Experts predict that such nonhuman-to-human “xenotransplants” may become a viable option within the next decade It’s an exciting time to be an organ transplant physician. Just two weeks ago, doctors in Baltimore reported completing the first successful transfer of a pig heart into a living human patient. Now pig kidneysContinue Reading
Which animals have the longest arms? Based on size alone, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) would easily crush all other competition with their massive flippers, which evolved from the arms of their terrestrial mammalian ancestors and can measure up to 16 feet (4.9 meters) long. But when it comes to relativeContinue Reading
Skeletons of “kungas” discovered in a princely burial. Mesopotamians were using hybrids of domesticated donkeys and wild asses to pull their war wagons 4,500 years ago — at least 500 years before horses were bred for the purpose, a new study reveals. The analysis of ancient DNA from animal bonesContinue Reading
They found 60 million icefish nests. Scientists onboard an icebreaker in Antarctica were blown away when they spied a trove of 60 million icefish nests dotting the floor of the Weddell Sea. The bonanza of nurseries — each guarded by a ghostly looking parent — represents the largest known breedingContinue Reading
And how does mama clean it when it gets dirty? Although many marsupials raise their young in pouches — including opossums, Tasmanian devils and even koalas — kangaroos are almost certainly the most iconic. So what’s it like inside a kangaroo’s pouch? Think of the kangaroo’s pouch as a hoodieContinue Reading
Fluorescent homes may help wayward insects find their way in the dim twilight Beam a black light into some Vietnamese forests at night, and brilliant green bulbs may glow in the trees. These eerie lanterns are the nests of several species of Asian paper wasps, and the gleam comes fromContinue Reading
The semiaquatic whale walked on land and swam in water. A semiaquatic whale that lived 43 million years ago was so fearsome, paleontologists have named it after Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death. The newly discovered 10-foot-long (3 meters) species, dubbed Phiomicetus anubis, was a beast; When it wasContinue Reading
Thapunngaka shawi was Australia’s biggest known pterosaur. About 110 million years ago in what is now Australia, a flying “dragon” dominated the skies. With an estimated 23-foot (7 meters) wingspan, it was the continent’s biggest pterosaur, new research finds. Pterosaur fossils are rare in Australia; fewer than 20 specimens haveContinue Reading
It’s all in their biology. On the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, there lives a creature that Guinness World Records has dubbed the “world’s oldest animal on land.” His name is Jonathan, and he’s a giant tortoise. According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan was 187 years oldContinue Reading
A preserved tusk revealed how far the animal ranged during its 28-year lifetime. A mammoth that lived in Alaska about 17,000 years ago traveled so far and wide that, if it had walked in a straight line, it would have gone all the way around the world — nearly twice.Continue Reading