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QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

I will post any interesting science that might inspire Sagan 4 creatures in here.  Any general discusion about biology can go in here too. Here are the numerous articles already in my "collection." The Basics -- Evolution Gene-centered view of evolution Microevolution  <------ Read this.  Think small changes. Natural Selection Speciation Adaptation Exaptation Preadaptation Maladaptation Acclimation Epigenetics <--- I find the concept that a creatures morphology and behavior can be changed without changing it's DNA, and that these nongenetic traits are passed on, to be intriguing.  Here's an article on the matter: DNA is not Destiny. Alternative biochemistry Non-cellular life Iron-sulfur world theory Monsters Among the Microbes [Dead] Can evolution make things less complicated?  By the way, the answer is DUH! Treasure trove of new marine species found How Aliens Work  7 pages of sweet, simple science. If Life Endures Earth's Coldest, Hottest and Weirdest Places, Can it Survive Mars, Titan or Beyond? The Future is Wild - Discovery The Future is Wild Homepage The Surprising Origin of Venom Revealed Newfound Snake Anti-Venom is Already Inside You Fear of Snakes Drove Pre-Human Evolution Venomous Fish Outnumber Snakes Hemolymph The Rocky Road to Modern Paleontology and Biology Frog that hopped with dinosaurs found Water Bears Radiation-resistant microbe reveals secrets Migrating birds take hundreds of powernaps  It seems so obvious now, doesn't it. Is It Raining Aliens? The Science of Aliens - Museum Exhibit Tetragametic Chimera This Is Your Ancestor Mind-Control Microbe When All Whales Were Killers The Top 12 Biology Stories of 2006 Scientists find dinosaur genome in birds New Mammal Fossil Astounds Scientists Study challenges theory that species evolve faster in tropics Phasmids Study: Dinosaurs' demise didn't spur mammals' evolution Parasite "Brainwashes" Rats Into Craving Cat Urine Plants on other planets may be yellow or red Early Earth Was Purple, Study Suggests Prehistoric Mystery Organism a Humongous Fungus Parasites Evolve from Bad to Good Flowers Evolve to Suit Birds and Bats   Termites Are Actually Social Cockroaches

QUOTE (clayren)

I wasn't sure where I should put this, but this thread seems like the best place. I found a video that shows the difference between a food-chain on paper, and how one works in real life. This video shows a conflict between a group of lions, a herd of buffalo, and a crocodile. It starts of kinda slow, but picks up eventually (about four minutes in). http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d6d_1179792837 Hopefully this will give some inspiration when making the relationship between organisms and their prey.

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

'Junk' DNA Source Of Genetic Innovation New Genetic Data Overturn Long-held Theory Of Limb Development Eavesdropping Fringe-lipped Bats Spread Culture Through Sound  It's not so much culture as hunting habits. Bacteria Use Radioactive Uranium To Convert Water Molecules To Useable Energy Methane Devourer Discovered In The Arctic Snottites, Other Biofilms Hasten Cave Formation Moths Mimic Sounds To Survive Color Vision Drove Primates To Develop Red Skin And Hair, Study Finds Scientists Discover New Life In Antarctic Deep Sea Species Thrive When Sexual Dimorphism Broadens Their Niches Sea Snails Break The Law Vomit Flower Power: Can A Taste For Poison Drive Speciation? Steep Oxygen Decline Halted First Land Colonization By Earth's Sea Creatures Why Are There So Many More Species Of Insects? Because Insects Have Been Here Longer Small Furry Mammal Was Capable Of Gliding Flight Possibly Before Birds Solving Darwin's Dilemma: Oxygen May Be The Clue To First Appearance Of Large Animals Virgin Shark Gives Birth Electric Fish on Verge of Evolutionary Split Nature Inspires Design of New Eyes Orangutan study suggests early walking on two legs Spiders Need UV Light to Feel Amorous Naked Trees Dominated Early Forests Becoming Behemoth Edit and repost: Interspecies Sex: Evolution's Hidden Secret?    Clownfish Use "Snappy" Trick to Make Weird Sounds Toxic Frogs Get Their Poison From Mites Bats Have an Aerodynamic Edge Over Birds Chimp Males Cooperate With Kin and Non-Kin Alike New Asian Rodent Found as Food Is "Living Fossil" Heat Triggers Sex Change in Lizards by "Turning Off" Key Gene Reindeer Change Their Eyes for Summer and Winter "Mafia Birds" Make Others Raise Their Young ... Or Else Manatees Have "Long-Distance" Sense of Touch Two-Headed Reptile Fossil From Age of Dinosaurs Found Elephant "Missing Link" Fossil Found, Study Says Ancient Fish Fossil May Rewrite Story of Animal Evolution Fossil Mammal Resembling Dog-Hare Hybrid Found Monkeys Hug to Head Off Conflict Some Lizards Smell Tougher Than Others Killer Kangaroo Had Wolf-Like Fangs ''Bizarre Beasts'' Were Real (Believe It or Not)

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

Birds That Sing Together Scare off Invaders T. Rex, Other Big Dinosaurs Could Swim, New Evidence Suggests T. Rex Was Slow-Turning Plodder, Study Suggests "Feathered" Dinosaur Was Bald, Not Bird Ancestor, Controversial Study Says Salamander Tongue Is World's Most Explosive Muscle

QUOTE (Hydromancerx)

Rust-Breathing Bacteria: Miracle Microbes?

