Territory Holders and Floaters: Two Spatial Tactics of Male Cheetahs

Scientists of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz IZW) in Berlin analysed the spatial behaviour of cheetahs. They showed that male cheetahs operate two space use tactics which are associated with different life-history stages. This long-term study on movement data of over 160 free-ranging cheetahs in Namibia has now been published in the scientific journal ECOSPHERE.

Major Study Reveals Great Barrier Reef’s 30,000-Year Fight for Survival

A landmark international study, recently published in Nature Geoscience, shows that the Great Barrier Reef has suffered 5 death events in the last 30,000 years. The groundbreaking study of the world’s largest reef system, involving the participation of Juan Carlos Braga Alarcón, a Full Professor at the UGR’s Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, reveals that these events were driven mostly by variations in sea level and associated environmental changes. 

To Tell the Sex of a Galápagos Penguin, Measure its Beak, Researchers Say

It turns out that to tell the sex of a Galápagos penguin, all you need is a ruler.

In a paper published April 5 in the journal Endangered Species Research, scientists at the University of Washington announced that, for a Galápagos penguin, beak size is nearly a perfect indicator of whether a bird is male or female. Armed with this knowledge, researchers could determine the sex of a bird quickly and accurately in the wild without taking a blood sample — speeding up field studies of this unusual and endangered seabird.

Climate Change Linked to Bee Decline

A new study from Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden has found that climate change may drive local extinction of mason bees in Arizona and other naturally warm climates.

How Smart Technology Gadgets Can Avoid Speed Limits

Speed limits apply not only to traffic. There are limitations on the control of light as well, in optical switches for internet traffic, for example. Physicists at Chalmers University of Technology now understand why it is not possible to increase the speed beyond a certain limit – and know the circumstances in which it is best to opt for a different route. 

Handwashing and House Cleaning May Protect Against Unhealthy Chemicals

Washing your hands and cleaning your house frequently may help to lower your contact with common flame-retardant chemicals, according to a new study by researchers at the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The study is the first to assess whether house cleaning and handwashing can effectively lower exposure to flame retardants. Results appear in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

Educational Interventions Decrease Sunburns Among Heavy Equipment Operators

Implementation of educational interventions among operating engineers (heavy equipment operators) in Michigan significantly increased the use of sunscreen and decreased the number of reported sunburns, according to results from a randomized controlled trial published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Whale shark tourism and the challenges of international research

Every year, many University of Victoria graduate students set off to do research in countries around the world.

Salmon at stake

Salmon returning to the rivers of Vancouver Island to spawn have always had a long and perilous migration route. But in the past 10 years their time away has become deadlier than ever, with populations dropping precipitously.

A rare disease inspires a Stanford team to develop a new test for aldehyde exposure

In the first ten years of their lives, kids born with Fanconi anemia lose the ability to make blood cells and need bone marrow transplants to survive. And although the transplant cures the bone marrow failure, people remain at greatly increased risk of cancer and rarely live past their 20s.