Biology

Biodiversity collapse in the eastern Mediterranean

Only a few mollusks still belong to the species originally native to the Mediterranean (blue), most of them immigrated from the Red Sea (red)....

On the trail of the secret of mother-of-pearl

Microscopic image of the periodically layered structures of mother-of-pearl. (Image: Igor Zlotnikov) Strength and shimmering beauty: Mother-of-pearl owes its fascinating properties to an astonishingly...

Oyster beds as cleaning aids

Natural oyster beds off the coast of Hong Kong. (Image: Kyle Obermann / TNC) Today, natural oyster beds have become rare in many places...

Bonobos feel obliged

If bonobos are interrupted in their social grooming, they then “faithfully” resume their obligatory behavior. (Image: USO / iStock) Interesting parallels to humans: Bonobos...

What determines the pitch of songbirds?

Many representatives of the passerine birds make themselves loudly heard. (Image: Buchfink, Nataba / iStock) There is chirping, beeping and humming - in very...

Marine microplastics: Gone with the wind

Everywhere it is teeming with the tiny decay products of human plastic waste. (Image: dottedhippo / iStock) It's teeming everywhere - the notorious microplastics...

Introduced algae changes the Wadden Sea

Algae carpet by Vaucheria velutina (left) in the Wadden Sea off Sylt. (Photo: Karsten Reise) The tube alga Vaucheria velutina is the alga of...

When the locusts hop uphill

The Roesel's bite is one of the species that could migrate from deeper habitats into alpine areas in the course of global warming. ...

What do spiders do in weightlessness?

On earth, they weave their filigree wheel nets according to ingenious rules - but to what extent can spinning also succeed in the weightlessness...

Crabs as helpers against overgrowth

Caribbean king crab. (Image: Angelo Spadaro) Coral reefs not only suffer from the increasingly warm, acidic and polluted water of the oceans. The...

On the trail of the antler puzzle

Skull and antlers of a primitive deer. (Image: E.-M. Natzer / SNSB-BSPG) Elaborate symbols of masculinity: deer are known to shed their antlers again...

Europe: nitrate problem bigger than expected

In many places nitrogenous fertilization leads to excess nitrate in the soil. (Image: AdobeStock / Countrypixel) In Europe, significantly more nitrate from over-fertilized soils...

Ticks protect themselves from our pathogens

Ticks are fascinating creatures too! (Image: Matt Pinski) They are notorious among nature lovers: as is well known, ticks can transmit dangerous bacteria to...

How flowering plants conquered the world

In particular, the evolution of the auxin transporter genes made flowering plants what they are. (Image: Yuzhou Zhang / IST) From simple green algae...

Bees fight hornets with manure

Bees apply fecal stains to the hive entrance. (Image: Heather Mattila / Wellesley College) Smelly “barricades” at the entrance: Asian honeybees use collected animal...

Only one native fish species left in the Arno

The sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) immigrated to the Arno. (Image: Senckenberg / Haubrock) Invasive animal species repeatedly find their way into foreign areas and displace...

Hope for the Tasmanian Devil

Will the Tasmanian Devils make it through the contagious tumor pandemic? (Image: JohnCarnemolla / iStock) While the Covid-19 crisis is still bothering us,...

Climate change endangers the protection of biodiversity

Elephant in Amboseli National Park below Kilimanjaro. (Image: Almut Arneth, KIT) Climate change not only threatens the future of human societies, it also harms...

Why pandas love horse manure

A wild panda rubbed itself completely with horse manure at minus four degrees Celsius. (Image: Fuwen Wei) You wallow with pleasure in the stinking...

No actionism in mangrove protection!

The protection of old mangrove stands must be in the foreground, say experts. (Image: PJPhoto69 / iStock) Well meant, but often unsuccessful: The “forests...

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