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

Cane Toads Cannibalize Their Young Attitude Plays Key Role Among Wildlife Bigger Horns Equal Better Genes Caribbean Frogs Started With A Single, Ancient Voyage On A Raft From South America What Did Dinosaurs Hear? Tropical giant penguin discovered Icebergs are 'ecological hotspot' Bone-Crushing Wolves Roamed Alaska During Ice Age Earliest Panda Skull Reveals Bamboo-Eating "Pygmy" Fungi Gobble Radiation to Grow, Study Says Massive Birdlike Dinosaur Unearthed in China Plants Can Recognize, Communicate With Relatives, Studies Find Genes May Influence Language Learning, Study Suggests Why Starling Females Cheat Bees Seem To Benefit From Having Favorite Colors Genes Play An Unexpected Role In Their Own Activation Prey Not Hard-wired To Fear Predators Electric Fish Conduct Electric Duets In Aquatic Courtship Wild Sheep Descended From Single Pair Show Surprising Genetic Diversity Moss Genes Provided Fuse For Plant Life Explosion Understanding Algae That Are Both 'Plant' And 'Animal'

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

Vomeronasal organ Jacobson's Organ The Jacobson's organ also helps some animals perceive other chemical compounds besides just pheromones emitted between species. For instance, snakes find their prey by using their Jacobson's organ. A snake places its tongue on its Jacobson's, or vomeronasal, organ after having its tongue in the air. The snake touches its tongue on the two pits by the Jacobson's organ to allow it to properly sense their prey. The reason snakes have a forked tongue is so that the tongue can touch these pits. The deeper the fork in a snake's tongue, the more the snake uses its Jacobson's organ. Snake sense - how snakes smell, taste, hear, detect body heat from prey, and see

QUOTE (clayren)

I'm not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but has anyone heard of the Hemiceratoides hieroglyphica? It's a moth in Madagascar that stabs sleeping birds in the eye and then drink their tears. It's really an odd function. Here's a link: http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0410-madagascar.html

QUOTE (Ichthyostega)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19569845/ Piranhas' secret is out: They're wimps!

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

NASA is slow: Alien Life May Be "Weirder" Than Scientists Think

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

Natural Selection At Work In Dramatic Comeback Of Male Butterflies What Determines The Speed At Which Birds Fly? One Species, Many Genomes Fruit Fly Gene From 'Out Of Nowhere' May Change Ideas About How Genes Are Formed Mystery Of Mammalian Ears Solved Orangutans Communicate As If They Were Playing Charades Evolution Is Driven By Gene Regulation 'New Continent' And Species Discovered In Atlantic Study Birds Learn To Fly With A Little Help From Their Ancestors Female Hyenas Avoid Incest By Causing Male Relatives To Leave Home Elephantnose Fish 'See' With Their Chin Super Spiders Make Bolder Birds New Light-sensing Ability Discovered In Disease-causing Bacteria A Genetic Trigger For The Cambrian Explosion Unraveled? Migrating Squid Drove Evolution Of Sonar In Whales And Dolphins, Researchers Argue 'Alien' Jaws Help Moray Eels Feed New Species May Form WIth A Little Help From Immune System Parasitic Battles Can Involve Gene Transfer That Aids Evolution Females Promiscuous For The Sake Of Their Grandchildren Prehistoric Reptiles From Russia Possessed The First Modern Ears New Light Shed On Hybrid Animals Stuck With A Weak Mate? Species Compensate To Increase Viable Offspring Why Are Some Groups Of Animals So Diverse?

