Ecology

Tracking the evolution of the human brain

How did our remarkable brains come to be, and what will they become? These are the questions that David Robson addresses in this excellent feature on the evolution of the human brain, published in the latest issue of New Scientist. Robson’s piece comprises information gleaned from some of the latest scientific research to trace the…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 27

We might have enough water to survive the 21st century after all

There’s been a lot of talk recently about a coming water crisis, in which there both won’t be enough water to go around and what water there is will be dangerously polluted. Well, there might be some good news. While pollution is absolutely still a major concern, scarcity might not be as big a problem…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Sep 26

Scientists use “dirt DNA” to gauge biodiversity

If you were asked to classify every species of vertebrate living in a given environmental niche, how would you go about doing it? For years, ecologists have risen to this task by resorting to brute force — tracking, trapping, and tagging individual animals to extrapolate species population data. But scientists have now shown that there…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 26

The real reason behind the rainforest’s extreme biodiversity

The rainforest ecosystem features dizzying levels of biodiversity, so much so that we can only estimate how many millions of species we still haven’t discovered. But the actual reason why the rainforests are so diverse might surprise you. According to new research from the University of British Columbia and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Sep 25

This beetle larva tricks its predator into becoming prey

The predator-prey relationship between frogs and beetles seems like it would be pretty obvious doesn’t it? Frog spots beetle, frog stealthily approaches beetle, frog eats beetle. Done, done and done. But it turns out that the relationship between amphibians (like frogs and toads) and the larvae of ground beetles is one of nature’s rare examples…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 21

Are humans too noisy for the rest of the world?

You’ve heard the question before. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” But here’s something else to consider: how come nobody ever asks what the trees can hear? The new question we’re dealing with is this: can you pick a spot in…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 19

Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

Leopard slug sex is wild by definition, insofar as it typically takes place in the wilderness. But as this video clearly demonstrates, “wild” doesn’t even begin to capture the jaw-dropping escapade that is the leopard slug mating ritual. It’s highly acrobatic. It lasts over an hour. There’s nibbling; there’s writhing; there’s even glowing sex organs.…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 19

Roman art reveals regular fish were once full-fledged sea monsters

These days, the dusky grouper is a major predator in the Mediterranean Sea, generally growing to about two feet long. But that wasn’t always the case…and ancient mosaics provide a rare chance to see what this beast used to be. Researchers at Italy’s University of Salento examined both artistic and literary references to the dusky…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Sep 14

The Tasmanian tiger’s fierce reputation was all a myth

Forensic science shows that the reputation of the ‘Tasmanian tiger’ was much inflated. The creatures used to roam through mainland Australia, but humans drove them to the island of Tasmnania. There, they gained a reputation as hunters of the sheep that were the livelihood of many local farmers. A bounty was put out on the…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Sep 2

Liquify your dead body – for the earth!

At this point there are so many people on Earth that our deaths can be ecologically damaging. What’s the greenest way to die? Scientists have found that resomation, liquifying a dead body, is the best way to have the least impact on the planet. Instead of an urn or a casket, consider being buried in…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 25

Animals are adapting more rapidly to climate change than humans

While humans struggle over what to do about climate change, many other species already have a solution. A new study shows that animals, plants, and insects are responding quickly to changing temperatures, moving their habitats to cooler climates so swiftly that they’ve surprised scientists. As our planet becomes a less habitable place, some creatures are…

io9 Annalee Newitz Aug 24

10 of the World’s Worst Invasive Species

Not all invasions come from marauding armies. You can devastate a place just by introducing a non-native species that creates dramatic and unexpected shifts in the dynamics of the ecosystem. It’s no coincidence that we refer to non-native species that begin taking over a new environment as “invasive” — when the local environment is ill-equipped…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Aug 22

How the Female Moose Uses Cunning to Get Rid of Unwanted Suitors

Moose are one of a number of species where males fight for the right to mate with their preferred female. As such, you might think female moose don’t have much say in the matter. That’s where you’d be wrong. Moose societies are polygynous, which means that males mate with lots of different females but females…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Aug 2

Tree DNA tests prove that Benjamin Franklin isn’t ruining the Gulf Coast

Much of the southeastern US is struggling with Chinese tallow trees, an invasive species that is overrunning the Gulf Coast and wreaking havoc on the natural habitat. And, until now, people figured it was that big jerk Benjamin Franklin’s fault. While Franklin was living in Europe, he arranged to have some of these tallow trees…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Jul 31

Ancient Mayans are still shaping their environment thousands of years later

To help save a critically endangered Central American species of river turtle, conservationists examined the gene pools of three highly isolated populations. What they discovered is a surprising legacy of the ancient Mayan civilization. Smithsonian scientists examined 238 wild turtles, each of which came from one of 15 locations in three separate river basins. These…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Jul 22

California Deploys Wasp Army to Counter Merciless Apple Moth Threat

In the unceasing war between man and nature, the ranks of homo sapiens is about to use a dirty trick—using the natural world against itself. Californian agricultural officials are sending in wasps as instinctive mercenaries. The particular variety of wasp is tiny, possesses no stinger, and doesn’t wear boat shoes. What it does have is…

Tech News Sam Biddle Jul 11

This is the first ever photo of a fish using tools

This blackspot tuskfish, found in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, held a clam in its mouth and smashed it against a rock to reach the food inside. This photo is the first incontrovertible proof that fish are capable of tool use. While tool use was once seen as a uniquely human behavior, decades of animal observation…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Jul 10

The Only Way to Save Ourselves From Global Warming: Cowaroos

Cows give off massive amounts of methane as a by-product of their grassy diet. Kangaroos do not, despite having the same diet. Scientists are looking at that difference and hoping to find a way to combine a cool earth with hamburgers. It’s no secret that cows are destroying the world. They give people heart attacks,…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Jun 30

Just 12 million years ago, there were forests on Antarctica

It’s hard to imagine, but about 55 million years ago, Antarctica was ice-free and full of lush forests. Now analysis of ancient pollen has revealed when the last Antarctic vegetation died out…and what’s next for the continents’s vast ice sheets. The ice sheets that now completely engulf the frozen continent began forming about 38 million…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Jun 28

Arabian “unicorns” come all the way back from virtual extinction

The Arabian Oryx, which might have been the initial inspiration for the unicorn legend, has pulled off a comeback every bit as magical as its legendary counterparts, becoming the first species to go from almost extinct to not even endangered. In 1972, the last wild Arabian Oryx was shot, leaving the species’s last survivors as…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Jun 19

Tracking the evolution of the human brain

We might have enough water to survive the 21st century after all

Scientists use “dirt DNA” to gauge biodiversity

The real reason behind the rainforest’s extreme biodiversity

This beetle larva tricks its predator into becoming prey

Are humans too noisy for the rest of the world?

Leopard slugs have better sex than you do

Roman art reveals regular fish were once full-fledged sea monsters

The Tasmanian tiger’s fierce reputation was all a myth

Liquify your dead body – for the earth!

Animals are adapting more rapidly to climate change than humans

10 of the World’s Worst Invasive Species

How the Female Moose Uses Cunning to Get Rid of Unwanted Suitors

Tree DNA tests prove that Benjamin Franklin isn’t ruining the Gulf Coast

Ancient Mayans are still shaping their environment thousands of years later

California Deploys Wasp Army to Counter Merciless Apple Moth Threat

This is the first ever photo of a fish using tools

The Only Way to Save Ourselves From Global Warming: Cowaroos

Just 12 million years ago, there were forests on Antarctica

Arabian “unicorns” come all the way back from virtual extinction

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