Scientists have captured unique on-board footage of Indian Ocean seabirds speeding just above the waves to catch flying fish on the wing.

The footage, obtained by lightweight bird-borne cameras formed part of a study of the lives of seabirds in the waters around the remote archipelago they call home.

Two red-footed boobies - a tropical cousin of the more familiar gannet – were carefully fitted with the tiny cameras to record how they catch their favourite food; flying fish. Of 15 capture attempts, 14 were towards flying fish while in flight and one was an underwater dive.

 

About 56 million years ago, when Earth experienced a dramatic rise in global temperatures, one meat-eating mammal responded in a surprising way: It started eating more bones.

That’s the conclusion reached by a Rutgers-led team of researchers, whose recent study of fossil teeth from the extinct predator Dissacus praenuntius reveals how animals adapted to a period of extreme climate change known as the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). The findings, published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, could help scientists predict how today’s wildlife might respond to modern global warming.

In Indonesia, a research team from University of Tsukuba and other institutions studied genetic diversity and structure using both natural populations and plantations of teak, a valuable tree species utilized for furniture and various other applications. The results indicated a strong correlation between genetic diversity and temperature. In addition, the team assessed the adaptability of teak populations ranging from India to Indochina in relation to climate change and found that populations in southern India exhibit high adaptability.

Scientists have uncovered the remains of a vast animal community that lived in the European Arctic 75,000 years ago.

Longing to make it down to that elusive 7th continent? Now anyone can travel remotely while advancing science. With a grant from the National Science Foundation, NAU researchers are inviting citizen scientists to take part in a photography project that’ll help them identify the ways in which Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys region has changed over time.  

Terrestrial plants drove an increase in global photosynthesis between 2003 and 2021, a trend partially offset by a weak photosynthetic decline among marine algae, according to a new study published in Nature Climate Change on Aug. 1. The findings could inform planetary health assessments, enhance ecosystem management, and guide climate change projections and mitigation strategies.