From Carla Broom “genetic analysis of fossils has revealed that Homo floresiensis was in fact a separate species
https://www.rt.com/news/322750-hobbit-evolved-species-teeth/” thank you Carla!
More from Carla (our SEEN keen bean this week), she says “Here’s a link for SEEN to a really interesting Attenborough documentary on the dinosaur they found; possibly bigger than a blue whale
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p03dwy5z/attenborough-and-the-giant-dinosaur
I also found an article about an endothermic lizard which could provide evidence of how endothermy evolved
Last October we held a CfBS celebration for Ada Lovelace day. Watch this programme to find out more about her http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p030s5bx (as spotted by Mark Chapman, thank you!)
Barn owl diet has changed since 1860 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00063657.2015.1125440
Domestic chickens in the wild http://www.nature.com/news/when-chickens-go-wild-1.19195
Do animals exercise to keep fit? http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12488/full
Three-point plan for protected areas http://phys.org/news/2015-11-urgent-areas.html?hootPostID=768d5061f947467158a0b72ed2b2ac2b
Staff contributor of the month = Rob Holland! Thank you Rob for sending all these links!
Epic eel migration mapped for the first time
For the first time scientists using tiny satellite trackers have followed the migration of American eels to their spawning grounds in the Sargasso Sea. The research, published in Nature Communications, reports the journey of one eel that moved an estimated 30 miles a day on its 1500 mile journey from Nova Scotia.
Hydra can modify its genetic program
Research published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society detail the mechanism through which Hydra are able to regenerate and remain alive even when all its neurons have been lost. The key to the hydra’s remarkable regenerative power is linked to over expression of genes in the hydra’s epithelial cells which allow them to assume other functions. It is hoped that the findings may contribute to understanding neurodegenerative diseases in humans.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/udg-hcm111815.php
And finally: Get me a crocodile, and make it snappy.
An ingenious use of a natural ecosystem services from Indonesia where the head of the country’s anti-drugs agency is proposing to use crocodiles to guard a prison island.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34772089
Posted By : Judith Lock