Critically Endangered Frog Claws Its Way toward Recovery
The evolutionarily unique frogs of Cameroon's Lake Oku have no tongues, claw-tipped toes and 12 full sets of chromosomes. What the Lake Oku clawed frogs (Xenopus longipes) don't have, however, is a lot of habitat in which to live.
Where Would you Leave a Message From the Stars?
A recent article by Samuel Arbesman in the science magazine Nautilus discusses the extraordinary sounding possibility that – just perhaps – a search for extraterrestrial intelligence could be made by looking at our DNA.
Was I Wrong about “The End of Science”?
One of the coolest—and most stressful–moments of my career took place November 7, 1996, when I was a staff writer for Scientific American.
The Turcana and Other Valachians
I'm about as interested in domestic animals as I am in non-domesticated ones. Sheep of various kinds have been discussed on Tet Zoo a few times, and right now I want to say a few brief things about a breed I recently saw on several occasions in Romania - the Turcana or Tsurcana, a highly [...]
Darwin: the Movie
It’s true, Mr. and Ms. Hollywood Producer, Nash, Hawking, Turing were great and all, and their stories brought big bucks and a few Oscars rolling your way, but come on!
Why Babies (and Perhaps All of Us) Care About Magic
As adults, we don't often experience radical violations of our expectations, particularly those that concern core principles of object behavior.
Conservation Group Seeks Protection for Endangered Crayfish, Gets Newly Discovered Species as a Bonus
A funny thing happened on the way to the endangered species list. Five years ago the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) petitioned to protect an Appalachian crayfish species under the U.S.
Glass Anchors on Sheath Overload Strengthen Sponges and Enlighten Engineers
It must be the Year of the Sponge here at The Artful Amoeba, because I can’t seem to write enough posts about sponges and their amazing micro-scale architecture.
Amazing Discovery: Nearly Extinct Bird Found Breeding in Japan
Higashijima Island doesn't look like much from the sky. This tiny, uninhabited scrap of land 1,000 kilometers south of the coast of Japan is only a few hectares in size.
Wonderful Things: The Amazing Mimicry of the Mummy Berry Fungus
Author's note: This is the latest post in the Wonderful Things series. You can read more about this series here. There is a fungus on our planet which is capable of not one, but two audacious and duplicitous acts: it pretends, on separate occasions, to be both to be a flower and a pollen grain, [...]
How Grandparents Shaped Human Evolution
The rise of senior citizens may have played a big role in the success of our species
Why Women Live Longer Than Men
Stress alone does not explain the longevity gap