mammals

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In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging
In Prehistoric Fossils,
a Surprising Find on Aging
NEW STUDY
Jul 26, 2024 12:20 PM CDT

In Prehistoric Fossils, a Surprising Find on Aging

Mouselike mammals lived a lot longer than modern-day counterparts, say scientists

(Newser) - Two sets of fossils found 40-something years apart suggest that small mammals who lived during the mid-Jurassic period had a longer "childhood" and a more stretched-out life span than their contemporary counterparts. The new research published Wednesday in the journal Nature examined the fossilized remains of Krusatodon kirtlingtonensis, a...

Man Films Bat Sex in Church, Makes Surprise Discovery
Man Films Bat Sex in Church,
Makes Surprise Discovery
in case you missed it
Nov 25, 2023 2:15 PM CST

Man Films Bat Sex in Church, Makes Surprise Discovery

Serotine bat thought to be only known mammal to have sex without penetration

(Newser) - There was a lot of sex happening in the church attic—but without humans and, weirdly, without penetration. Indeed, as scientists describe in a new study, it was the first time a mammal—specifically, the serotine bat native to Europe and Asia—was documented reproducing without penetrative sex. Scientists had...

One of Our Biggest Mammals Finally Gets a Sanctuary

Caribbean island of Dominica preserves about 300 square miles for nearly 3 dozen whale families

(Newser) - The tiny Caribbean island of Dominica is creating the world's first marine-protected area for one of Earth's largest animals: the endangered sperm whale. Nearly 300 square miles of royal blue waters on the western side of the island nation that serve as key nursing and feeding grounds will...

There's Evolutionary Advantage to Homosexuality in Mammals

Researchers argue it's adaptive, aiding social cohesion and reducing conflict

(Newser) - The case has been made that sexual behavior between those of the same sex is "non-adaptive," meaning there is no evolutionary advantage. That's not true, according to new research that finds the behavior, witnessed across at least 1,500 animal species from crickets to dolphins to deer,...

We Have a Date for Mass Extinction of Mammals
We Have a Date for Mass
Extinction of Mammals
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 30, 2023 4:55 PM CDT

We Have a Date for Mass Extinction of Mammals

Research team predicts changing Earth could mean the end of humans in 250M years

(Newser) - We may be living at the halfway point of mammalian survival. That's according to a new study that poses a terrifying future for our planet that humans will likely find too hot to endure. Researchers expanded on a previous study that predicted landmasses would converge in about 250 million...

In This Wild Battle of Sexes, the Females Prevail
In Phenomenon
Seen Across Species,
the Ladies Have It
in case you missed it
Mar 28, 2020 7:00 AM CDT

In Phenomenon Seen Across Species, the Ladies Have It

Female mammals typically live longer, likely owing to genetics

(Newser) - It's not just in human populations that females tend to live longer than males. The same trend has been seen in mammals such as elephants, lions, and orcas, according to a new study. Indeed, demographic data for 134 populations of 101 mammalian species shows females outlive males in 60%...

'We Failed Our Little Brown Rat' in Climate Change First

Australia classifies Bramble Cay melomys as extinct

(Newser) - It's official in the eyes of Australia: A small brown rat is the first known mammal to be eradicated as a result of human-induced climate change. Bramble Cay melomys were declared extinct by Queensland's government in 2016 after a series of research trips failed to locate the animal...

Mammals Are Going Nocturnal to Avoid Us


Mammals Are
Going Nocturnal
to Avoid Us
NEW STUDY
Jun 15, 2018 8:28 AM CDT

Mammals Are Going Nocturnal to Avoid Us

Trend seen across dozens of species on 6 continents: study

(Newser) - The list of ways humans have altered the planet continues to grow: Animals are becoming more nocturnal, possibly as a means of avoiding the superpredators we've become, per a new study. The meta-anaylsis of 76 studies on 62 mammal species across six continents, published in the journal Science , found...

Naked Mole Rats Can Do What No Other Vertebrate Can

Oxygen deprivation? Bring it

(Newser) - Scientists already know enough about naked mole rats to put them in the "strange" category. The hairless ground-dwelling wonders are notable for being cold-blooded mammals that are practically immune to cancer and far outlive other rodents, reports Science Daily . Now scientists say they've observed the creatures surviving without...

