Summaries | Headlines

Galapagos Hawk's Evolutionary History Illuminated (October 5, 2007) -- Scientists used DNA sequences from feather lice to study how island populations of their host, the Galápagos Hawk might have colonized the Galápagos islands, home to the endangered and declining ... > full story

Sea Otter, Peregrine Falcon Back From The Brink Of Extinction But Other Species At Risk In Canada (October 4, 2007) -- There's good news and bad news in the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) report. The good news: The peregrine falcon and the sea otter no longer face extinction. The ... > full story

Biologists Close In On Mystery Of Sea Turtles' 'Lost Years' (October 3, 2007) -- Biologists have found a major clue in a 50-year-old mystery about what happens to green sea turtles after they crawl out of their sandy nests and vanish into the surf, only to reappear several years ... > full story

Thriving Hybrid Salamanders Contradict Common Wisdom (October 2, 2007) -- A new study not only has important findings for the future of California tiger salamanders, but also contradicts prevailing scientific thought about what happens when animal species interbreed. They ... > full story

Saving Microscopic Threatened Species (October 2, 2007) -- The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently acquired 12,000 new animals -- microscopic Elkhorn coral larvae harvested by National Zoo scientists in Puerto Rico -- as part of an international ... > full story

Forests Of Endangered Tropical Kelp Discovered (September 28, 2007) -- Forests of a species of kelp previously thought endangered or extinct in deep waters near the Galapagos Islands has just been discovered. This discovery has important implications for biodiversity ... > full story

Primate Sperm Competition: Speed Matters (September 27, 2007) -- Sperm cells from the more promiscuous chimpanzee and rhesus macaque species swim much faster and with much greater force than those of humans and gorillas, species where individual females mate ... > full story

New Animal And Plant Species Found In Vietnam (September 27, 2007) -- Scientists have discovered 11 new species of animals and plants in a remote area in central Vietnam. Within the ancient tropical forests of a region known as Vietnam's "Green Corridor," scientists ... > full story

Invasion Of New Beach Grass Could Weaken Shoreline Protection (September 26, 2007) -- An invasion of American beach grass is under way along the Oregon coast, threatening to change dune ecology and reduce the ability of dunes to protect roads, property and towns from coastal storms. ... > full story

Why Are Freshwater Mussels In Decline? (September 21, 2007) -- North America's diverse community of freshwater mussels has been on the decline for decades and is presently considered one of the continent's most endangered groups of animals. Mussels are a ... > full story

Student Proves Giant Whorled Sunflower's Extreme Rarity (September 21, 2007) -- A native species of sunflower, called the giant whorled sunflower, is only known to exist in four locations in the Southeast United States. In the last four years a graduate student has conducted a ... > full story

Increased Bering Sea Ice Explains Prehistoric Fur Seal Rookeries (September 20, 2007) -- The Bering Sea provides critical habitat for many species of marine mammals, including seals, sea lions and whales. The predictable formation and movement of sea ice is a defining feature of this ... > full story

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The Third Chimpanzee : The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal
Jared Diamond states the theme of his book up-front: "How the human species changed, within a short time, from just another species of big mammal to a world conqueror; and how we acquired the ... > read more

Marine Fishes: 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species (The Pocketexpert Guide Series for Aquarists and Underwater Naturalists, 1)
---Comprehensive: 500+ species photographs, covering all popular and commonly available aquarium species ---Authoritative: expert advice on feeding and captive care ---Informative: aquarium ... > read more

Extinction : How Life on Earth Nearly Ended 250 Million Years Ago
Some 250 million years ago, the earth suffered the greatest biological crisis in its history. Around 95% of all living species died out--a global catastrophe far greater than the dinosaurs' demise 65 ... > read more

The Complete World of Human Evolution
A compelling, authoritative, and superbly illustrated account of the rise and eventual domination of our species.Human domination of the earth is now so complete that it is easy to forget how ... > read more

The Weather Makers : How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth
Sometime this century the day will arrive when the human influence on the climate will overwhelm all other natural factors. Over the past decade, the world has seen the most powerful El Nińo ... > read more

Aphids on the World's Crops: An Identification and Information Guide, 2nd Edition
Fully revised and updated, this new edition of 'Aphid's on the World's Crops' is the only publication to provide non-specialist workers wherever they are in the world, with an identification guide ... > read more

The Winds of Change : Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations
The Winds of Change places the horrifying carnage unleashed on New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama by Hurricane Katrina in context.Climate has been humanity's constant, if moody, companion. At ... > read more

From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books (Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, The Origin of Species, The Descent of Man, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals)
A gorgeous gift and a landmark work that is an essential addition to everyone's personal library.Never before have the four great works of Charles Darwin—Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle (1845), The ... > read more

Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research: Diseases (American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine)
This volume and its companion Nonhuman Primates in Biomedical Research: Biology and Management represent the most comprehensive publications of their type on nonhuman primates. This volume addresses ... > read more

Radical Evolution : The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies -- and What It Means to Be Human
In Radical Evolution, bestselling author Joel Garreau, a reporter and editor for the Washington Post, shows us that we are at an inflection point in history. As you read this, we are engineering the ... > read more