The Company of Biologists
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Pregnancy is a drag for bottlenose dolphins
— 24 Nov 2011 18:58 | BiologyLumbering around during the final weeks before delivery is tough for any pregnant mum. Most females adjust their movements to compensate for the extreme physical changes that accompany…
44-year-old mystery of how fleas jump resolved
— 10 Feb 2011 19:43 | BiologyIf you thought that we know everything about how the flea jumps, think again. In 1967, Henry Bennet-Clark discovered that fleas store the energy needed to catapult themselves into the…
Figuring out foetal alcohol syndrome in fruit flies
— 8 Feb 2011 18:45 | BiologyDrinking excess alcohol during pregnancy can cause foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) due to the damaging effects of alcohol on a developing baby's brain. Despite its harmful effects, pregnant…
How spring-loaded filaree seeds self launch
— 27 Jan 2011 19:14 | BiologyEven by invading plants' standards, the filaree, or common stork's bill, has been remarkably successful. Introduced into North America in the eighteenth century, it is now endemic in…
Blue whale-sized mouthfuls make foraging super efficient
— 9 Dec 2010 16:12 | BiologyDiving blue whales can dive for anything up to 15 minutes. However, Bob Shadwick from the University of British Columbia, Canada, explains that blue whales may be able to dive for longer,…
How diving leatherback turtles regulate buoyancy
— 12 Nov 2010 15:18 | BiologyLeatherback turtles are remarkably versatile divers. Routinely diving to depths of several hundred metres, leatherbacks are occasionally known to plunge as deep as 1250 m. The animals…
New equation calculates cost of walking for first time
— 12 Nov 2010 15:15 | BiologyAny parent that takes their kid out for a walk knows that children tire more quickly than adults, but why is that? Do kids and small adults walk differently from taller people or do…
Discus fish parent young like mammalian mothers
— 30 Oct 2010 17:11 | BiologyFew fish are famed for their parenting skills. Most species leave their freshly hatched fry to fend for themselves, but not discus fish. Jonathan Buckley from the University of Plymouth,…
Humidity makes gecko feet stickier
— 15 Oct 2010 12:38 | BiologyHuman adhesives are famed for their fallibility. Gooey glues soon lose their grip, are easily contaminated and leave residues behind. But not gecko feet. Geckos can cling on repeatedly…
New screen offers hope for copper deficiency sufferers
— 17 Aug 2010 09:39 | HealthCopper deficiency diseases can be devastating. Symptoms can range from crippling neurological degeneration in Menkes disease - a classic copper deficiency disease - to brittle bones,…