(Natural News) A study published in the journal Developmental Cell found that when certain animal species detect the presence of atmospheric oxygen, their webbed digits can turn into free fingers. This is especially the case in the embryotic development of amphibians and amniotes, which includes birds, reptiles and even mammals, all of which are capable of having either […]

(Natural News) While the northern pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) is well-known for consuming insects and other invertebrates as supplementary food, a recent study published in the journal Ecology points out that about one in five pitcher plants in Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park has upgraded its menu to include juvenile salamanders. While Asiatic pitcher plants such as the Philippines’ Nepenthes […]

(Natural News) Humans often keep dogs as pets to protect their homes and family from intruders. Likewise, a South American species of burrowing tarantula keeps a tiny frog to protect its eggs and young spawn from small insects. In turn, the spider protects the frog from predators. Photographs taken by Italian researcher Emanuele Biggi featured an individual […]

(Natural News) There are some animals that can grow back specific parts of their body when they have been cut off. Lizards, for example, are known for their ability to grow back their tails. However, experts have found something even more fascinating. New research published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B has revealed that some […]

(Natural News) A popular weed-killing chemical that many conventional farmers regularly spray on their corn, sugarcane, sorghum, macadamia nut, and other crops has been shown in a new study to be so biologically destructive that it can actually change the sex of living organisms that are exposed to it. The substance is known as atrazine, […]

(Natural News) A new study has recently called attention to the prevalence of an infectious disease that has been killing off scores of amphibian life in the United States. According to a recent study conducted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) which was published in Nature, of the 247 frog die-offs in 43 states between […]

(Natural News) A comparative study reveals that manicured citrus orchards and reclaimed orchard forests in Stann Creek, Belize have similar abundance and diversity in herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians) as natural habitat areas. Researchers Russell Gray and Dr. Colin Strine of Suranaree University of Technology (SUT), Thailand found that herpetofaunal communities have little sensitivity to agricultural […]

(Natural News) We all know that pesticides are bad, but the news just keeps getting worse as studies continue to show the extent of their harm. The latest strike against them comes in the form of a study carried out by researchers from the Department of Environmental Toxicology at Uppsala University, one of just a […]

(Natural News) Living tissue can heal over time after an injury. This process is called regeneration, and some animals can regenerate certain body parts in a manner that far surpasses our own. Some injuries are severe enough, such as spinal cord injury, that the damaged nerves cannot be rebuilt. On the other hand, some animals have […]

(Natural News) Wouldn’t it be neat to regrow a lost limb without any trace of scar or trauma? Researchers have successfully observed how the skin cells of some fish and amphibians are capable of advanced tissue regeneration without scarring, retaining its perfect original form. The findings, published in the journal The Company of Biologists, hint at […]