NEW FINDINGS
Ancestor of all placental mammals was an insect eater
Placental mammals were early insectivores and lived along with dinosaurs in the Late cretaceous. During cretaceous mass extinction, dinosaurs became extinct and opened up lots of dietary niches. The ancestral insectivore radiated out into all the niches and had 5 chitinase genes. But those who got adapted for other diets lost their chitinase genes through accumulation of various mutations. These gene remnants passed on to all mammals now exist, as pseudo genes.
This ancient bird hatchling preserved in amber provides insights into early bird evolution
Scientists have recently made an incredible discovery of a piece of amber that contained well preserved remains of an alomost complete bird hatchling. The discovery was made from Burma.
What makes poison dart frog resistant to their own poison?
Poison dart frogs store Batrachotoxin, a steroidal alkaloid toxin in their skin glands. A single amino acid substitution is responsible for the resistance to their on poison in these frogs.
New ant species discovered with a metal reinforced mouth parts
These predatory ants must have fed on soft bodied animals. When they encounter their prey, their clypeal hairs touch its body. This triggers the sudden closure of mandibles in upward direction. Pointed mandibles now pierce the prey’s body. Using the channels in mandibles, these ants can suck haemolymph (blood) out of the body of prey.
Starvation turns herbivorous Drosophila into a carnivore
Starvation induces cannibalism!
Drosophila melanogaster larvae are classified as herbivores. They usually feed on herbivorous diet under normal conditions. During starvation, they are observed to...
Fishes singing in chorus recorded; says new research
Fish chorus?
Our aquariums feel silent doesn’t mean fishes can’t product sounds. Only thing is, they make sounds that are not audible to human ears....
New ant species discovered from the stomach of a frog!
New species of ant
A new species of ant namely, Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri was discovered from the rainforests of Central and South America by a team...
Stingrays can chew their food, like mammals
Is chewing a unique mammalian feature?
Unlike mammals, other animals usually don’t have the ability to chew their food. Chewing can be defined as the interaction...
Dolphins talk to each other, recorded first time in history!
For the first time in history, scientists have recorded a full-fledged conversation between two bottlenose dolphins. It was known for years that dolphins use...
Evolution observed in live action in a lizard species
When a lizard moves from ovipary to vivipary, it can be considered an episode in live evolution.
Ovipary and vivipary are two modes of reproduction...
INFO OF THE DAY
Glass eels, the transparent fishes
Flat and transparent larva of eels are called as Leptocephalus (slim head). Leptocephalus larva undergoes metamorphosis and enters a stage called as glass eels, before entering freshwater. It has the shape of an adult eel, with small size and without any pigmentation. Following this stage the young eels are called “elvers”
