successful group of flying reptiles, emerging some 220 million years ago and expiring 66 million years … Continued
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ScienceBiologyGiraffes Are Basically Fuzzy Lightning Rods, New Research Suggests
Earlier this year, conservationists in South Africa discovered two adult giraffes struck down by lightning, signaling a potentially underrated risk for this majestic species. Lightning kills around 27 people in the United States each year, but the quantity and frequency of animal deaths as a result of these electrical outbursts is a complete mystery. Documented … Continued
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ScienceBiologySeveral Fish Can Secretly Walk on Land, Study Suggests
A surprising number of hillstream loaches—a family of Asian fish—are capable of walking on land using all four limbs, according to a new study. It’s a discovery that could explain how some of the earliest animals managed to stroll on solid ground. South Asian hillstream loaches are a family of small fish that can often … Continued
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Tech NewsThis Philosopher Is Challenging All of Evolutionary Psychology
It’s not often that a paper attempts to take down an entire field. Yet, this past January, that’s precisely what University of New Hampshire assistant philosophy professor Subrena Smith’s paper tried to do. “Is Evolutionary Psychology Possible?” describes a major issue with evolutionary psychology, called the matching problem. The field of evolutionary psychology is no stranger to … Continued
