Platypus Milk Helps Fight Antibiotic Resistance
The platypus is a mammal, yet instead of ‘live birth’ it lays eggs, it’s got a bill and webbed feet that looks like a duck, a tail like a beaver and is venomous. At first glance, the platypus looks like an animal that could be the product of a creative imagination. Yet, despite its odd […]
Common Ancestor of Today’s Horse and Rhino Found in India
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore say fossils found in an Indian coal mine are pointing to a common ancestor for today’s horses, rhinos and tapirs. The animals in question are members of an order called Perissodactyla or odd-toed ungulates because they happen to have an odd number of toes on their rear feet. […]
Whales Get Sunburned Too
Anyone who has experienced the searing pain of sunburn knows that too much sun can wreak havoc on your skin. Turns out that our fellow mammal, the whale, can also tan and get sunburn. A study published in ‘Scientific Reports, from the publishers of the journal Nature, reveals the sun produces an increase in pigment […]
Studies Disagree on Origins of Monogamy
Two new competing studies disagree on the origins of monogamy but both agree it had nothing to do with romance. Researchers at Cambridge University found social monogamy originated as a male mating strategy which evolved over the years. Males pushed for monogamous relationships after finding themselves in situations where females lived far apart from each other […]