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

Predation Linked To Evolution, Study Suggests  DUH! New Species Of Bacteria Feeds On Natural Gas Do Migratory Birds 'See' The Magnetic Field? Three-way Mating Game Of North American Lizard Found In Distant European Relative Beyond A 'Speed Limit' On Mutations, Species Risk Extinction Genes From The Father Facilitate The Formation Of New Species Appendix Isn't Useless At All: It's A Safe House For Good Bacteria Driving Force Of Evolution? Evolution Of Proteins Linked To Species' Metabolic Rate A Gene Divided Reveals The Details Of Natural Selection Some Tropical Birds Depend Completely On Army Ants To Flush Out Prey Sea Cucumbers Fast Track Organ Regrowth By Healing Their Wounds Why Sex Chromosomes Evolve So Rapidly Herding Aphids: How 'Farmer' Ants Keep Control Of Their Food Benefits Of 80 Million Years Without Sex Dawn Of Animal Vision Discovered Burrowing Mammals Dig For A Living, But How Do They Do That? Fluorescence In Key Marine Creature Discovered When Animals Evolve On Islands, Size Doesn't Matter Evolution: When Are Genes 'Adventurous' And When Are They Conservative? How Poisonous Plants Protect Themselves From Their Own Weapons New Study Suggests Many Unknown Microbes in Soil Parasites Might Spur Evolution Of Strange Amphibian Breeding Habits Dinosaur From Sahara Ate Like A 'Mesozoic Cow'

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

A little bit.  It's been awhile since I looked at it and I think with the gamma ray burst coming everyone might need some inspiration. Save the Spiney Sauceback. Dino Bones Tell of Cannibalism Galore Glow-in-the-Dark Sharks at Risk? Bat Bugs Evolved Fake Genitals to Avoid Sex Injuries Moonlight Triggers Mass Coral "Romance" New Mammal Fossil Sheds Light on Teeth Evolution Dinosaurs Had Supercharged Breathing Like Birds New "Mini" Dinosaur a Step in Bird Evolution Path Water Spider Spins Its Own "Scuba Tank" Sharks Have Genes for Fingers and Toes Evolution Is Deterministic, Not Random, Biologists Conclude From Multi-species Study Cambodia's National Animal Is "Real," Study Says "Nonexistent" Flying Fox Discovered  <-- These are more editorials against scientists "knowing more" than "ignorant peasants," instead of evolutionary ideas for Sagan.

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

Recovering From A Mass Extinction Crocodilians Bypass Their Lungs To Improve Digestion Lizards And Salamanders May Use Lungs To Hear Beaked Whales Actually Hear Through Their Throats Conspicuous Social Signaling Drives Evolution Of Chameleon Color Change New Species Of Giant Elephant-shrew Discovered A Difficult Youth Is A Good Thing For A Fish EDGE Amphibians: World's Weirdest Creatures Just Got Weirder Scientists Look At Those In Evolutionary Race Who Don't Make It 'Out Of The Gate' Insect Attack May Have Finished Off Dinosaurs Two 'Noses' Are Necessary For Flies To Navigate Well Will Beetles Inherit The Earth? Evolutionary Study Reveals Their Long-term Success Giant Fossil Sea Scorpion Bigger Than Man 'Time-sharing' Tropical Birds Key To Evolutionary Mystery Ancient Lion With "Bolt Cutter" Jaws: Best Killer Ever? Where Elephants Tread, Geckos Thrive, Study Finds Video: Ancient Croc Unveiled Parasite Makes Ants Resemble Berries Bull-Size Rodent Discovered -- Biggest Yet Ants, Acacias Break Truce When Wildlife Threat Drops Blind Cavefish Can Produce Sighted Offspring Squirrels Use "Snake Perfume" to Fool Predators Whales Evolved From Tiny Deerlike Mammals, Study Says "Zombie" Roaches Lose Free Will Due to Wasp Venom Dinosaurs Had Supercharged Breathing Like Birds New Mammal Fossil Sheds Light on Teeth Evolution Birds Can "See" Earth's Magnetic Field Tropical fish can live for months out of water Record-size spitting cobra found in Kenya

QUOTE (Slartibartfast)

'Junk DNA' Can Explain Origin And Complexity Of Vertebrates Bats Use Magnetic Substance As Internal Compass To Help Them Navigate Masters Of Disguise: Secrets Of Nature's 'Great Pretenders' Revealed Zoologists Challenge Longstanding Theory That 'Eyespots' Mimic The Eyes Of Predators' Enemies Mysterious Sea Creatures Found In Antarctic Waters Do Animals Think Like Autistic Savants? Genome Of Marine Organism Tells Of Humans' Unicellular Ancestors Giant Frog Jumps Continents, May Have Eaten Baby Dinosaurs New Meat-eating Dinosaur Duo From Sahara Ate Like Hyenas, Sharks Shrews Are Highly Sophisticated Predators Scientist Discovers Some Mammals Can Smell Objects Under Water How Did Huge Dinosaurs Find Enough Food? Did Bacteria Aid Their Digestion? Pygmy Dinosaur Inhabited Tropical Islands In Britain's Prehistoric Past Bug's "Bird Poop" Disguise Decoded Early Bats Flew First, Developed "Sonar" Later Sea reptile is biggest on record