Ancient Cave Bears Were As Omnivorous As Modern Bears:
Rather than being gentle giants, new research reveals that Pleistocene cave bears ate both plants and animals and competed for food with the other contemporary large carnivores of the time: hyaenas, lions, wolves, and our own human ancestors.
Chimpanzees May Build Their 'Cultures' In A Similar Way To Humans:
Socially-learned cultural behaviour thought to be unique to humans is also found among chimpanzees colonies, scientists at the University of Liverpool have found. Historically, scientists believed that behavioural differences between colonies of chimpanzees were due to variations in genetics. A team at Liverpool, however, has now discovered that variations in behaviour are down to chimpanzees migrating to other colonies, proving that they build their 'cultures' in a similar way to humans.
Where Do The Buffalo And Elk Still Roam?:
Less than twenty-one percent of the earth's terrestrial surface still contains all of the large mammals that used to occur there 500 years ago, according to a new study. Authored by a team of scientists from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Princeton University, the study is the first of its kind to offer an ecologically based measurement of human impacts on biodiversity based on the absence of native, large mammals.
Four Health Behaviors Can Add 14 Extra Years Of Life:
People who adopt four healthy behaviours -- not smoking; taking exercise; moderate alcohol intake; and eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day -- live on average an additional fourteen years of life compared with people who adopt none of these behaviours, according to a new study.
480-million-year-old Fossil Sheds Light On 150-year-old Paleontological Mystery:
Discovery of an exceptional fossil specimen in southeastern Morocco that preserves evidence of the animal's soft tissues has solved a paleontological puzzle about the origins of an extinct group of bizarre slug-like animals with rows of mineralized armor plates on their backs, according to a paper in Nature.