Biology

Tortoises in need of the world!

One example among many: the range of the great Asian river turtle Batagur trivittata has shrunk dramatically. (Image: Rick Hudson) “Turtles of the World”:...

How auxin grows plants

Growing young plant. (Image: RomoloTavani / iStock) In plants, solid cell walls form a stable framework that supports and holds the cells together and...

“Green Wall” is also worthwhile economically

A Sahel village near Timbuktu on the "Green Wall". (Image: FAO) A “green wall” is intended to protect the landscape of the Sahel zone...

How shy are bats?

It is no longer just the moon and stars that illuminate the bats' habitat. (Image: slowmotiongli / iSock) Animals of the night in the...

Stop catching to help European eel

Acutely threatened: the European eel. (Image: Reinhold Hanel / Thünen Institute) The European eel has long been a popular food fish, but is now...

Looking for a place for the rarest sea lions

New Zealand sea lions cubs sleeping in the forest. (Image: Amélie Augé) For a long time New Zealand sea lions were only found on...

“Siren alarm” warns bees of hornets

It sounds shrill through the hive: Researchers have identified a special alarm signal that Asian honeybees generate when threatened by giant hornets. ...

Cleverly calculated: where bears and co wander

The endangered European brown bear lives in the Sirente Velino Regional Park in Abruzzo, Italy. (Image: Stefano_Pellicciari / iStock) They like to be on...

How parrots control themselves

Sometimes it is known that waiting wisely is the order of the day: people can resist immediate temptation if they know that it will...

Pangolin smuggling more extensive than expected

Cargo confiscated from pangolin sheds in Nigeria. (Image: Charles Emogor) Although pangolins are strictly protected and acutely threatened, there is a lively trade between...

“Neural” discovered in brainless animals

A neuroid sponge cell (orange) stretches out processes towards a digestive cell (green) in order to apparently establish a communication link. (Photo: Jacob...

Meanders help the climate

Meander of the Rio Bermejo in South America. (Image: Kristen Cook / GFZ) Sediments in water bodies and seas help to bind carbon in...

Baleen whales: underrated eco-engineers

A blue whale leaves a business with a fertilizing effect. (Image: Elliott Hazen under NOAA / NMFS permit 16111) Surprisingly large amounts of food...

Social distancing protects honey bees from parasites

Bees show highly complex social behavior. (Image: Dr Michelina Pusceddu, University of Sassari) The more contact individuals have with one another, the easier it...

Do insects get heart palpitations from fear?

Frightened flies "felt on the pulse". (Video excerpt, Credit: Champalimaud Research) As is well known, frightening situations can get our pulse rate skyrocketing -...

With biotopes against the extinction of species

With their biotope "BioDiversum", scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen want to draw attention to the fact that biodiversity...

Wild bearded vultures are gripped by wanderlust

Successful comeback: the majestic bearded vultures are back in the Alps. (Image: Hansruedi Weyrich) "Wally" and "Bavaria" are now developing their typical wanderlust -...

Toothless: evolution through poaching

Usually female elephants have tusks - but the “human selection factor” can change this. (Image: Andrew Linscott / iStock) On the trail of a...

Northern white rhinoceros: Najin is retiring

Rhinoceros Fajin is one of only two northern white rhinos still alive. (Image: Jan Zwilling / www.biorescue.org) They are the last of their kind:...

How social interaction shows up in the brain

A Egyptian bat. (Image: Michael Yartsev) It is vital for social animals to interact with their fellow animals. In doing so, they not...

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