Mothers Tend to Hold Babies on the Left
'Ancient'
Signal Dictates
Where Mom
Holds Baby
new study
Jan 10, 2017 8:14 AM CST

'Ancient' Signal Dictates Where Mom Holds Baby

'Positional bias' is common among humans and wild animals

(Newser) - It's long been observed that mothers tend to cradle their infants on their left side, and this has long been at least informally attributed to handedness (so that right-handed mothers have the right hand free). Now researchers report in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution that "positional bias"...

Asteroid That Killed Dinosaurs Wiped Out Most Mammals, Too

Only about 7% survived, says study

(Newser) - The asteroid that took out the dinosaurs nearly claimed the planet's mammals, too. Researchers at the UK's Milner Centre for Evolution report in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology that 93% of mammals were wiped out around the same time, far more than originally thought. And those that did...

This Is Likely the First Mammal Lost to Climate Change

Mosaic-tailed rat has vanished from Bramble Cay off Australia

(Newser) - Way to go, humanity. For the first time in history, human-induced climate change has been found "solely or primarily" responsible for the extinction of a mammal species, according to a new study . The Bramble Cay melomys , or mosaic-tailed rat, was found by Europeans on a tiny coral cay off...

As Big Mammals Die Off, Planet Suffers a Poop Shortage

The flow of phosphorous and other nutrients has declined dramatically

(Newser) - Earth isn't just dealing with the loss of big mammals, such as elephants, whales, and rhinos. It's also faced with a dramatic reduction in their poop, which could have profound effects on the planet's ecosystems, reports Red Orbit . Researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy ...

Boys and Girls Have Different Spines—From Birth

The difference allows the female spine to adapt during pregnancy

(Newser) - Boys and girls have subtly different spines, and the difference is present at birth, according to a new study out of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 35 full-term newborn girls and 35 full-term newborn boys, researchers report in the Journal of Pediatrics that vertebral...

Why 25% of Mammals Commit Infanticide
 Why 25% of Mammals 
 Commit Infanticide 
new study
Nov 14, 2014 11:40 AM CST

Why 25% of Mammals Commit Infanticide

It boils down to sex, researchers say

(Newser) - The co-author of a new study estimates that 25% of our planet's mammals practice infanticide—and she thinks she knows why. Elise Huchard and Dieter Lukas studied 260 species; in about 45% of them, babies are killed by male adults. And it all boils down to sex, says Huchard....

Mammals Have Been Around Way Longer Than We Thought

Squirrel-like Jurassic creatures tell story: researchers

(Newser) - A squirrel-like animal in the tree branches above would have been a familiar sight to some dinosaurs, researchers have learned. Newly discovered fossils indicate that mammals have been around since "at least" the late Triassic period, an expert says, though he acknowledges that his claim—which suggests mammals appeared...

Study: Mammals Big, Small Pee in About 21 Seconds

Above 6.5 pounds, urination duration doesn't scale with size

(Newser) - Ever wonder why it doesn't take elephants an hour to pee? Well someone did. After studying mammals of all walks of life at Zoo Atlanta, scientists discovered that, aside from those that weigh 6.5 pounds or less, it takes the rest of us mammals on average 21 seconds...

Were Dinos Cold-Blooded or Warm-Blooded? Neither

Scientists call for a new class called 'mesothermy'

(Newser) - A new study suggests that dinosaurs aren't either warm-blooded (endothermic) or cold-blooded (ectothermic) but rather a little bit of both, occupying a newly-described intermediate category scientists are calling "mesothermy." The debate on just where dinosaurs fall has raged for years, but in this study scientists looked primarily...

Scientists Come Up With 'Law of Urination'

Elephants pee as quickly as rats, study finds

(Newser) - Ever imagined a peeing contest between animals of various shapes and sizes? Probably not, but scientists studying the matter say that mammals big and small empty their bladders at about the same speed, New Scientist reports. More specifically, experts at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta have clocked the...

320K Unknown Viruses Lurk in Mammals
 320K Unknown 
 Viruses Lurk 
 in Mammals 
study says
Sep 3, 2013 7:21 PM CDT

320K Unknown Viruses Lurk in Mammals

Researchers say money spent to ID them would be well spent

(Newser) - An ambitious new study by some of the world's top virus experts estimates that at least 320,000 still-unidentified viruses are lurking out there among mammals—some presumably with the potential to jump from animals to humans, reports Smithsonian . That's the scary-sounding part. The better part is that...

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